Honda says syncing car standards with Europe and Japan is ‘unrealistic’

The new boss of Honda Australia says harmonising ADRs with leading markets is not going to happen, because no-one can agree which rules are best.

Australia’s national road rules for safety and emissions will never fully be harmonised with international standards, because the countries involved “won’t compromise”, the new boss of Honda claims.

Australian Design Rules (ADRs) are our national standards for road vehicle safety, anti-theft measures, and emissions that apply to all new and used vehicles entering the Australian market for the first time. 

In late 2024, a review into whether ADRs should be harmonised with international vehicle standards was launched, the results of which have yet to be published.

MORE: Australian motor-vehicle design rules to come under government review after car maker criticism

Big brands, such as Nissan and Mitsubishi, have led the way in calling for our standards to be changed to align with those of Europe and Japan.

Unlike its fellow Japanese car makers, however, Honda says it’s “unrealistic” and “pie in the sky” to expect any nation to back down and accept another country’s rules as superior to its own.

“I worked in harmonisation for a few years more than a decade ago. Harmonisation is appealing to everybody. The problem is what you harmonise to,” the new President and CEO of Honda Australia, Jay Joseph, told Drive.

“Because no regulator can be in a position to say they compromise the safety of their constituents.

“Saying that you would accept somebody else’s standard if it is in any way less than your existing standard is doing that. That’s just not something that anybody in a regulatory role can do. Which means harmonisation doesn’t happen. 

“For harmonisation to actually occur would require a much longer view on things. That’s just a type of long-term thinking that’s difficult to get within the election cycles that tend to be behind these things.

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“It’s a long-term dream, and we would love to have harmonisation because it would make everybody’s, not just Honda’s, job a lot easier. But from my experience, I think it’s a bit pie in the sky. It’s a little unrealistic.”

Nissan and Mitsubishi have been among the auto brands arguing ADRs add unnecessary complexity to developing new cars for sale locally, and that they should be harmonised with overseas rules.

Australia already derives many of its ADRs from standards set by the United Nations, and they are similar to regulations in force in markets such as Europe and Japan, but not identical.

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“The Road Vehicle Standards Act (RVSA) Type Approval Pathway can slow down the introduction of vehicles to the Australian market, or in some cases make the business case to introduce a vehicle unviable,” a Nissan spokesperson previously told Drive.

“Importantly, by harmonising Australian Design Rules and allowing Direct Acceptance of Type Approvals from major markets, there is no compromise on safety.”

“The reality is that we have less choice in Australia because of these unique requirements. It doesn’t matter who you are, to modify your vehicle, to adapt it for Australia, that adds cost, adds complexity,” added former Mitsubishi boss Shaun Westcott.

“At the end of the day, and I’m not arguing against ADRs, all I’m saying is let’s achieve some form of global harmonisation. It’s going to reduce costs, it’s going to reduce complexity, and it’s going to increase choice for Australians. 

“And my challenge to anybody is that if it’s good enough for Europe or it’s good enough for America or if it’s good enough for Japan, what’s so different about us?”

Among the most controversial rules is ADR 34 – a mandate that every rear seating position in a two-row passenger vehicle must be fitted with a top-tether anchor point for child seats, whereas many overseas markets require top tethers only at the outboard locations. 

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Without one, a car can only legally be considered a four-seater.

Car brands including BYD, Tesla and Honda have fallen foul of this rule, with the first two issuing recalls to fit the missing top tether point, and the latter classifying its vehicle – the HR-V – as only having four seats.

Robert Thorp, Honda Australia’s Director of Automotive, agreed harmonisation would make it easier for Honda to bring vehicles to market more quickly, but like Joseph, says it’s not as easy as just making the switch.

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“In some ways, it would certainly make bringing vehicles to market a lot easier,” Thorp told Drive.

“Certainly, any time we want to bring a vehicle to market, there are multiple factors that we have to consider. ADR compliance is always one. 

“I think we’d be supportive of [harmonisation] as a general rule, but there are a thousand things that you would have to consider in order [for that to happen].”

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Alongside ADR 34, another rule often in the spotlight for its impact on the availability of certain models for our market is ADR 85.

This is designed to reduce serious injuries and fatalities from side-impact crashes with poles, trees and other narrow road objects. 

However, it has meant that a number of cars have been discontinued for our market, such as the Nissan GT-R, or have had to be significantly altered to remain on sale.

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