You’ll need to act fast if you want a Suzuki Jimny, Porsche 718 Boxster, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport or any one of more than a dozen cars set to be officially dropped from sale by the end of February.
Car makers are being forced to remove from sale models that don’t comply with the new Australian Design Rule (ADR 98/00) which requires an autonomous emergency braking (AEB) that functions between 10-60km/h and can bring the car to a complete stop from 40km/h. Unfortunately, this rule, which officially comes into force on March 1, impacts several popular models and will mean they can no longer be sold without the latest AEB system.
As we already reported on, Mitsubishi has decided against upgrading the AEB system in half of its range, so the Pajero Sport, Eclipse Cross and ASX will all be dropped by the end of February – with only the ASX having a confirmed replacement.
Mazda had also already announced the end of the Mazda6, as sales of family sedans and wagons have declined and given the age of the model, updating it didn’t make financial sense.
Other notable models impacted by this change includes the Suzuki Ignis, Swift Sport, Vitara, S-Cross and Jimny three-door, but the company claims they were all due for replacement anyway and there is supply to last through the rest of the year. The loss of the three-door Jimny will be acutely felt, as it is one of Suzuki’s most popular models.
The LDV V80 and G10 vans, while the entry-grade T60 ute also misses AEB, Fiat has confirmed it has stopped ordering petrol examples of its 500 city car as it also doesn’t have the right technology.
Another high-profile victim is the Porsche 718 range, both Cayman and Boxster, which don’t have the latest AEB system and are due to be replaced by a new, all-electric model in the near-future. Production of the 718 range actually ended in late 2024.
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