President Trump appeared to say that Americans are going to be allowed – isn’t it great? – to buy small, inexpensive vehicles that are not currently available for sale in America, because it is illegal to sell them in America. Models such as the little pick-up made by Toyota – the HiLux – being one of them. Also the so-called “Kei” cars, which are abundant in Japan but unavailable here.
“You’re not allowed to build them,” them, the president said – which isn’t exactly true. The manufacturers – Toyota, for instance – could build them here. There’s nothing illegal about that. The illegality occur when a manufacturer of a non-compliant vehicle – i.e., a vehicle that does not meet every single Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) and federal “emissions” requirement (which these days means chiefly the “emissions” of carbon dioxide, which has nothing to do with pollution) – offers it for sale. Specifically, offers it for sale for use on what are styled “public” – meaning government-owned – roads. It is legal to buy vehicles like the Roxor – which looks like the original WW II-era Willys Jeep. And what are called side-by-sides such as the Can Ams you can find at motorcycle stores. But they are only legal for off-road-use.
“I have authorized the secretary (of transportation) to immediately approve the production of these cars,” Trump said on Wednesday.
Italics added.
“Approving the production” is not the same thing as allowing the sale. As explained above, there is no law precluding any vehicle manufacturer from producing vehicles in America that aren’t legal for use in America – on “public” roads, at least. The reason that vehicles such as the HiLux Champ are not produced in America is because it makes no economic sense to produce them here, for two ought-to-be-obvious reasons.
The first being it would be absurd to produce a vehicle meant for use on public roads that cannot be used on public roads – because it couldn’t be sold in numbers high enough to make it worth trying to sell them. It’s fine to buy a Roxor or side-by-side if you have a farm or enough land to knock around on – and enough money to buy a fun toy to play with in the field. Most people have neither. They need a vehicle they can drive on the government’s – whoops, “public” – roads. But the government does not allow it.
So most would never even consider buying a For Off Road Use Only Toyota HiLux Champ or any other such vehicle.
The second thing is that producing vehicles here is more expensive than it is to produce them elsewhere. The HiLux that Toyota can offer for sale in other places for $16,000 would probably cost $25,000 if it were made in the USA on account of the much higher manufacturing costs in the USA. More finely, the much higher regulatory compliance costs imposed on manufacturing anything in this country. Trump has yet to meaningfully address this elephant in the room.
There’s another elephant that needs addressing.
Low-cost vehicles such as the HiLux Champ pickup (and the little EV I recently wrote about that costs half as much as the last expensive EV Americans are allowed to buy) are not-compliant. Some of them have no air bags at all and most have too few to be compliant with federal “safety” standards. It is doubtful any of them could pass federal side-impact/rear-impact and other such “standards.” Making them complaint would make them just as expensive as the cars we’re “allowed” to buy. 
And while none of them pollute, their “emissions” (of CO2) are a problem – as regards regulatory compliance. They have engines that run all the time – unlike the hybrids being shoved down our throats, which achieve compliance by cycling the engine off as often as possible. When they are off, they “emit” no CO2 and are thus compliant.
These hybrids – the ones we’re allowed to buy – naturally costs more because adding hybrid equipment – 48 volt electrical systems, an additional battery pack and electric motors, etc. – costs money. Un-hybridized models cost less, but they are not compliant.
Catch meet 22.
So, in order for Toyota or any other vehicle manufacturer to be legally able to offer for sale vehicles like the HiLux Champ in this country, the federal regs mandating such things as multiple air bags and many other such things would have to be set aside. But they have not been set aside. More finely, the apparats that emit them have not been set aside.
Until they are, any talk about such vehicles being “allowed” is wishful thinking at best and disingenuous at worst.
Trump could just decree the “safety” and “emissions” regs null and void. That would change everything – in a good way, if you support the notion that other people ought to be free to decide for themselves whether they’re willing to “risk” driving a vehicle without air bags because it would enable them to buy a new vehicle they can afford to own. That this is controversial in America says a lot about what America isn’t anymore – which Americans intuitively know. When was the last time you heard an American say, it’s a free country?
