Honda Australia has announced that it will no longer sell ATVs in Australia after October 10, 2021.
According to Honda, new standard safety regulations have forced the company to leave the Australian ATV market.
“The new Standard is extremely disappointing for farm safety and the countless farmers who rely on quad bikes every day,” said Honda Australia Motorcycle and Power Equipment managing director Robert Toscano.
“The safety of our customers is paramount, we will never compromise on this. Now that the rules have changed, it means we have to say goodbye to our ATV line up down under,”
“Safety standards must be evidence-based, in both criteria and testing methods, to internationally accepted standards. Honda has provided research to show the negative outcomes of the governments’ proposal but unfortunately it was not considered and we are here in this position today,”
Mr Toscano said in a press release that Honda will continue to provide ATV parts and servicing resources.
“In light of this, we want to assure customers that Honda will continue to support ATV parts and servicing for the next decade at a minimum. We also offer a range of purpose built SXS (Side by Sides) in our Pioneer line up and our ever-popular Honda AG bikes.”
Earlier this year, Polaris also announced its departure from the ATV market due to the tightening safety regulations.
The company said that its ATVs meet the required standards in the United States and Europe, however, the new Consumer Goods Safety Standard, which will take effect on October 11, 2020, has forced it to withdraw from the Australian quad bike market entirely.
Polaris had already planned to withdraw in 2021 when fitment of Operator Protection Devices (OPD) becomes mandatory, a new regulation which the brand strongly opposes.
In a press release, the company stated a lack of “reliable science or evidence to support the safety claims made of such devices”.
It then went on to suggest that the OPDs will likely cause as many injuries as they prevent.
“Over recent years the Australian off-road vehicle market has experienced record levels of transference as farmers transition en masse from quad bikes, to Side by Side vehicles,” Polaris Australia managing director Alan Collins.
“Polaris has led this transition with its industry-leading range of 30 vehicles with ROPS, and the market shift has been helped along in no small part by the safety rebates offered by SafeWork NSW and WorkSafe Victoria.”
Mr Collins also said that the new safety standards will accelerate the decline of the ATV market in Australia.
“Polaris has publicly stated numerous times that we believed within 24 months the quad bike market would be minimal at best, as the market shift away from ATVs and towards Side by Side products was in full force long before any government mandates or safety standards were enacted – obviously this shift will now accelerate even further over the coming two years as the[new safety standard] takes effect.”
Spencer has a keen eye for hard news, and does some of his best living on deadline day. He loves more than anything to travel on his motorcycle, and is adamant that Melbourne Bitter is a world-class lager. He also knows how to operate the big computery thing in the office. By night, Spencer plays guitar with Melbourne punk outfit LOUTS.
