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Automakers Commend U.S. Government's Signing of Agreement

26 June 1998

Automakers Commend U.S. Government's Signing of Agreement on Global Vehicle Standards

    WASHINGTON, June 25 -- The following is a statement by Andrew
H. Card, Jr., President & CEO of the American Automobile Manufacturers
Association (AAMA), regarding events this week at the Geneva meeting of the
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Working Party 29:

    "The American Automobile Manufacturers Association applauds the initiative
of the United States Government in being the first to sign the new
international Agreement on Global Technical Standards.  This action represents
a significant achievement in the United States' ongoing commitment to
harmonize global automotive standards.  We hope that Japan, the countries of
the European Union and other countries around the world will quickly follow
with their signatures, as they have stated they intend to do.
    Automotive regulations and testing procedures currently vary across
countries.  These variations have substantially little impact on improving
vehicle safety or environmental protection.  Instead, they increase the costs
of vehicle development and production by requiring automakers to design, test
and build vehicles differently for different global markets.  Variations in
regulations and test procedures create significant nontariff trade barriers
that reduce choices for consumers and marketing opportunities for all
manufacturers.
    The Agreement on Global Technical Standards seeks to eliminate these
nontariff barriers by providing a forum in which its signatories can discuss
differences in regulations and work together to achieve uniform global
standards.  In promptly signing this agreement, the U.S. has clearly proven
its desire to reduce the duplicative testing and overlapping standards that
burden consumers and manufacturers around the world."
    AAMA is the trade association whose members are Chrysler Corporation, Ford
Motor Company, and General Motors Corporation.  Visit AAMA's site on the World
Wide Web at http://www.aama.com.