Well, Trump could make it a lot freer – at least insofar as the vehicles we’re allowed to buy. Note – because it is important – that no one would be forced to buy an air-bag-free vehicle. They would merely be available – so that people who prefer not to buy a vehicle with air bags (and so on) would be free to buy them.
The problem is that Trump is up against multiple federal regulatory apparats, including The Department of Transportation (which encompasses the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) as well as the EPA. He can “authorize” Sean Duffy to “allow” the production of noncompliant vehicles in this country. But that is a very different thing than authorizing their lawful sale to Americans.
The apparats are not going to go quietly into that goodnight.
But at least it is being talked about – and perhaps the fact that the president is talking about it may gin up the needed public/political support to get the federal apparat out of our business as regards the kinds of vehicles we’re “allowed” to buy. Americans have gotten used to the federal government deciding that.
It is long past time to end that.
Here, at last, is a real chance to make America something more along the lines of what America used to be.
Wouldn’t it be great?
. . .
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I voted for this.
Eric,
While I like that Pres. Trump is talking about this issue; while I’d like to see it happen; it’s not going to long term, even if he issues an EO eliminating CAFE and the FMVSS. Why? His term will end in January of 2029, and a Democrat will likely replace him. After FDR, there’s been only one POTUS election where the same party retained control of the White House: Bush Sr./Bush 41’s election after Ronald Reagan’s two terms. Other than that one exception, the White House has changed parties every 4 or 8 years. Even if we set aside the division in the country and the fact that many dislike the GOP, history alone says that the next occupant of the White House will be a Democrat on January 20, 2029.
What happens then? Given the Democrats’ penchant and love of the gov’t apparat, whatever Trump does to undo or eliminate CAFE and the FMVSS, the Democrat will likely reinstate when they take over the White House. Will any car companies produce affordable vehicles if they don’t already sell them elsewhere? Not likely, given that January, 2029 is a little over three years away. By the time they’re ready to produce affordable vehicles that aren’t presently compliant with both CAFE and FMVSS, they’ll be forbidden from doing so. They know that, so they won’t bother. Besides, the car companies, at least the domestic ones, push for gov’t regulations to both virtue signal and to keep new competitors out, as regulations raise the barrier to entry.
Secondly, CAFE isn’t just an EPA or NHTSA regulation; it isn’t just an agency regulation; it’s part of the Clean Air Act passed by Congress in the 1970s. In order to get rid of CAFE (REALLY get rid of it), Congress would have to eliminate it; they’d have to repeal that part of the Clean Air Act. Even if the GOP retains control of Congress (not likely), do you foresee them having the guts to do something like that? After they passed the Infrastructure Bill requiring the kill switch in 2026 and later vehicles, I don’t think so. Pigs will fly first!
The best Trump could do is to lower the CAFE standards, something he did in his first term. What happened? Because the car companies were far along in their product development cycles to meet the upcoming 50 mpg standards, many of them came out AGAINST that! If that happened before, why wouldn’t it happen again? Secondly, even if Trump rolled back the CAFE numbers to something more manageable and achievable, what’s to stop his successor from raising them back up in three years time? And knowing that, why would the car companies offer vehicles for sale that don’t meet the new numbers? Again, they’re too far along in their product development cycles to stop now, especially since they know that the numbers will likely be raised by Trump’s probable Democrat successor in three years time?
In closing, while Trump is talking a good game here, there’s nothing he can do long term about CAFE and the FMVSS. One, he can’t eliminate CAFE long term, as it’s baked into the law; the same may apply for the FMVSS. Two, sure, he could roll back both, since both the EPA and NHTSA fall under the executive branch, which he heads; however, history alone says that a Democrat will likely replace him in January, 2029, which is a hair over three years away. Even if Trump were to issue an EO, what would change in three years? Why would the car companies make any meaningful changes when they know that the old regulations will be reinstated at that time anyway? Hence, I don’t see anything changing. I’d like to see those changes, but I don’t see how they can happen on a practical level. Those are my thoughts…
Good points here.
It is within the realm of the possible that he will declare himself emperor of the Americas by then.
At this point I might support it just as people supported Franco, Hitler, and Pinochet, as a better alternative to communism.
Do I like it? Not really, but so long as good guys like me are left alone, which the commies surely have never done, the constitution is blithely ignored anyway and the only freedom is to exercise your own freedom, and hope to avoid the notice of the commies great and small.
“Is The Hilux Champ Coming to America?”
Of course not! If our government allowed that, we Americans would all be dead! Don’t you know that vehicles without “driver ASS-istance”, or less than 20 airbags, are GUARANTEED to crash?! Plus, the planet would be destroyed! We MUST keep America “clean” and “safe”, so that EVERY OTHER COUNTRY gets to live freely!
If the supreme court rules that Trump can’t enact tarrifs by executive orders, would that mean Toyota, Nissan, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Mazda would be eligible for massive payback for the pickups that were subject to the 25% “chicken tax” since the 60s when Johnson enacted the tax by executive order?
As to this new boondoggle, unless I can buy a Toyota Hilux Champ or a Toyota Town Ace I don’t care.
And who started the lawsuit gravy train ….The usual suspects, Jew York lawyers . There is always someone to blame just not the mug looking back at you in the mirror.
Eric – Trump could just decree the “safety” and “emissions” regs null and void.
The regs are “null and void”. Check the Constitution (10th Amendment).
But Democrats and Republican, and the general population, have decided otherwise.
Vote Rs and Ds – much harder.
Looks like Europe (and most likely America) is going to come after hybrids.
https://www.cbtnews.com/real-world-emissions-show-phevs-are-almost-as-dirty-as-gas-cars-study-finds/
Compound the Kei’s with the cafe reduction and HR4117 and we’re golden. Sure, won’t happen tomorrow, but between this and a possible President Vance, we’ll be set
Regardless, new (i.e. “connected”)vehicles are not for me. Check this out. It looks like all Porsches (going back as far as 2013 my) have been bricked in Russia.
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/porsche-russia-satellite-failure-immobilized-cars/
Hi ML. I suspect that if the cars were not reported stolen and legally purchased that the owners might well have grounds for suing Porsche over it.
Either way just another reason not to buy a connected car.
Unfortunately this is typical for the Orange Turd administration more half measures and bureaucratic slight of hand to make you THINK they are doing something but actually accomplishes nothing. If he and his owners actually wanted to roll back the idiotic regulations he could start by defanging the enforcement arm by leaving the NHTSA entirely UNSTAFFED. No enforcers, no need for compliance. Instead what you get is endless wars, killing civilians in international waters to look “tough” and more $$ for almost every country other than the US, especially IsraHELL.
Eric-those Virginia winter temperature swings were always such fun, sounds like you had around a 45 degree drop in 24 hours. 40-50 degree swings in 24-36 hours are BRUTAL, and VA gets on average 4 or more of those per winter. The joys of living at the crossroads of North and South.
Hey! The government allowed me to have something (except freedom). Thanks government.
I’ll believe this shit when I see it. I will believe it when Trump sends the entire NHTSA to a breadline and starts pushing congress to relax CAFE and FMVSS. Trump is anything but a negotiator much less a leader.
This administration deserves to take a swim in the toilet.
He’s throwing people like us a bone in hope that we don’t realize that they still eat steak.
Unfortunately, as I pointed out in my comment above, I can’t see that happening. One, CAFE is baked into the law; Congress would have to make changes (i.e. repeal) the section of the Clean Air Act passed in the 1970s. How often do you see a law repealed? Rarely. Secondly, since Trump only has 3 years left in his term, any changes he makes will be undone by his likely Democrat successor on or after January 20, 2029.
I agree, Mark –
This “CAFE Reform” is just another DOGE… as in a dodge. Fake – and Gay.
I disagree. If Trump would go all the way, it would open up the issue for debate. Hell, debate has already started on this. Only on this issue, this is more than I had expected as short as a week ago.
The current Federal Motor Vehicle Safety standards, expecially those imposed after 2006 are a menace to the highways. The fatality rate began rising in 2009 and especially after 2014. The reason is that modern vehicles with limited outward visibliity have been killing pedestrians and increasing accidents at all speeds as drivers can’t see around the large window pillars. Pedestrian fatals alone have risen from about 4600 per year to over 8000 today.
