Fuel consumption information for importers

The purpose of this page is to assist people importing vehicles into New Zealand satisfy requirements for fuel consumption information.

It contains a search facility for fuel consumption information for used Japanese light vehicles, as well as links to information on related documentation requirements for importers, and to general information on exhaust emissions and the environment.

Later in 2005, a website will be launched to provide the general public with information on vehicle fuel efficiency and exhaust emissions. It will be designed to assist consumers take these and other factors such as safety into account when purchasing vehicles.

Background

The vast majority of motor vehicles are powered through the use of non-renewable fossil fuels. A major by-product of burning these fuels is carbon dioxide, which is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming.

The New Zealand government has signed the Kyoto Protocol, which is an international agreement that addresses global warming and aims to reduce climate change by reducing total greenhouse gas emissions.

New Zealand’s Kyoto Protocol target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the level they were in 1990, or take responsibility for excess emissions.

The New Zealand government is establishing initiatives to reduce fuel consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions. The first step is to establish a record of the fuel consumption of light vehicles entering the fleet.

Consequently, it is now a requirement under section 7(1) (e) of the Transport (Vehicle and Driver Registration Licensing) Act 1986 that importers of certain vehicles provide fuel emissions and fuel consumption data when presenting their vehicles to be registered.

Who needs to provide fuel consumption data?

You will need to provide fuel consumption data if you are importing a light vehicle (3,500kg or less) with the following attributes:

Vehicle is ...	Class*	Year of manufacture	Fuel type
Used (Previously registered in Japan)	MA MB MC MD1 MD2 NA	2000 or after	Petrol or diesel**
New	MA MB MC MD1 MD2 NA	2005 or after	Petrol or diesel**

* View an explanation of vehicle classes.
** Includes petrol/electric and diesel/electric hybrids.

Where will I find fuel consumption data?

If you are importing used light vehicles previously registered in Japan, you can use the search facilities on this website to find the fuel consumption data.

If you are importing used light vehicle from countries other than Japan, the provision of fuel consumption data is optional. You will probably not find the fuel consumption data on this website. If you choose to enter fuel consumption data, it must be provided as litres per hundred kilometres. Some countries, such as the USA, provide fuel consumption data using other units. A conversion calculator is available to help you provide the data in the correct format for New Zealand.

If you are importing new light vehicles, the manufacturer will provide the data.

For further information on who needs to provide fuel consumption data, and where to find it, see Infosheet 2.15.

What you need to use the search facilities:

To use this website, you will need the industry model code, variant number and chassis number/vehicle identification number (VIN) from the vehicle de-registration or export certificate.

If the vehicle does not have a variant number, you will need to provide additional details from the certificate.

This database is primarily based on annual publications by the Society of Automotive Engineers of Japan (JSAE). These provide vehicle information from 2000 onwards but may not include very recently manufactured vehicles. If you intend to import very recent models of used vehicle, please contact the Independent Motor Vehicle Dealers Association (IMVDA) or the Motor Trade Association (MTA) as soon as possible prior to importation.

If you need to supply fuel consumption information for a vehicle that it is not yet listed on this site, it may take a number of days to obtain this information. In general, you should check this site for your imported vehicle as soon as you can obtain the relevant de-registration details.

For more information:

Please see Infosheets 2.10 (importing from Japan), 2.11 (Australia), 2.12 (USA), 2.13 (Europe) and 2.14 (elsewhere).

Documentation required when importing a vehicle is described in Infosheet 2.09.   Further details can be found in Infosheets 2.08 (Emissions Rule requirements) and 2.15 (Fuel consumption data).

For assistance:

The IMVDA and MTA are offering chargeable services to assist importers with fuel consumption requirements. Their contact details are as follows:

IMVDA
Email: info@imvda.co.nz
Phone: 09 573 3058
Fax: 09 573 3062

MTA
Email: mpg@motor-trade.co.nz
Phone: 04 385 8859
Fax: 04 385 9517

For general enquiries you can call the Land Transport New Zealand helpdesk on 0800 699 000.

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Last updated: 5 July 2008