As the government shutdown is pressing on the citizens and its effect being felt daily, the car industry is now at watch. Will the government shutdown hinder automakers in the production process of a car dealership?
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an independent agency of the United States federal government for environmental protection. With the ongoing government shutdown, EPA cannot do the testing process and will not be able to give a road-legal clearance certification to new vehicles. The said certification is necessary before a vehicle can be released to the market for selling. If the government shutdown continues, there could be a possible delay in the production of vehicles.
The 2019 Detroit Auto Show featured a lot of new car models to watch out for. With the huge line of showcased brands and models, car lovers are in great anticipation that those lines will be released soon. However, with the government shutdown in danger of creating a possible delay in the testing process of the vehicle production, car lovers cannot help but think if their awaited brands and models will still be out soon or they will have to wait longer.
Automakers, however, are positive as there could be a possible option available. A self-test can be done by the automakers and just have they submitted to EPA for re-evaluation.
Based on records, EPA receives around 1,200 compliance requests every year. Out of those request, they only select 200 cars to undergo the testing. The selection is randomly done and in no particular category, brand and model.
Ford assured their customers that they are not affected by the government shutdown yet. They stated that the production continues and that the plans that they have for the year will push through.
General Motors stands on the same optimism as Ford does. They also assured that the planned number of cars for dealership this year will continue in production and that they will continue to cater to the needs of their customers.
FCA has one concrete request for certification. The Ram 2500 and 3500 gas variants for 2019 are still waiting for approval. Yet like Ford and General Motors, they assured the public that their shipments are not being delayed by certifications, according to CNET.
The government shutdown stretches on its fifth week now. With the widening impact that it is creating to people like the agents and staffs, as well as on certification processes such as the EPA, the safest thing to do is to not violate government rules, as the CNN reported.