I’ll believe we can own and drive KEI cars and the like on GovCo roads when my neighbor buys an can license a 2026 King Midget. Speaking of the King Midget I’m wondering now if they can be legally licensed and I bet they could because they were in the past like other small cars like the Cosley.
‘Japanese brands have no reason to produce kei cars in the US, where small cars barely sell, and profit margins make accountants cry. Even if rules change, companies would need new tooling, new factories, and a customer base that may or may not exist.’
https://www.carscoops.com/2025/12/trump-saw-these-really-cute-cars-in-japan-and-now-wants-them-on-us-roads/
Probably the lesson is that Trump’s throwaway comments should not be taken too seriously. It will take till mid-2026 at the earliest to write, publish and adopt these regs. Then there are 50 state DMVs, each with its own rules on such vehicles.
How do you spell ‘can of worms’? 🙁
If it’s defined as a motor vehicle at the federal level, the states have no choice to adopt. They should be able to run those tennis balls down teh highways just fine.
the main issue as i see it is that any of this can simply be reversed by executive order possibly as soon as 2029. thats not enough for any major manufacturer to make a significant change in their model lineups or engine technologies, or anything mentioned here. you’ll see some tweaks here or there like dodge putting an ice engine back in a charger when its convenient enough etc, but its really going to take a massive lasting change that only congress can enshrine more permanently. its always trump trump trump like he is a damn king or something. he’s not. call your congressmen.
If I read it correctly (which I admit is suspect as neither a lawyer nor politician) the Big Beautiful Bill reduced the penalty for CAFE noncompliance to zero, essentially making it voluntary compliance. That would take another act of Congress to reverse, so that’s something.
I didn’t know that!
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, enacted on July 4, 2025, eliminated civil penalties for noncompliance with federal Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards by resetting the maximum civil penalty to $0.00.
While the CAFE statute and its implementing regulations remain in place, the removal of financial penalties effectively nullifies enforcement, as automakers now face no economic consequences for failing to meet fuel economy requirements.
This change applies specifically to passenger cars and light trucks, and does not affect fuel efficiency rules or penalties for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles.
There’s another issue that is interesting to me.
Many States allow use of these SxS’s, etc… to be driven on ‘public’ or DOT roads.
They make you register them, but usually very cheap, like $10. And you get a tag, usually one that identifies it as a ‘special use’ vehicle. The one I know says “no use on posted speed limits roads of 45mph and up” I don’t remember if I had to show proof of liability insurance, I don’t think so.
So how in the world do these states get away with allowing non-DOT vehicles on DOT roads?
Is it because these roads (45mph an under) are owned by the State and not the Fed?
Probably not because roads are so damned expensive that there is nearly always a component of federal funding.
Why are they so expensive? Because of centrally planned federal funding.
In my small town, the streets are asphalt and ar deteriorating. We can’t afford to fix them, there is no connected companies to make political hay, there is no grant funding, and repairing them runs about $1000 per foot. Most likely we will have to start tearing them out and putting them back to gravel, which is cheap and easy to maintain, but a problem for snow removal.
It’s this in WA as well, shocking considering the iron fist we live under here.
Rural mail delivery is via private vehicles & I saw a tiny, I mean tiny, van doing the mail. Might have been a KEI. Didn’t get a good look at the ID, it was shaped like a loaf of bread with four wheels.
More and more side by sides in town, sheriff don’t care probably drives one as well.
I lost my ‘tag’ and asked a local cop if I was ok riding my quad down to town until I get the new one. He said ‘we don’t care, don’t need a tag’. Like you said, he probably does it too.
People in that small town buy a used car and don’t register it at all to avoid paying the sales tax, just put the old tag from their old car on it, and no one cares.
They might have trouble with the State cops, but never see them.
I wonder if Sean Duffy and Lee Zeldin know this stuff or not?
There is also the big issue of crony capitalism where the big Manuf. have gotten in bed with Gov, to limit competition (that’s what most of these regs are). Way harder to say dial back diesel Regs which then allows 2-3rd world diesels to be used here and challenge our big diesel engine Manuf.
