Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 29 / Wednesday, February 12, 1997 / Notices 6609

1997, and the issues to be discussed will

be transmitted to interested persons by

March 10, 1997, and will be available at

the meeting. Also, the agency will hold

a second public meeting on March 11,

devoted exclusively to a presentation of

research and development programs.

This meeting will begin at 1:30 p.m. and

end at approximately 5:00 p.m. That

meeting is described more fully in a

separate announcement. The next

NHTSA Industry Meeting will take

place in June. More details on the date

and its location will be announced at

the March 12, Industry Meeting.

ADDRESSES: Questions for the March 12,

NHTSA Technical Industry Meeting,

relating to the agency’s vehicle

regulatory and safety assurance

programs, should be submitted to Delia

Gage, NRD–30, National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, Room

6125, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590, Fax Number

202–366–5374. The meeting will be

held at the Hilton Suites Hotel, 8600

Wickham Road, Romulus, Michigan.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Delia Gage, (202) 366–1810.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: NHTSA

will hold this regular, quarterly meeting

to answer questions from the public and

the regulated industries regarding the

agency’s vehicle regulatory, safety

assurance and other programs.

Questions on aspects of the agency’s

research and development activities that

relate to ongoing regulatory actions

should be submitted, as in the past, to

the agency’s Safety Performance

Standards Office. The purpose of this

meeting is to focus on those phases of

NHTSA activities which are technical,

interpretative or procedural in nature.

Transcripts of these meetings will be

available for public inspection in the

NHTSA Technical Reference Section in

Washington, DC, within four weeks after

the meeting. Copies of the transcript

will then be available at ten cents a

page, (length has varied from 100 to 150

pages) upon request to NHTSA

Technical Reference Section, Room

5108, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,

Washington, DC 20590. The Technical

Reference Section is open to the public

from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We would

appreciate the questions you send us to

be organized by categories to help us to

process the questions into agenda form

more efficiently. Sample format as

follows:

I. Rulemaking

A. Crash avoidance

B. Crashworthiness

C. Other Rulemakings

II. Consumer Information

III. Miscellaneous

NHTSA will provide auxiliary aids to

participants as necessary. Any person

desiring assistance of ‘‘auxiliary aids’’

(e.g., sign-language interpreter,

telecommunications devices for deaf

persons (TDDs), readers, taped texts,

Brailled materials, or large print

materials and/or a magnifying device),

please contact Delia Gage on (202) 366–

1810, by COB February 24, 1997.

Issued: February 6, 1997.

James R. Hackney,

Acting Associate Administrator for Safety

Performance Standards.

[FR Doc. 97–3483 Filed 2–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–M

[Docket No. 97–008; Notice 1]

Notice of Receipt of Petition for

Decision That Nonconforming 1990

BMW 325iX Passenger Cars Are

Eligible for Importation

AGENCY: National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, DOT.

ACTION: Notice of receipt of petition.

SUMMARY: This notice announces receipt

by the National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) of a petition

for a decision that a 1990 BMW 325iX

that was not originally manufactured to

comply with all applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety standards is

eligible for importation into the United

States because (1) it is substantially

similar to a vehicle that was originally

manufactured for importation into and

sale in the United States and that was

certified by its manufacturer as

complying with the safety standards,

and (2) it is capable of being readily

altered to conform to the standards.

DATES: The closing date for comments

on the petition is March 14, 1997.

ADDRESSES: Comments should refer to

the docket number and notice number,

and be submitted to: Docket Section,

Room 5109, National Highway Traffic

Safety Administration, 400 Seventh St.,

SW, Washington, DC 20590. [Docket

hours are from 9:30 am to 4 pm]

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

George Entwistle, Office of Vehicle

Safety Compliance, NHTSA (202–366–

5306).

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.

