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Car dealers say a Government rush to clean up imported vehicles from the beginning of next year will backfire if motorists cannot afford to replace older cars with newer models.
The Motor Trade Association - representing dealers and service stations - says a Government delay in drafting new emission standards for vehicle imports threatens to cut a consultation period essential to ensuring an uninterrupted supply of replacement models.
"This has serious implications for the motor industry, which is committed to doing its full part in meeting the imperatives of climate change as part of a national goal," association spokesman Andy Cuming said yesterday.
"In a scenario of disrupted vehicle supply, the vast bulk of present vehicle owners would have no economic option but to hold on to their lower-cost, lower-technology cars even longer, continuing to generate higher levels of exhaust emissions."
He said the delay was seriously limiting his industry's ability to come up with workable solutions to reduce greenhouse gases while maintaining a continuing supply of vehicles to motorists.
Although Associate Transport Minister Judith Tizard announced in December that a new rule for vehicle entry restrictions would be available for industry and public consultation "around March", Mr Cuming said Land Transport New Zealand had told him it would not be ready until late next month or early in May.
He said the agency also told him the consultation period would be shortened to five weeks, from what he understood was a standard allowance of eight weeks.
That was disputed last night by Ministry of Transport environment group manager David Crawford, who said officials had decided against reducing the allowance from a standard six-week period for consultation on land transport changes.
Ms Tizard said in December that a minimum exhaust standard for second-hand cars would be the same as Japan introduced between 2000 and 2002.
But in February she announced tougher restrictions on new car imports as well, pushing the timetable for issuing the draft rule out to next month.
Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association chief executive David Vinsen said he was not concerned about the delay, but would jointhe Motor Trade Association in demanding adequate time for consultation.
He said his organisation supported the Government's goal of reducing fuel consumption and greenhouse gases, but believed emission standards had to be introduced in stages, to ensure they did not force too many people of modest means to hang on even longer to older vehicles.
Mr Vinsen said even the Government's economic consultants had warned it of that likelihood, and he estimated that up to 78 per cent of vehicles now being imported would not meet the proposed new standards.
"It may well become an election issue because there are huge ramifications."
He gave an example of a popular "people mover" van used by large families and selling for about $11,000 which he said would have to be replaced by an updated model costing $6000 more.
Mr Crawford said: "In Auckland, 50 to 60 per cent of poor ambient air quality is from the vehicle fleet and 235 people a year there die prematurely [of exposure to vehicle emissions]."
