Leaders of 13 of the world’s passenger car and light truck manufacturers from Japan, Europe and the US will work together this year encouraging governments to adopt a common set of standards, or Global Technical Regulations (GTRs), for environmental and safety technologies, according to the latest Japan Auto Trends newsletter.
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“One of the biggest challenges for the motor vehicle industry today is the global harmonisation of technical regulations,” said Honda chairman Yoshihide Munekuni, who is also chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association (JAMA).
Munekuni added that differences in regulations are not apparent to consumers, “but for manufacturers, different regulations require different designs, which lead to additional investment for tools and dies.”
In his quarterly commentary, JAMA USA general director William Duncan focuses on Japan’s car market for 2003. “These are lean economic times in Japan and so with the car market. The outlook for this coming year is that vehicle sales continue to remain flat. There is little optimism for significant recovery,” he said.
However, Duncan points out that while a rebound in car sales seems premature, the pace of technological development is booming.
“Japanese makers are moving aggressively to introduce hybrid vehicles to the market. The big impetus is rapidly rising environmental consciousness in Japan increasing environmental standards and an overriding commitment on the part of the auto companies to develop ‘green’ technology to meet the needs of society and the consumer.”
Truck and bus makers are also chasing green technology as demonstrated by the wide variety of hybrid, fuel cell and natural gas vehicles displayed at the 2002 Tokyo Motor Show for commercial vehicles.