Champagne Imports, Inc. of Lansdale,

Pennsylvania (‘‘Champagne’)(Registered

Importer 90–009) has petitioned NHTSA

to decide whether 1990 BMW 325iX

passenger cars are eligible for

importation into the United States. The

vehicle which Champagne believes is

substantially similar is the 1990 BMW

325iX that was manufactured for

importation into, and sale in, the United

States and certified by its manufacturer,

Bayerische Motoren Werke A.G., as

conforming to all applicable Federal

motor vehicle safety standards.

The petitioner claims that it carefully

compared the non-U.S. certified 1990

BMW 325iX to its U.S. certified

counterpart, and found the two vehicles

to be substantially similar with respect

to compliance with most Federal motor

vehicle safety standards.

Champagne submitted information

with its petition intended to

demonstrate that the non-U.S. certified

1990 BMW 325iX, as originally

manufactured, conforms to many

Federal motor vehicle safety standards

in the same manner as its U.S. certified

counterpart, or is capable of being

readily altered to conform to those

standards.

Specifically, the petitioner claims that

the non-U.S. certified 1990 BMW 325iX

is identical to its U.S. certified

counterpart with respect to compliance

with Standards Nos. 102 Transmission

Shift Lever Sequence * * *., 103

Defrosting and Defogging Systems, 104

Windshield Wiping and Washing

Systems, 105 Hydraulic Brake

Systems, 106 Brake Hoses, 109 New

Pneumatic Tires, 113 Hood Latch

Systems, 116 Brake Fluid, 124

Accelerator Control Systems, 201
6610 Federal Register / Vol. 62, No. 29 / Wednesday, February 12, 1997 / Notices

Occupant Protection in Interior Impact,

202 Head Restraints, 204 Steering

Control Rearward Displacement, 205

Glazing Materials, 206 Door Locks and

Door Retention Components, 207

Seating Systems, 209 Seat Belt

Assemblies, 210 Seat Belt Assembly

Anchorages, 212 Windshield

Retention, 216 Roof Crush Resistance,

219 Windshield Zone Intrusion, and

302 Flammability of Interior Materials.

Petitioner also contends that the

vehicle is capable of being readily

altered to meet the following standards,

in the manner indicated:

Standard No. 101 Controls and

Displays: (a) Substitution of a lens

marked ‘‘Brake’’ for a lens with an ECE

symbol on the brake failure indicator

lamp; (b) installation of a seat belt

warning lamp that displays the

appropriate symbol; (c) recalibration of

the speedometer/odometer from

kilometers to miles per hour.

Standard No. 108 Lamps, Reflective

Devices and Associated Equipment: (a)

Installation of U.S.-model headlamp

assemblies; (b) installation of U.S.-

model front and rear sidemarker/

reflector assemblies; (c) installation of

U.S.-model taillamp assemblies; (d)

installation of a high mounted stop

lamp.

Standard No. 110 Tire Selection and

Rims: installation of a tire information

placard.

Standard No. 111 Rearview Mirror:

replacement of the passenger side

rearview mirror, which is convex.

Standard No. 114 Theft Protection:

installation of a warning buzzer

microswitch in the steering lock

assembly and a warning buzzer.

Standard No. 118 Power Window

Systems: rewiring of the power window

system so that the window transport is

inoperative when the ignition is

switched off.

Standard No. 208 Occupant Crash

Protection: (a) Installation of a U.S.-

model seat belt in the driver’s position,

or a belt webbing actuated microswitch

inside the driver’s seat belt retractor; (b)

installation of an ignition switch

actuated seat belt warning lamp and

buzzer; (c) replacement of the driver’s

side air bag and knee bolster with U.S.-

model components. The petitioner

states that the vehicle is equipped with

combination lap and shoulder belts that

adjust by means of an automatic

retractor and release by means of a

single push button in each front

designated seating position, and with

combination lap and shoulder belts that

release by means of a single push button

in each rear designated seating position.

Standard No. 214 Side Impact

Protection: installation of reinforcing

beams.

