Dorislav Central News Agency
Approved by the Ministry of Information.
Published: Oct 17, 2212.
KYESHDET -- Dorislav's Parliament passed a bill on October 6, 2212 that would, in a legal sense, split the car class into two categories: small and regular. This day, the President just signed the law into force today. The Revised Motor Vehicle Definition Act aims to redefine car classifications in Dorislav and incentivize people to buy a car through tax breaks and better insurance benefits if they buy a small one. This law will become effective on February 1, 2213.
Previously, motor vehicles in Dorislav were split into two categories: motorcycles and cars. Under these definitions, a motorcycle was an open-top vehicle with 2-3 wheels in which the driver sat on a saddle-style seat and steered the vehicle with a handlebar (i.e. the tubular component that serves as a mounting place for parts such as the throttle, clutch, horn, etc.) and powered by an internal combustion engine or battery (if the latter is the main source of propulsion and it is not primarily Kerbal-powered), while a car was a partially or fully enclosed vehicle with three or more wheels steered via a steering wheel, with foot pedals for acceleration, braking, and clutch, and powered via an internal combustion engine, fuel cell, or battery. Convertibles also counted as such.
Now, cars will be split into two classes: small and regular. Small cars are cars with dimensions no larger than the following limits: 3.40 m in length, 1.45 m in width, and 2 m in height, while regular cars are cars greater than one of the following dimensions: 3.40 m in length, 1.45 m in width, and 2 m in height.
Small cars have more lenient requirements. Though they are still required to carry a catalytic converter to reduce polluting gases as much as possible, they are not required to have a sufficiently large crumple zone or airbags intended to minimize the effects of collisions, particularly at high speeds; this is because it was decided that such requirements would defeat the point of making them affordable. Automakers are still free to implement such features if they wish to, particularly when exporting to markets with stricter regulations.
Small cars have significant restrictions on not just dimensions, but also their powerplant and speed. For now, they are limited to 580 cc of displacement and may not have a turbocharger or supercharger. They are also limited to speeds no more than 145 km/h, assuming a flat, smooth road, and in stock form.
Parliament's reasoning is that it seeks to discourage and prevent an "arms race between car manufacturers to make the best possible car this small by recklessly disregarding safety in the name of pursuing more speed". Furthermore, Dorislav's auto economy has a strong emphasis on affordability and durability, not peak performance or showing off one's wealth.
