Global Regulatory Harmonization–One American Manufacturer's Perspective

This paper presents one American vehicle manufacturer's perspective on global regulatory harmonization, which is critically required for the future development and well being of the vehicle global market. The paper provides a brief overview of the past and present harmonization efforts and discusses some of the impediments in achieving agreements among different rulemaking bodies. Despite the often hampered goal of total harmonization, the paper submits that progress can be achieved with the reciprocal acceptance of functionally equivalent standards and other stop-gap measures to curb the ever spiraling requirements. The paper concludes on an optimistic note by citing some of the recent developments that bring the harmonization frontier closer to becoming a reality.