Yeo
Zorce Jedi Master
Joined: 06 Apr 2005
Posts: 1936
Location: Far Rockaway, NY
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 Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 7:15 am Post subject: Airbags Could End Veyron Sales in the US |
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Originally Posted by Leftlanenews.com
U.S. airbag regulations are threatening to "put Bugatti out of business," said company president Thomas Bscher in a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He said the new regulations � which go into effect in September � would cause Bugatti "substantial economic hardship" and have a "catastrophic" impact on sales. That's because the required changes would add at least ten percent to the cost of the automaker's only car, the Veyron.
In May, Ferrari was granted an exemption from the new rules for its F430 supercar. The regulations aim to require "smart" airbags that will help protect children and some women.
Volkswagen � which owns Bugatti � has warned that profits at its Lamborghini subsidiary may also be decimated if the automaker is not granted an exemption. VW has said it would have to conduct 120 crash tests to implement the technology. The automaker said Lamborghini's earnings would fall from a $2.2 million profit to a $6.0 million loss. Meanwhile, Bugatti is already expecting to lose $3.8 million over the next three years, and the added costs would make any near-term profitability impossible.
VW argues that the "smart" airbags do little to improve safety. The automaker also warns it would have to delay or stop development of the next-generation Veyron. Bugatti says the next-generation Veyron � due in 2009 � would meet the regulations.
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