The trusted voice of the auto industry for more than 25 years www.autofile.co.nz
Issue 10-2015 5 June 2015
Market forces may set age of the fleet T
he age of New Zealand’s national fleet may be left to the market to determine. That’s the view of David Vinsen, chief executive of the Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA). He says the government has been working on areas connected with how old and safe vehicles on Kiwi roads are. While it is still keen to reduce the fleet’s average age, it has “yet to determine what, if any, measures may prove effective” – such as higher standards, tougher inspections,
enforcement action or incentives. “It is likely that work will cease on this project and the issue of the age of the fleet left to market forces,” adds Vinsen. According to the Ministry of Transport (MoT), the fleet’s age is now more than 14 years – and not 13 years as predicted in 2012. Vinsen says, in his annual report, that the government has now advised it is halting its work on getting less-safe vehicles off our roads because it’s “almost impossible” to identify an effective mechanism to encourage or force this to happen.
The MoT has, however, prepared a standards inventory, which details safety features on new vehicles and a road map listing those being considered for adoption in New Zealand. Vinsen says the ministry and NZTA have confirmed no new issues are likely to impact on businesses operating in the used-imports sector in the foreseeable future, while the IMVIA is “well-involved on consultation on relevant issues”. There is, however, ongoing policy work for the government’s Safer Journeys strategy,
In this issue p8 FCA scandal across ditch p9 Marque’s dealers sparkle p10 Takeovers for Turners? p11 Old tyres on the agenda p12 MX-5 revealed in Japan p14 New boss for BMW NZ
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Marques expand recalls for airbags
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bout 55,000 vehicles sold new in this country have been called back in the latest round of safety campaigns issued by distributors for faulty airbag systems supplied by Takata. They come on top of about 21,000 cars recalled by Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Mazda, BMW and Subaru in New Zealand up to the end of February.
The total is likely to increase by thousands when the amount of used imports affected is tallied up. Overall, in excess of 76,000 vehicles have now been called back on these shores because of problems with airbags made by Takata while the global total is about 53 million units. Nissan NZ is one of the marques to most recently announce recalls –
since the May 21 issue of Autofile. The company says about 10,300 of its cars in this country are affected. Managing director John Manley says the latest safetyrelated campaign is an extension of its existing recalls in connection to Takata’s systems, specifically their airbag inflators. He describes the call-backs as a “staged process”, adding “it’s
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