ARAI and ICAT – Chennaionline

Honda Cars India Ltd. (HCIL), a leading manufacturer of premium cars in India, announced that it has received Confirmation Certificate from two of the country’s premier automotive testing and certification agencies, the Automotive Research Association of India (ARAI) and the International Centre for Automotive Technology (ICAT) for its advanced state-of-the-art Wind Tunnel Facility at its R&D facility in Tochigi, Japan to conduct testing activities supporting Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) certification requirements for its India-specific Honda models. The ARAI certificate was handed over by Dr Reji Mathai, Director, ARAI to Mr Udit Kumar, SVP and Director, HCIL. The ICAT certificate was handed over by Mr Saurabh Dalela, Director, ICAT to Mr Udit Kumar, SVP and Director, HCIL. Senior officials from ARAI and ICAT were present in the certificate handover ceremonies respectively. This certification recognises HCIL to use the Wind Tunnel facility in combination with Chassis Dynamometer facilities for ‘Vehicle Road Load Determination’ under the established AIS:175 regulatory standard that mandates the adoption of the WLTP from April 1, 2027. The certification marks an important milestone in Honda’s efforts to leverage its global research and development infrastructure to support homologation and regulatory compliance requirements in India. WLTP is a globally recognised vehicle testing procedure developed to provide more equal representative measurements of fuel consumption, energy consumption and exhaust emissions. The system was developed under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and is already used in markets such as Europe, Japan and South Korea. This certification comes at a significant time as India advances towards implementing WLTP based testing procedures, which require robust and accurate aerodynamic evaluation to support vehicle efficiency and emission assessments and will support Honda’s efforts to ensure seamless compliance for future models. Speaking on the announcement, Mr. Takashi Nakajima, President & CEO, Honda Cars India Ltd. said, “We are pleased to receive this certification from ARAI and ICAT for Honda’s Wind Tunnel Test Facility to be used for testing activities supporting the upcoming WLTP certification requirements. While it is an important milestone, it is also a reflection of Honda’s long-standing commitment to engineering excellence and proactive compliance with evolving regulations.”