Currently, Canadian federal law requires that vehicle bumpers need to withstand impacts up to 8km/h (5mph) while incurring damage the repair of which may not exceed $1,000. A new will halve those speeds to reflect the requirements in the U.S. and Europe, the Canadian government announced today. This law is what kept enthusiast-oriented cars like the 2003-2006 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution from the Canadian market. The new standards will come into effect on September 1 of next year.
The current model Evolution is sold in Canada, though it features some changes from U.S. market models to meet the stricter bumper standards. A stronger, reinforced front and rear bumper is visible to the naked eye, and does the job of protecting the costly air-to-air intercooler in the event of a low-speed head-on collision.
The change may even give car companies one less excuse for why Canadian cars are priced higher than their U.S. counterparts, even with the exchange rate figured in.
06/27, 12:45 PM
posted by:
howsmydriving
Final score: Manufacturers: 1, consumers: 0.
06/27, 12:52 PM
posted by:
johnnycanuck
Hope they still hold up when you strap the moose to the front of the car.
06/27, 2:08 PM
posted by:
Jon
While harmonizing regulations is a good idea, agreeing to the lower standard doesn’t seem like progress.
06/27, 2:58 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
‘Jon’, BINGO.
This will allow the importing of previously restricted vehicles.
This will also increase costs to repair and insure.
06/27, 4:14 PM
posted by:
bigp
we all should have this law saving money for everyone
06/27, 5:01 PM
posted by:
Impulsive
It saves nobody money … what the **** are you talking about?
06/29, 3:17 AM
posted by:
Kanucko
Canada will finally see : R32 Golf, GTO ( I think ?), Last Gen Evo 8’s and 9’s etc. Finally ! can’t wait till sept 1 of 2009 !
Thanks Conservative gov’t for doing something right ! Being in sync with the rest of the world is a good choice. We should see more cars that were previously unavailable and will make cars less costly to develop and less costly to Canadians.
The bumper laws were BS anyways. Car Enthusiasts : 1