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With
counterparts in Europe, Japan and North America, the Australian
authorities are working steadily towards "harmonisation"
of design rules.
But
the process of developing common design rules is a slow
one involving earnest testing and verification.
For
passenger cars, about 60 percent of ADRs match the UNECE
standards. By next year, following a review of the ADRs,
harmonisation will reach 90 percent.
This
should reduce the costs to importers of complying, meaning
a wider range of cheaper vehicles arriving here sooner after
their launches overseas.
Most
compliance work on new models these days takes the form
of tests. Australia joins other countries in recognising
each other's standards but there are still unique requirements
for each model sold here, among them those dealing with
the harsh climate. Importers must meet child restraint anchorage
requirements and carry out a full-frontal crash test, the
windscreen washer test and a 100kmh "shootout"
test to ensure wheel rims don't disintegrate with flat tyres.
The
lofty target is as close to 100 percent harmonisation as
possible.
It
probably sounds a bit rich, too, that the Federal Government
insists the likes of Mercedes-Benz, BMW, Toyota, Ford and
Volkswagen alter their vehicles before shipping them into
Australian showrooms.
Not
a single model escapes the process of adherence to ADRs,
a process starting with the expensive frontal crash test
mandatory for all but a few low-volume importers.
The
Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries supports the harmonisation
of design rules to the UNECE benchmark. The unique national
standards add to the costs of compliance, which have to
be passed on to the consumer, says the chamber's executive
officer, Andrew McKellar.
Still,
few of the major local importers are openly critical of
the requirements.
"We
do need specific design rules for Australian conditions,"
concedes Michael May, DaimlerChrysler Australia's vehicle
homologation manager. "But it's important that those
in the process review them regularly and make sure they
make sense."... Read
the rest of this story here
By
Peter McKay
The Sydney
Morning Herald (Drive)
Monday December 8 2003
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