My guess is they will just relax some of these regs just a little, but still enough to keep out competition which will do little to bring costs down. And they must be ‘laws’ or none of this really matters, because the next biden that gets in will just reverse everything. Manuf. likely won’t take these risks without the laws being changed.
Great article Eric. Someone with better computer skills than me should send this article to them.
“And they must be ‘laws’ or none of this really matters, because the next biden that gets in will just reverse everything.”
That sounds good in principle.
The fundamental issue is that laws no longer matter.
After 2020 it should be clear that laws don’t matter. We are now a lawless nation ruled by tyrants. Matter not whether the tyrants exist within the executive, legislative, or judiciary.
Most people want to forget about 2020 and pretend things will go back to “normal”.
Normal is not coming back.
Damned right!
“Normal is not coming back” A little too black, Burny. History may never repeat, but the current unstable, hyper concentrated, centrally planned debacle will fall. It will fall as soon as enough people choose to ignore it and make it stick. It will fall of necessity as people realize that their only alternative is starvation and slavery, right now that reality is masked.
It worked at Runnymede, it worked at Teutoburg Forest, and many other places great and small throughout human history. Right now people are too fat and happy living off the scraps they’ve been allowed of the industrial revolution (including the electronic revolution). But that is rapidly changing.
Ernie
Don’t disagree with a single word you’ve written.
When I wrote “normal” I guess I meant that form of life, government, and economy that most of grew up in the post war era.
Life is going to be a lot harder for most of us for a long time.
Amen, Ernie!
I have long been a fan of that great German, Arminius. He taught Varus some things…
Americans will have to get truly hungry before they start revolting. And going a week without food is not it, as most have no clue what real hunger, let alone starvation, really is. That is what makes such people all-the-more dangerous. There is the it-can’t-happen-here mentality, and when it does, God help the rest of us who DID know it could happen here.
God will help us, and we will help ourselves as we have prepared to do, but it will assuredly be a struggle with many casualties.
NHTSA’s proposed rule discusses the unintended consequences of defining categories such as ‘non-passenger vehicles’:
‘Regulatory definitions have caused shifts in vehicle design characteristics, where manufacturers apply the remaining high ground clearance characteristics (breakover angle, departure angle, and running clearance) to vehicles otherwise not intended for off highway operation.
‘Consumer preference for high frontal area passenger-carrying automobiles made it difficult for manufacturers to meet the passenger automobile CAFE standards, which had originated and evolved prior to the widespread proliferation of this type of light-duty vehicle.
‘Manufacturers, therefore, applied 4 out of the 5 high ground clearance characteristics, retaining aerodynamic (i.e., low) approach angles that severely limit off-highway capability for the sole purpose of placing these vehicles in the non-passenger automobile fleet.’
https://www.nhtsa.gov/sites/nhtsa.gov/files/2025-12/CAFE-LD-2022-2031-Notice-of-Proposed-Rulemaking.pdf
Thus, the proliferation of high ground clearance crossovers and SUVs to quality as ‘non-passenger vehicles’ for more lenient CAFE treatment, even though they are of course used as passenger vehicles in real life.
Even after this 575-page rule is adopted, Big Gov’s smothering influence on auto design remains in place. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. 🙁
US Names 1,000+ Golden Dome Partners in First Contracting Stage
FTFA: The US Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has selected 1,014 companies for the opening round of a massive contracting vehicle supporting the Pentagon’s future Golden Dome air and missile defense effort.
The first wave of “qualifying offerors” will compete for future task orders under the Scalable Homeland Innovative Enterprise Layered Defense (SHIELD) program, an indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract with a ceiling of up to $151 billion.
MDA has received 2,463 proposals for the initial phase. No funds are tied to the base awards, and costs will be obligated at each order level.
Better get while the gettin’s good boys! If you haven’t sent in your pitch deck, that door’s closing fast! No way this isn’t going to distort the labor markets for talented engineers. This largely unnecessary “defense system” is going to suck up all the robotics, sensor, communications and propulsion engineers in the country. Why would you bother going through all the pain of building a practical delivery drone network when you can just suck off the government teat for a decade or so of big paychecks and no accountability?
