03-918. Notice of Receipt of Petition for Decision that Nonconforming 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV Motorcycles Are Eligible for Importation

AGENCY:

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, (DOT).

ACTION:

Notice of receipt of petition for decision that nonconforming 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles are eligible for importation.

SUMMARY:

This document announces receipt by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of a petition for a decision that 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles that were not originally manufactured to comply with all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards are eligible for importation into the United States because (1) they are substantially similar to vehicles that were originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and that were certified by their manufacturer as complying with the safety standards, and (2) they are capable of being readily altered to conform to the standards.

DATES:

The closing date for comments on the petition is February 18, 2003.

ADDRESSES:

Comments should refer to the docket number and notice number, and be submitted to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh St., SW., Washington, DC 20590. Docket hours are from 9 am to 5 pm. Anyone is able to search the electronic form of all comments received into any of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, business, labor union, etc.). You may review DOT's complete Privacy Act Statement in the Federal Register published on April 11, 2000 (Volume 65, Number 70; Pages 19477-78) or you may visit http://dms.dot.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Coleman Sachs, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202-366-3151).

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background

Under 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A), a motor vehicle that was not originally manufactured to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards shall be refused admission into the United States unless NHTSA has decided that the motor vehicle is substantially similar to a motor vehicle originally manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States, certified under 49 U.S.C. 30115, and of the same model year as the model of the motor vehicle to be compared, and is capable of being readily altered to conform to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

Petitions for eligibility decisions may be submitted by either manufacturers or importers who have registered with NHTSA pursuant to 49 CFR part 592. As specified in 49 CFR 593.7, NHTSA publishes notice in the Federal Register of each petition that it receives, and affords interested persons an opportunity to comment on the petition. At the close of the comment period, NHTSA decides, on the basis of the petition and any comments that it has received, whether the vehicle is eligible for importation. The agency then publishes this decision in the Federal Register.

Wallace Environmental Testing Laboratories, Inc. of Houston, Texas (“WETL”)(Registered Importer 90-005) has petitioned NHTSA to decide whether non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles are eligible for importation into the United States. The vehicles that WETL believes are substantially similar are 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles that were manufactured for importation into and sale in the United States and certified by their manufacturer, Moto Guzzi S.p.A., as conforming to all applicable Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

The petitioner claims that it carefully compared non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles to their U.S. certified counterparts, and found the vehicles to be substantially similar with respect to compliance with most Federal motor vehicle safety standards.

WETL submitted information with its petition intended to demonstrate that non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles, as originally manufactured, conform to many Federal motor vehicle safety standards in the same manner as their U.S. certified counterparts, or are capable of being readily altered to conform to those standards.

Specifically, the petitioner claims that non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles are identical to their U.S. certified counterparts with respect to compliance with Standard Nos. 106 Brake Hoses, 111 Rearview Mirrors, 116 Brake Fluid, 119 New Pneumatic Tires for Vehicles other than Passenger Cars, 120 Tire Selection and Rims for Vehicles other than Passenger Cars, 122 Motorcycle Brake Systems, and 123 Motorcycle Controls and Displays.

The petitioner also states that non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycles are identical to their U.S. certified counterparts with respect to compliance with the vehicle identification number requirements of 49 CFR Part 565.

The petitioner further contends that the vehicles are capable of being readily altered to meet the following standard, in the manner indicated below:

Standard No. 108 Lamps, Reflective Devices and Associated Equipment: replacement of the existing headlamp lens with a U.S.-model component and installation of front amber and rear red reflectors.

WETL submitted with the petition a letter from Moto Guzzi North America, Inc., the manufacturer's U.S. representative, which stated that the differences between the non-U.S. certified 2002 Moto Guzzi California EV motorcycle that is the subject of the petition and the U.S.-certified version of the vehicle “are minimal,” and “include the headlight and side reflectors.” The letter identified no other differences between the two vehicles.

Comments should refer to the docket number and be submitted to: Docket Management, Room PL-401, 400 Seventh Street, SW., Washington, DC 20590. It is requested but not required that 10 copies be submitted.

All comments received before the close of business on the closing date indicated above will be considered, and will be available for examination in the docket at the above address both before and after that date. To the extent possible, comments filed after the closing date will also be considered. Notice of final action on the petition will be published in the Federal Register pursuant to the authority indicated below.

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(A) and (b)(1); 49 CFR 593.8; delegations of authority at 49 CFR 1.50 and 501.8.

Issued on: January 10, 2003.

Kenneth N. Weinstein,

Associate Administrator for Enforcement.