ESC timetable announced

Michael Woodhouse, the Associate Transport Minister, has announced the timetable to introduce mandatory electronic stability control (ESC) for cars imported to New Zealand. A new land transport rule means new class MA, MB, MC and NA light passenger and goods vehicles certified for entry into service will be required to have ESC from July 1, 2015. READ: All of Autofile's coverage on ESC Used class MC vehicles – four-wheel-drive SUVs and off-road vehicles – will need to have ESC fitted when inspected at the border from March 1, 2016. The deadline for used class MA vehicles (passenger cars) with engine capacities greater than two litres when inspected at the border is March 1, 2018. For all other used class MA, MB and NA light passenger and goods vehicles inspected at the border, the cut-off date March 1, 2020. The requirement to have ESC will not apply to some specialist vehicles, such as vintage, motorsport and scratch-built vehicles. This is consistent with other land transport rules. From July 1, 2015, all owners of vehicles fitted with ESC – no matter when they were imported – will need to ensure their ESC is working. This will be checked at warrant of fitness inspections. During public consultation, the Motor Trade Association and Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association (IMVIA) supported a new ESC timescale submitted by the Motor Industry Association. This was for the deadline for existing model class NA vehicles, essentially light new commercials, to be shifted to February 1, 2017. The IMVIA also lobbied for an implementation date of January 1, 2020, for used class NA vehicles to be moved back because the Japanese authorities only recently announced the mandatory requirement for ESC to be installed on new light commercials there from 2017. In mandating ESC, New Zealand will be joining the US, Canada, Japan, South Korea, Australia and the European Union, which have also introduced mandatory ESC for new light passenger vehicles. “I’m confident this timetable will ensure New Zealand consumers receive maximum safety benefits from the new technology without choking supply from the imported used car market,” says Woodhouse.