What’s this got to do with Kei cars? Maybe if the defense (oh I mean War) department wasn’t demanding all these lucrative boondoggles there’d be some workforce left over for private industry to exploit. We are arguably starved for talent in the US, at least if you listen to the Silly Con valley types who push for H1B visas, yet our defense department is happy to skim off the cream of the crop for their own use. Why the hell would an engineer go work for a consumer or commercial oriented company that might go under in two years when he could just go work for Boeing or Rockwell Collins (which is going to sound better when mom boasts about you to all her friends) and get a fantastic paycheck and little to no work?
And we’ll get a golden shower…
I, for one, would benefit from that scenario. I doubt it will happen, they’re still doing H1b’s. The objective is to make damned sure American workers of any skill level dont get or keep any wealth. From each according to his abilities, comrade, and your meager needs are fully met by a couple mcburgers a day and a 100 sq ft sleeping coffin.
Too bad none of this BS would actually work in real life. It’s been fairly well suppressed in the MSM but Israhell’s so called ‘iron dome’ didn’t work that well when Iran sent some hypersonic missiles back at them. Was really disappointed that Iran didn’t finish the job and blow those genocidal bastards to hell once and for all. Of course Trumpenstein’s dome has to be gold, meaning it will cost more and be just as useless while lining the pockets of him and his cronies.
Doesn’t have to work. Just has to be enough of a threat to force your enemy to fire more missiles into the attack than necessary, more quickly depleting their stockpiles of weapons.
‘The proposed rule would reclassify crossovers and small SUVs as passenger automobiles instead of light trucks, removing a market distortion that existed for decades and realigning the categories with congressional intent.’
https://www.transportation.gov/briefing-room/president-trump-transportation-secretary-sean-p-duffy-unveil-new-freedom-means
From the proposed rule itself:
‘Moving a large fraction of vehicles previously classified as light trucks into a manufacturer’s passenger vehicle fleet will have a significant effect on the overall fuel economy performance of the manufacturer’s passenger fleet—after all, even if based upon the same platform as a passenger car, the additional vehicle height adds significant mass and decreases fuel economy.
‘Meanwhile, removal of vehicles from a manufacturer’s light truck fleet will leave that fleet consisting of even heavier and less aerodynamic vehicles, such as large sports utility vehicles and pickup trucks, thereby decreasing the overall average fuel economy of the light truck fleet.
‘Accordingly, while a manufacturer’s combined overall fleet fuel economy may remain the same, both its passenger car and light truck fleets will necessarily achieve lower measured fuel economy.’
What effect will this change have?
‘Civil Penalties for Noncompliance: 49 U.S.C. 32912 (and implementing regulations) prescribe a rate (in dollars per tenth of a mile per gallon (mpg)) at which the Secretary is to levy civil penalties if a manufacturer fails to comply with a CAFE standard for a given fleet in a given model year.
‘When civil penalties are applicable, the CAFE Model will calculate civil penalties for CAFE shortfalls. However, civil penalty values are currently set by statute to a value of $0; therefore, the CAFE Model’s calculations will always result in zero civil penalties.’
Translation: when our new D-party president takes office, s/he can bring back CAFE penalties with the stroke of a pen — on Jan 20, 2029. 🙂
To be fair that “distortion” is the manufacturers trying to market cars people actually want in a hostile regulatory burden.
When you say “light truck” you probably think of a F150 or maybe a Tacoma. Traditionally “light” would mean a class 0, 1 or 2 truck up to 10,000 lbs GVWR, so generally speaking up to 3/4 ton pickups.
To meet CAFE Dodge called the PT Cruiser a light truck.
These new proposed rule seem to redefine that anything that is not obviously designed for off-road or to move cargo cannot be a truck. This is going to add more confusion. Is a 1 ton 15-passenger van now not a truck? That’s just as absurd as a RAV4 being a light truck.
There is no limit to how finitely things can be sliced and diced in the effort to nanny us by the government. We’re long past the time to scrap the whole experiment.
‘This CAFE standard that is aligned [sic] with customer demand is the right move.’ — Lightning Jim Farley @2:49 in the video
Can y’all read between the lines? Mandated 51 MPG b-a-a-a-a-a-a-d, mandated 34 MPG double-plus good!!
Lightning Jim just loves having Big Gov as a business partner, as long as Big Gov deigns to allow him to build a few ‘combustion’ [sic] models. You can tell Lightning Jim’s still on his delusional ‘cheaper EeeVees’ jag, even after the market cleaned his clock.
As a side note, how interesting that the Lügenpresse [NYT, Detroit Free Press, etc] didn’t report Trump’s remarks about kei trucks — prolly because their frayed-collar stenographers don’t know what they are. Thanks, Eric, for spotting this important aside!
‘The devil is in the details’ — just how many constricting regs can Sean Duffy sweep aside to clear the way for kei trucks? And how many states will license them? One can imagine a red-blue split on this question too.
An acquaintance of mine once said, “It’s a sickness not to leave well enough alone.”
These are the people that are hired by GovCo to run the Administrative State. A major part of the mentality of those who have this sickness is to ignore, in all cases, the Law of Diminishing Return.
This law has been ignored in Federal vehicle regs since ~1995. Everything mandated since then has been a net loss for buyers of new vehicles.
Bureaucrats be damned.
Excellent Mark,
In other words “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.
Maybe im dense but I dont quite get what trump did….. he “rolled back” joe bidens standards I believe. Which was only like a 2% increase or something. And he rolled that back to a 0.5% increase in the fuel economy requirements. And isnt that from an already too high 54mpg fleet average or something ?
And he didnt touch any of the 10 airbag safety rules – I dont see how you can get kei car or hilux champ in America by these minor changes….
while its better than nothing – i dont see how it will lead to a major change in engine design and reduction in cost.
‘More Americans can afford to buy a new car, which means they’re going to be safer on the road because of all the great new technology we have that save [sic] lives so we’ll have less death on American roads.’ — Sec Sean Duffy @ 1:28 in video
Saaaaaafer with all the ‘great new technology’ — airbags, lane keeping, no sound system in reverse, and soon … AEB [Automatic Emergency Braking]! What’s not to like??
The disgrace is that these slick, glib fixers even have a role in auto design. They should piss off.
A $24k Hilux would be a $30k vehicle once dealer insiders got done “wetting their beaks” selling the base model out the back door with 200-300 miles on the odometer.
I saw that with the Maverick, including one purchased by a family member.
The dealer’s F&I weasel even handled arranging the loan, but the title was signed by the insider.
I think it WOULD be great, Eric. The problem is, there is always going to be that one family member, who sues because mom/dad etc. died in a vehicle crash due to not having all the saaafety stuff in the vehicle. I will not discount the endless, government intrusions for why we are not “allowed” to own such vehicles you mention, as they are real. But also, the added threat of being sued is also good enough reason for many of these car companies to simply not bother with us over here when it comes to manufacturing and selling such vehicles.
Morning, Shadow!
This could be addressed simply. It is not a “defect” for a vehicle to not have air bags. People have the right to seek compensation for damages that arise as a result of defects. You chose to buy a vehicle not equipped with air bags – knowing it does not have air bags. As Americans did for nearly 100 years, prior to the advent of air bags. So, the consequences – if any – are on you.
I agree. And while we are at it, how about bringing back the simple things: No airbags, manual transmission, two keys for the vehicle (one for the ignition, one for the trunk), no FOB’s, no computer crap, just an all-around, reliable vehicle that one can work on themselves. Hell, even my 2007, I could not change the head lamp bulb the way I used to in times past. Bring back simple: There was nothing wrong with it, for as you say, many of us are willing to take the risk of not being “safe”.
And seat belts, make them extra cost options like they were for the first 60 years of car making, and I’ll bet the takers will be less than half the market
If it saves just one life …
Shadow
You have good instincts about what is going on.
The language used within the industry and by the trial layers is “failure to equip”.
It is essentially the claim that if the OEM had the means to equip the vehicle to be safer they should have done so as standard equipment knowing that harm could occur if they didn’t equip the vehicle with all the latest safety equipment.
Without moral and ethical behavior as foundational principle of society, it becomes increasingly more expensive to do business.