Government restricting second-hand Imports

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THE federal government is about to put the brakes on full-bore imports of second-hand high-performance cars such as older Porsches, BMWs and even Volkswagens*.

While Urban Infrastructure Minister Paul Fletcher claims the new safety standards for specialty vehicles is aimed at closing a loophole on vehicle classifications, car importers claim the move will drastically slash the number of high-torque vehicles coming into the country from the current figure of 5800 to just 1600 next year.

Some of the most popular second-hand imports will no longer be allowed under the tight standards to be introduced by Mr Fletcher, including older model Porsche 911s, BMW M3s, Nissan GT-Rs and Subaru WRX models.

That’s because the government wants to bump up what counts as a performance car to close loopholes which have led to thousands of campervans flooding the streets under the current scheme.

However, Jack Sandher, a car importer and the head of the Australian Imported Motor Vehicle Industry Association, says the rule change is simply at the behest of major car manufacturers, who don’t want consumers to be allowed to import cheaper cars from overseas.

“Every single car we buy in Australia from this month will be an import, but the big three (car companies) just want us to accept they’re the only ones who can be trusted to undertake that task,” he said.

“This will decimate the industry as well as remove consumer choice.

“Thousands of Aussie jobs will be lost, especially at a time when the automotive sector needs encouragement and fair legislation.”

There are currently 131 small-time car importers in the country bringing in mainly second-hand Japanese performance cars.

The most significant change Mr Fletcher is proposing is to increase the performance threshold for imports from 105 kilowatts per tonne at the moment to 136kW/T next year.

Cars which had been sold in Australia when they were first released will also no longer be allowed to be imported second-hand.

But an Infrastructure Department spokesman said the intent of the scheme was to give motorists access only to niche vehicles which were not available on the market in some other way.

“Raising the current performance threshold is necessary to ensure ‘every day’ commuter vehicles cannot be imported under the current Specialist and Enthusiast Vehicle importation arrangements,” he said.

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new...e6daee5f4596ae