World Manufacturer Identifier
commonly , commonly abbreviated to abbreviated to VIN, is a unique , is a unique serial number serial number used by used by the automotive industry automotive industry to identify individual to identify individual motor vehicles vehicles.
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World Manufacturer Identifier (WMI) Code:
Such type of code is given to Indian Automotive Manufacturers for their worldwide identification by the BIS authority in India who is a member of International Organization for Standardization. Its constitutes the first section of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) / chassis number and in conjunction with the remaining sections of VIN ensures uniqueness of the Vehicle Identification Number for all the manufactured vehicles across the world. This code may be a combination of alphabetical or numerical characters. International Relations and Technical Information Services Department of BIS provides the service of assigning WMI code to Indian Automobile manufacturers in collaboration of the Society of Automotive Engineers Inc., USA, and the international agency responsible for the maintenance of the WMI codes.
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Vehicle Identification Number (VIN):
commonly , commonly abbreviated to abbreviated to VIN, is a unique , is a unique serial number serial number used by used by the automotive industry automotive industry to identify individual to identify individual motor vehicles vehicles. There was not an accepted standard for these numbers prior to 1980, so different manufacturers used for these numbers, so different manufacturers used different formats. Different formats.
Today time VINs consist of 17 characters which do Modern day VINs consist of 17 characters which do not include the letters I, O or Q. not include the letters I, O or Q.
two related standards on which VIN is based that is originally issued by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) in 1979 and 1980; ISO 3779 and ISO 3780, respectively.
Suitable but somewhat different implementations of these ISO standards have been adopted by the European Union and the United States of America.
Structure & content of VIN in order to establish is specified through this, on a world-wide basis, a uniform identification numbering system for road vehicles.
ISO 3779 is for Road Vehicles – VIN – Content & Structure.
ISO 3780 is for Road Vehicles – WMI Code.
Field of application: (As per ISO 3833) (As per ISO 3833)
- Motors Vehicles
- Trailers
- Motor-cycles
- Mopeds
Manufacturer
- Any type of firm, individual or Corporation under whose responsibility a vehicle has been assembled to form a unit which is ready for operation.
- Same will be responsible for the uniqueness of the VIN.
Components of VIN:
VIN contains 17 digits
- 1-3 digits for World Manufacturer Identifier Number (WMI)
- 4-9 digits for Vehicle Descriptor Section (VDS)
- 10-17 digits for Vehicle Indicator Section (VIS)
| Standard | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 |
| ISO 3799 | WMI | VDS | VIS | ||||||||||||||
Registration Authority of WMI:
- SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) which are bases in US assigns/registers WMIs to countries and manufacturers.
- WMI’s first character is the region in which the manufacturer is located. each is assigned to a country of manufacture for practice.
Coding of WMI Number:
| 1 to 5 | North America |
| S to Z | Europe |
| A to H | Africa |
| J to R | Asia (MA-ME = India) |
| 6 and 7 | Oceania |
| 8 and 9 | South America |
Vehicle Descriptor Section:
- Vehicle Descriptor Section or VDS positions in the VIN is at the 4th through 9th
- To identify the vehicle type and may include information on the platform used, the model, and the body style it is used according to local regulations.
- A manufacturer has a unique system for using this field. Before 1980s so many manufacturer have used the 8th digit to identify the engine type whenever there is more than one engine choice for the vehicle.
Vehicle Identifier Section:
- Vehicle Identifier Section or VIS is at 10th through 17th positions.
- It is used to identify the individual vehicle in question. Same is inclusive of information on options installed or engine and transmission choices, but often is a simple sequential number.
- The last five digits shall be numeric.
Model year encoding:
- A0020consistent element of the VIS is the 10th digit, which is required to encode the model year of the vehicle.
- Except the three letters that are not allowed in the VIN itself (I, O and Q), the letters U and Z and the digit 0 are not used for the model year code.
Note: The model year of the vehicle is the year code.
Plant Code:
- The factory of manufacture of the vehicle is encoded by the 11th character.
- However every manufacturer has their own set of plant codes, their location in the VIN is standardized.
Procedure for WMI Registration:
- Acknowledgment of the application & Verification of supporting documents
- WMI code proposal as per the series and entry of the same in the BIS database
- Registration with SAE International, USA
- Confirmation letter from SAE International
- Communication of WMI to the applicant firm
Requirements for WMI Number:
- Name, address of the firm and location of the manufacturing unit.
- Photocopy of Memorandum of Article.
- Photocopy of the industrial license (attested by an Authorized signatory) to carry out the manufacturing of automobiles.
- Installation capacity and number of vehicles manufactured per year along-with the technical details of the vehicles, brand name etc (model-wise).
- Whether using any Coding system at present, if yes its details.
- Size of the firm i.e. small scale or large scale.
- Detail of VDS and Section of VIN along-with drawings as specified in ISO 3779/3780/4030.
- A DD of Rs 5000/- + 12.36% = Rs 5618/- in favour of ‘Bureau of Indian Standards’ payable at New Delhi.
- Number of vehicles to be produced in the current year (proposed).
About the Author
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