The Pagani Huayra. Image: Autoviva
Earlier this week it looked like Pagani’s Huayra would be excluded from sales in the U.S. after all. The reason was an NHTSA ruling that required all cars built after the 2000 model year to use advanced airbags. Some manufacturers, such as Tesla and Lamborghini, were granted exemptions due to their low unit-volume sales in America. Pagani attempted the same thing when they decided to sell the Huayra in the U.S., filing for the exemption with the NHTSA back in 2008. The boutique supercar builder estimated that designing, testing and implementing an advanced airbag system for the Huayra would cost upwards of $5.7 million. Besides, they argued, the Huayra already uses advanced safety features in its construction, such as a carbon fiber and titanium safety cell designed to protect the occupants in the event of a crash.
The NHTSA wasn’t impressed, and slapped Pagani with a cease and desist order on delivering cars to U.S. customers. Things looked bleak, as designing an NHTSA-compliant airbag system from the ground up could take years. That was still the lesser of two evils, since Pagani’s alternative was pulling out of the U.S. market entirely, as they did with their Zonda supercar.
Now comes word that Pagani anticipated the NHTSA’s move, and has been working on a Huayra airbag system for some time now. If the reports are accurate, Pagani is proceeding with U.S. sales, but deliveries will be pushed back from late 2012 to early 2013. There’s no word yet on whether the airbag requirement will raise the price of a Pagani Huayra, but does that really matter? With a sticker price of $1.1 million, who’s going to notice another $10,000 or so for airbags?
Source: Autoblog
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
