India Emissions Law Stuns Automakers.

The Supreme Court of India has thrown the car market into chaos by introducing sweeping car emissions laws overnight Under the Clean Air Directive, a requirement to make all cars sold in the Delhi region compliant with Euro 1 emissions standards from April 2000 was brought forward to June 1999. Only Daewoo's new Matiz minicar meets the standards, so the car market was cut by 90% in the Delhi region.

Market-leader Maruti was the worst hit as all its models still have carburetors. To meet Euro 1 standards would mean equipping al) its cars with fuel-injection and catalytic converters. Suzuki has found a solution by modifying the catalyst and still meeting Euro 1 norms with a carburetor, but Maruti has still lost $21 million in revenue.