Smart Mobility Exporter Resource Guide | Page 88

Italy

The most effective way to enter the Italian market is to partner with a local company that can act as a local representative as well as provide insights about the local market environment and trends.

Exporters of vehicles, Original Equipment (OE) parts & components, as well as aftermarket products & accessories to the European Union and its member states must undergo a thorough assessment of, and ensure compliance with, existing European Commission Directives, i.e. regulatory requirements regarding technical specifications, product safety, as well as environmental impact & requirements.

European Community Whole Vehicle Type Approval (ECWVTA) is the process used to ensure that motor vehicles intended to be placed on the market for consumers meet relevant environmental, safety and security standards.

Type approval is imperative, given the large body of requirements that motor vehicles are subject to. During the process sample motor vehicles, which are taken to be representative of a ‘type’, are physically tested to check their conformity with these standards, hence the name.

These vehicle regulations are set by European Union law, and in many cases refer to Regulations developed by the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN-ECE) Working Party 29, under the ‘1958 Agreement’. These regulations and directives cover virtually all aspects of vehicle design for most types of self-propelled road-based vehicles, as well as trailers. This includes requirements for vehicle systems such as braking, lighting, crash performance, and of tail/non tailpipe and noise emissions. Type approval tests are carried out under the control of the type approval authority or an authorized technical service.

To ensure a consistent approach, the methodology is outlined in EU Directive 2007/46/EC, also known as the ‘Framework Directive on the type-approval of motor vehicles. The Directive outlines and classifies the various applicable vehicle types and defines the relationship between EU Directives and UN-ECE Regulations.

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Market Entry

Component & Sytem Type Approvals

A ‘whole vehicle’ is made up of large numbers of components and systems, each of which must conform to corresponding requirements. Vehicle manufacturers and suppliers of relevant parts to automobile manufacturers must ensure that their products meet those requirements.

Type approval makes a distinction between ‘components’ for vehicles - such as lighting components, glazing, rear view mirrors, etc. - and ‘systems’ for vehicles, which determine compliance of many components together, such as for braking, steering, crash performance and emissions.