Washington, DC (June 10, 2015) – Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) and Rep. Gene Green (D-TX) have introduced bipartisan legislation that would enable low volume car manufacturers to produce turn-key replica vehicles. Supported by the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), the “Low Volume Motor Vehicle Manufacturers Act of 2015″ (H.R. 2675) would allow companies to construct up to 500 such cars a year subject to federal regulatory oversight.
The U.S. has one system for regulating automobiles that was established in the 1960s and designed for companies mass-producing millions of vehicles. H.R. 2675 creates a separate regulatory framework for small businesses producing modest numbers of cars. This program will create skilled-labor jobs in the auto industry and help meet consumer demand for these classics of the past,” said SEMA President and CEO Chris Kersting. ”
H.R. 2675 directs the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a separate regulatory structure to facilitate the production of replica cars. Manufacturers would be required to register with NHTSA and EPA and submit annual reports on the vehicles they produce. The vehicles would meet current model year emissions standards and manufacturers would be permitted to install clean engines from other EPA-certified vehicles to help achieve that requirement.
My question and I think the bill accomplishes this is: Does this mean that replica manufactures such as Factory Five Racing and Kirkham Motorsports can now produce complete cars and not just kits or rolling chassis?
SEMA will be working with Congressional leaders to promote this important bill. For more information on H.R. 2675, please contact Stuart Gosswein or Eric Snyder at 202.783.6007 or stuartg@sema.org, erics@sema.org.