Pagani Huayra U.S. Sales Delayed Until 2015 Over Airbag Issue
Turns out, being rich and looking good ain’t enough to get you by in this business. The Pagani Huayra has to step in line with the proletariat: just because it’s a six-figure, low-volume supercar, doesn’t grant it an exemption from America’s airbag regulations.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stopped giving waivers to their airbag safety regulation which is now 11 years old. As such, Pagani will need to invest over 4 million Euros in bringing its airbags up to spec, which include adjusting deployment speed based on weight sensors in the seats.
Currently, the only companies with waivers are Tesla, for its Roadster (which expires this year with its end of production) and Lamborghini (whose waiver expired in February). Pagani planned to only sell 5 cars in America next year, but they’ll have to still play ball like everyone else. As such, they assert that without a waiver, they won’t be able to sell cars in America until 2015. “Although Pagani has realized profits in recent years, the company asserted that immediate compliance with the advanced air-bag requirements will cause substantial economic hardship,” said a notice issued by NHTSA. Pagani estimates that lost sales during that period will total $4.5 million.
Given the likelihood of exotic cars and the lack of talent among their owners, however, Pagani may need to swallow this bitter medicine in the end. It’s for your own good, remember?
GALLERY: Pagani Huayra
[Source: Bloomberg]
More by Blake Z. Rong
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