Braking face-off: Industry suggests advanced combined braking system (CBS) over costly ABS for mass-market two-wheelers
SIAM’s proposal offers a middle-ground solution between costly ABS and the existing CBS with drum brakes, mandated for sub-125cc bikes since 2019.
The country’s automobile industry has proposed an advanced combined braking system (CBS) with front disc brakes for two-wheelers as an alternative to the government’s mandate on installing anti-lock braking systems (ABS) on all new bikes and scooters from January 2026, two people aware of the development said.
ABS is already a mandatory feature for bigger two-wheelers above 125 cc engine capacity—a rule that the ministry of road transport and highways wants to extend to smaller, commuter bikes and scooters.
Lobby group the Society of Indian Automotive Manufacturers (SIAM) has written to the ministry that CBS with a front hydraulic disc brake is a cheaper and efficient alternative to ABS, said the people who wanted to stay anonymous.
The SIAM proposal is mid-way solution between the expensive ABS and current CBS with drum brakes which has been mandated for sub-125 cc bikes since 2019.
Industry executives suggest the installation of an advanced CBS with a front disc brake will bump up the cost of a two-wheeler by around ₹1,000, which is lower than an ABS that could raise prices by more than ₹3,000.
ABS brakes, common in cars and other four-wheelers, are designed to prevent a lock-up of the wheel during braking, even in bad driving conditions, to prevent the bike or scooter from slipping.
The CBS version with a front disc brake distributes the braking force between the two wheels. To be sure, it does not prevent wheel lock-up but is more effective than CBS using drum brakes used in two-wheelers under 125 cc engine capacity. Such vehicles account for 84% of two-wheeler sales in India.
Costly change
The government’s proposal for the ABS mandate, made in June, took the country’s automakers by storm. Only about one-sixth of the total 19.6 million two-wheelers sold have the required technology. If the rules were changed, the remaining 84% of the two-wheeler market would have had to install ABS, increasing the cost by ₹3,000-5,000 per unit.
If implemented, the ABS mandate would have affected market leader Hero Motocorp the most, an analyst said in a note. “Hero MotoCorp and TVS Motors will be the most impacted, as 94% and 64% of their total volumes, respectively, will undergo price increases from [January]. Bajaj Auto will relatively have less impact, as 35% of its volumes will only get impacted by ABS norms," wrote Rishi Vora of Kotak Institutional Equities.
The ABS discussions come at a time when sales of cheaper motorcycles of less than 125cc have been slowing. In financial year 2025, while the overall two-wheeler market grew by 9%, motorcycles in this segment saw only a 5% rise in sales to 9.2 million units.
Email queries to SIAM and the ministry of road transport and highways remained unanswered.
Affordability vs. safety
Communications on the subject started in late July and discussions have continued. Talks have centered around 125cc two-wheelers are entry-level vehicles and that an ABS mandate would render them unaffordable, the second person said.
But the government has stated that rider safety remains its priority, this person added. At the SIAM Annual Convention last month in New Delhi, Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari said that road safety remains a “dark area" for his ministry.
There were more than 173,800 Indian road accident fatalities, with some 45.8% of the victims being two-wheeler riders in 2023, the latest published data on this count, according to the Accidental Deaths and Suicides in India report by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB).
Besides increased costs, two-wheeler makers, at their end, have flagged the risk of operational disruptions with sudden changes in industry mandates.
“Constantly evolving regulations require continuous adaptation, leading to increased compliance costs. Frequent regulatory changes may cause operational disruptions and require process realignment," Hero Motocorp wrote in its latest annual report.
Honda Motorcycle and Scooters India, second-ranked in the industry, joined in the criticism. In an interview with Mint, Yogesh Mathur, director of sales and marketing, said that suppliers are not ready to meet the scale of demand for ABS. “Cost is definitely there as an impact. But more important is in terms of whether we are really prepared from the supply side point of view," he told Mint. Suppliers will have to rely on import routes due to the strict timelines and domestic manufacturing will have to prepare accordingly, he said.
Electric two-wheeler startup Ola Electric held a contrarian stance and its chairman and managing director has said that ABS needs to be introduced as soon as possible. “Our stance is that the sooner the better. We should not compromise with customer safety," Bhavish Aggarwal said during the company's earnings call on 14 July.
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