TTIP: study examines EU & US vehicle safety equivalence

Washington, DC and Brussels, May 21 2014 – EU and US auto industries call for comprehensive agreement under Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP)

As the fifth round of negotiations of the TTIP take place this week in Arlington, Virginia, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA), the American Automotive Policy Council (AAPC), and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers (Alliance) reiterate their strong support for an ambitious automotive sector component in any final package. 

The associations also announced that the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI), in partnership with SAFER, a transportation research centre at Chalmers University in Gothenburg, Sweden (two of the leading traffic safety research centres in the US and EU), are commencing Phase 2 of a study in support of the TTIP negotiations. The study is evaluating whether motor vehicles manufactured in compliance with either the EU or US regulatory requirements provide essentially equivalent real-world safety performance when driven on European roadways or on US roadways.

At a stakeholder presentation on 21 May, the associations announced that Phase 1 of the study had been completed. UMTRI and SAFER have developed a methodology to analyse real-world traffic accident data using three statistical approaches, to provide a sound technical basis for assessing the similarities or differences in safety performance between EU and US-regulated vehicles. The organisations have also identified potential country-specific and multinational datasets to use in Phase 2 of the study.

AAPC, ACEA and the Alliance believe that the benefits of any ambitious agreement can only be reached if sufficient regulatory convergence is achieved. The three associations have been working together since the announcement of the TTIP negotiations to harmonise positions and to deliver supporting evidence of essentially equivalent real-world safety performance.

EU-US auto-related trade currently accounts for 10% of total trade between the two regions. Together, the EU and the US account for 32% of global auto production and 35% of global auto sales. Under a TTIP, the two regions would represent the largest share of auto production and sales ever covered by a single trade agreement.


Notes for editors

About the American Automotive Policy Council

  • The American Automotive Policy Council represents the common public policy interests of its member companies – Chrysler Group LLC, Ford Motor Company and General Motors Company.
  • Media contact: Colin Dunn +1 202 400-2609, info@americanautocouncil.org

About the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers

  • The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is a trade association of 12 car and light truck manufacturers including BMW Group, Chrysler, Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Jaguar Land Rover, Mazda, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi Motors, Porsche, Toyota, Volkswagen and Volvo.
  • Media contact: Wade Newton +1 202 326 5571, wnewton@autoalliance.org

About ACEA

  • The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group
  • Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/

Contact:

  • Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47
  • Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 2 738 73 17

Interested in ACEA press releases?

Receive them directly in your inbox!


About the EU automobile industry

  • 12.9 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
  • 8.3% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
  • €392.2 billion in tax revenue for European governments
  • €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
  • Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
  • €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total
Content type Press release
Vehicle types All vehicles
back to topback to top