Higher vehicle mileage standards set by the US government are likely to lead to stricter rules in Taiwan and could impact on nearly all car models sold or manufactured here, the Automotive Research & Testing Center (車輛研究測試中心) said yesterday.
Taiwan’s automobile fuel efficiency and emissions standards have always been based on the standards set by the US and EU.
The center said the average fuel economy standard that the US government would implement was similar to the one used for small cars with engines below 1,200cc in Taiwan.
If Taiwan follows the stricter US mileage standard of 15.1km per liter, nearly all car models in Taiwan will need improvement, the center said.
As for a stricter US emissions standard, the center said Taiwan had always used the EU’s regulations as its main reference.
Taiwan currently uses the EU’s Euro 4 emissions standard for automobiles and the Euro 5 emissions standard for motorcycles, the center said. Both are stricter than California’s auto-emission standard, which is the strictest in the US.
A stricter US standard will therefore not affect Taiwan’s current regulations, the center said.
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