STRIP EXEMPTIONS GIVEN TO 70 CAR MODELS, VARIANTS

A GROUP of influential car dealers has recommended stripping exemptions given to vehicles if they do not meet the new safety standards.

Proton Edar Dealers Association (Peda) urged the Transport Ministry to revoke all exemptions given to 10 car models with more than 70 variants that do not meet the New Car Assessment Programme (NCAP) safety requirements.

The call follows efforts by the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (Miros), an agency under the ministry, to lift motor vehicle safety standards and encourage a market for safer vehicles under NCAP.

NCAP is a collaboration signed between Miros and the Global New Car Assessment Programne on December 7 2011.

In 2011, the ministry issued a list of United Nation Economic Council for Europe (Unece) regulations for automotive assemblers and manufacturers in Malaysia to implement by January 2012.

The deadline was first extended to June last year.

Peda president, Armin Baniaz Pahamin, said to date, 70 car models and variants are still given exemption despite not complying with two items on the Unece list, namely UN ECE R94 (frontal collision system) and UN ECE R95.