Standard No. 301 Fuel System

Integrity: installation of a rollover valve

in the fuel tank vent line between the

fuel tank and the evaporative emissions

collection canister.

Additionally, the petitioner states that

the bumpers on the non-U.S. certified

1990 BMW 325iX must be reinforced, or

U.S.-model bumper components must

be installed, to comply with the Bumper

Standard found in 49 CFR part 581.

Petitioner also states that a vehicle

identification number plate will be

affixed to the vehicle to meet the

requirements of 49 CFR part 565.

Interested persons are invited to

submit comments on the petition

described above. Comments should refer

to the docket number and be submitted

to: Docket Section, National Highway

Traffic Safety Administration, Room

5109, 400 Seventh Street, S.W.,

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: February 6, 1997.

Marilynne Jacobs,

Director, Office of Vehicle Safety Compliance.

[FR Doc. 97–3445 Filed 2–11–97; 8:45 am]

BILLING CODE 4910–59–P

[Docket No. 96–080; Notice 2]

Denial of Petition for Import Eligibility

Decision

This notice sets forth the reasons for

the denial of a petition submitted to the

National Highway Traffic Safety

Administration (NHTSA) under 49

U.S.C. 30141(a)(1)(B). The petition,

which was submitted by LPC of New

York, Inc., of Ronkonkoma, New York

(LPC), a registered importer of motor

vehicles, requested NHTSA to decide

that a 1996 Kia Sportage multi-purpose

passenger vehicle (MPV) that was not

originally manufactured to comply with

all applicable Federal motor vehicle

safety standards is eligible for

importation into the United States. In

the petition, LPC contended that this

vehicle is eligible for importation on the

basis that (1) it is substantially similar

to a vehicle that was originally

manufactured for importation into and

sale in the United States and that was

certified by its manufacturer as

complying with the safety standards

(the U.S. certified version of the 1996

Kia Sportage MPV), and (2) it is capable

of being readily altered to conform to

the standards.

NHTSA published a notice in the

Federal Register on July 31, 1996 (61 FR

40072) that contained a thorough

description of the petition, and solicited

public comments upon it. One comment

was received in response to the notice,

from Kia Motors America, Inc. (Kia), the

United States representative of the

vehicle’s manufacturer.

In this comment, Kia took issue with

LPC’s claim that the non-U.S. certified

1996 Kia Sportage MPV that is the

subject of the petition complies with

Standard No. 208 Occupant Crash

Protection. Specifically, Kia asserted

that the vehicle must be equipped with

a driver’s side air bag and knee air bag

to comply with this standard.

Additionally, Kia stated that certain

engineering modifications must be made

to the vehicle to accommodate the air

bag. These include reducing the length

of the front seat tracks and repositioning

those components. Kia also noted that

Kia Sportage MPVs that are

manufactured for the U.S. market have

bumpers of a different design from those

found on non-U.S. market vehicles, and

that this difference has an impact on the

vehicle’s compliance with Standard No.

208. Additionally, Kia took issue with

LPC’s claim that the seat belts on the

non-U.S. certified 1996 Kia Sportage

MPV are identical to those found on

U.S.-certified vehicles. Kia asserted that

these seat belts have different retractor

mechanisms and webbing from those

found on U.S. certified vehicles, and as

such, do not comply with either

Standard No. 208, or with Standard No.

209 Seat Belt Assemblies.

With respect to other standards, Kia

stated that the steering column on the

non-U.S. certified 1996 Kia Sportage

MPV does not have a collapsing/energy

absorbing design, and accordingly does

not comply with Standard No. 204

Steering Control Rearward

Displacement. Finally, Kia challenged

LPC’s claim that the seating system on

the non-U.S. certified 1996 Kia Sportage

MPV is identical to that found on U.S.

certified vehicles. As a consequence,

Kia contends that the vehicle’s

compliance with Standard 207 Seating

Systems cannot be assured.