WASHINGTON (Aug. 18, 2015) — The Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) is urging its members to support a bill in the U.S. House of Representatives that would allow the sale of completed replica cars.
Currently, replica car companies sell their products as do-it-yourself kits, either as a box of auto parts or as a rolling chassis minus the drive-train components, according to an email from the SEMA Action Network (SAN).
Introduced June 4, H.R. 2675 would give those companies the option of selling kit cars or completed replica cars regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Enthusiasts would also have the option of building cars that don't replicate older vehicles, SEMA said.
“Many states have categories for these replica and kit cars, and allow them to be titled and registered by the model year that they most closely resemble,” SEMA said in the email.
“H.R. 2675 would remedy the current ‘one-size-fits-all' method for regulating car manufacturers and enable smaller companies to produce ready-to-drive replica cars for consumers that prefer than option,” it said.
The Diamond Bar, Calif.-based trade group urged its members to write their representatives in support of the bill, and to send copies of their emails to Eric Snyder at [email protected].
H.R. 2675 has been referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade within the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
The association provided a link to reach members of Congress.