Friday, 14 May 2021 12:55

Honda to quit Oz ATV market

Written by  Mark Daniel
Honda is one of several manufacturers that disagree with the mandatory requirement in Australia to fit protection devices. Honda is one of several manufacturers that disagree with the mandatory requirement in Australia to fit protection devices.

Confirming a move signalled over a year ago, in response to a directive by the Australian federal government that all quad bikes must be fitted with operator protection devices, Honda will stop selling quad bikes in Australia on October 10.

Instead, the motorcycle and vehicle manufacturer says it will focus on developing its market for side-by-sides/UTVs in Australia, after failing to convince the federal authorities to overturn its decision to force manufacturers to fit OPDs on new or used units from October 11th.

Honda is one of several manufacturers that disagree with the mandatory requirement to fit protection devices.

Director of Honda Australia Motorcycle and Power Equipment, Peter Singleton, says "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 government's proposal but unfortunately it was rejected".

While Honda is said to be disappointed with the outcome of the negotiations, it has confirmed that it will continue to support its current quad bike (ATV) users through the transition.

Honda has always been and continues to be a strong advocate for rider safety, supporting all of the known and proven safety measures recommended by experts and coronial inquests, including the mandating of safety helmet use for all ATV and side-by-side riders, rider training and the prohibition of riders under the age of 16 from riding adult size vehicles.

"This will continue to be a strong focus for Honda right across our operations from rider training to marketing, dealer networks and after-sales support," said Singleton.

In 2019, the federal governmnet agreed on a suite of safety standards for quad bikes as recommended by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), who investigated ATV-related deaths on farms in the past 20 years. ACCC chairman Rod Sims has made it clear in recent weeks the commission is determined to push ahead with the compulsory fitting of rollover protection devices on quads.

More like this

Cropsy's cutting-edge AI on the vineyard

A New Zealand startup is providing growers with vital information for daily operations and long-term vineyard management, using a unique and scalable AI vine scanner that gives a vine-specific view of disease, pruning, land productivity and yields. Forty Cropsy systems have been deployed throughout New Zealand, the United States and France, with more than 20 million vine scans conducted in the past 12 months.

Featured

Brendan Attrill scoops national award for sustainable farming

Brendan Attrill of Caiseal Trust in Taranaki has been announced as the 2025 National Ambassador for Sustainable Farming and Growing and recipient of the Gordon Stephenson Trophy at the National Sustainability Showcase at in Wellington this evening.

National

Machinery & Products

Farming smarter with technology

The National Fieldays is an annual fixture in the farming calendar: it draws in thousands of farmers, contractors, and industry…

RainWave set to cause a splash

Traditional spreading via tankers or umbilical systems have typically discharged effluent onto splash-plates, resulting in small droplet sizes, which in…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Misguided campaign

OPINION: Last week, Greenpeace lit up Fonterra's Auckland headquarters with 'messages from the common people' - that the sector is…

Fieldays goes urban

OPINION: Once upon a time the Fieldays were for real farmers, salt of the earth people who thrived on hard…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter