NHTSA says no to smart bag exemption for Pagani Huayra
Pagani Automobili S.p.A. is an Italian car manufacturer based in San Cesario sul Panaro. It’s brand new baby, the Pagani Huayra that carries a massive V12 engine with 700 horsepower, might not go into sales in the United States unless it conforms to the official US airbag regulation policies.
According to the US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration , they have turned down the Italian automaker’s request to be exempted from the long-standing US safety rule for “smart” airbags.
For the past 11 years, all automobiles that are registered in the United States comply to these smart airbags whose deployment force adjust to the person’s height and weight. The Lamborghini and Tesla models were exempted the past 5 years based on financial grounds.
According to the statement made by the Italian carmaker, they might be able to sell only about five supercars, with tag price at $1.1 million, next year. However, the development of these smart airbags, which are a must under the US Federal Law, would cost them €4.0 million. Pagani thought that this should be basis for a waiver. However, the NHTSA didn’t see it that way.
The NHTSA Notice Summary states that they have determined that the luxury carmaker failed to demonstrate their compliance will cause economic hardship. And that exempting Pagani will mean inconsistency with the Safety Act.
Unfortunately for Pagani, the denied NHTSA waiver would mean loss of income estimated at $4.5 million until about 2015.