Pagani Automobili SpA has been denied a request for a hardship exemption from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding airbag installation in its million-dollar Huayra supercar. The company will have to install advanced air bags prior to sale/delivery of this member of the Top 10 Luxury Concept Car Designs 2011. 

Pagani Huayra

This is a supercar that can hit speeds of approximately 230 miles per hour…I am uncertain how helpful a mere air bag could be…it is like wearing a seatbelt on an aircraft. This is unlikely to become a luxury rental car, so why the fuss about an air bag for a vehicle that will likely remain stored and shieded?

Pagani Huayra interior

Pagani filed for a hardship exemption based on estimation that developing an advanced air bag program would prove costly.

According to NHTSA,
“Although Pagani has realized profits in recent years, the company asserted that immediate compliance with the advanced air-bag requirements will cause substantial economic hardship. Pagani stated that the company only operates on the cash on hand without lines of credit or debt financing, and its small profit margin is necessary to guard it from market fluctuations.”

Pagani communicated in February it aims to sell five cars in the U.S. next year, stating in a U.S. regulatory filing that a denial of the air bag petition would cost $4.5 million in net income from 2011 to 2014 because it wouldn’t sell vehicles in the U.S. until 2015 without a waiver.

Pagani Huayra supercar
 

Don’t miss our selection of top exotic rental cars in Miami, New York and Chicago on your way out!

Huayra  rearview
 

 

 

 

 

Post by Imagine Lifestyles Luxury Rentals