The 25-year import rule here, which bans Americans from importing vehicles
from other countries unless they're 25+ years old
That's not what the rule is. That's the end result because nobody wants to spend money to get a foreign market car to meet the relevant safety and emissions standards.
Yeah, that's completely right, but as you said in another comment, there's some real bullshit in the FMVSS that to me, a complete layperson, seems like it has the sole effect of blocking the certification of perfectly safe and clean modern vehicles from other advanced nations.
Of course we shouldn't be allowing people to import some pollution-spewing deathtrap that doesn't have seatbelts--the FMVSS regulations do exist for a reason--but I think we should be taking a more critical look at our regulations, especially as compared to other places at the same socioeconomic level.
perfectly safe and clean modern vehicles from other advanced nations
A lot of what's being discussed are neither perfectly safe nor clean by American standards.
The UK, for instance, allows pretty much anything with wheels to be registered (e.g. the Peel). Euro NCAP is merely advisory, you can still sell/buy a death trap. Pollution as well. Want an early 90s Figaro or S-Cargo or a late 00s Hijet? Those were sold without cats or fuel injection. Want something cheap and Euro? Cool. The cheap shit is often cheap because it pollutes so much it can't legally be driven in city centers any longer.
A lot of the bellyaching is over cars that the manufacturers couldn't justify fixing up to meet American standards.
Yet the UK (and most other developed countries) have far fewer fatalities per vehicle or kilometre driven, as well as cars that output less pollution per kilometre.
Obviously there are many confounding factors, but the point is if the USA really cared, it'd federally mandate more effective measures like safety inspections and emissions testing. The import restrictions are protectionism.
Technically anyone can pay the money to do this certification, but it's not cheap and also would require that you crash multiple cars for crash testing. Also if it fails in some aspect it's not like then you can ask the manufacture to change things.
Also these kei class vehicles would not do well on some of the highway speed collision tests.
Moreover these Kei Trucks still have to deal with the 25% chicken tax =(.
