Will Defender be eliminated by "Regulations" in Aus?

[Pickles2]

I was reading an article recently which said that Defender would soon be affected by "new" regulations that would prevent any further new registrations in Aus?
Does anyone have any accurate info on this....or is it simply "myth & hearsay"?
Cheers, Pickles.

[tuesdayfox]

It wouldn't surprise me
I think it is a matter of time, really.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

It doesn't really matter, Land Rover has already stated that it plans to replace the Defender by 2016.

The Defender is a banned import in the USA because it doesn't have airbags and there are already cars in Australia that cant be registered in Victoria because they don't have airbags or stability control, so Defender is likely soon to follow.

[rijidij]

I think that's what killed off Defender sales in the United States, non compliance for things like airbags.
I'm sure the 'new' Defender, ie completely new design (2015 ?), will be fine.

Cheers, Murray

[JamesB71]

Im surprised the defender doesnt have airbags. It seems there is ample room to put them in on both sides. Is there another reason? Problems with them going off when you are offroad or something?

[Pickles2]

"E.S.C."?...Electronic Stability Control??....Is that the one?....Apparently Defender doesn't have it, but (all?) vehicles sold in Aus may soon have to have it, ...but I don't know the dates, or any specific details.
Cheers, Pickles.

[Lotz-A-Landies]

ESC should be able to be added because it is merely an added function using the ABS technology.

The airbags and progressive crumple zone passenger safety cells will be the big Defender killer.

[Dorian]

I don't have any specific documentation to point to but I'm pretty sure that the Defender can't be registered after a certain date in Australia (I thought mid 2015, from memory each state if slightly different) because of safety restrictions in that it cannot meet a minimum safety rating ( I think ANCAP 3). The defender's status as being able to register it as a light commercial has given it a reprieve for a few years.

In the US it also has had trouble meeting emission standards, but on that point they still manage to sell Jeeps, go figure!

As far as Airbags are concerned, I'm pretty sure that the driving position in the Defender is too close to the steering wheel to use airbags safely, I am led to believe there have been a number of cases in the US where the airbags have broken necks, but that may have something to do with seat-belt use. The ANCAP system also looks at what damage the vehicle does to pedestrians, as you can imagine the defender does well on that front.

[JamesB71]

As long as it isnt retrospective.....

[gruntfuttock]

As long as it isnt retrospective.....

I do not think it will be retrospective as this would set a precedence and any one with vehicles that do not meet current standards would be off the road. I.E. No old cars, No hot rods, No classic cars etc.

It would be for cars made from that date on

A friend of mine is going to register an old car, no blinkers, no wipers, two wheel rear brakes on bands around a drum, but as that is how it came out in 1920, that is the standards they will be using to register it. You could not expect to apply 2015 standards with all the regulations to an Austin 7 for example...mission impossible