Pagani has been frequently seen in the headlines the last week over the US debut of their latest creation, the Pagani Huayra. Reports in various media last weekend suggested the Italian supercar would not be able to sell its cars in the US after the NHTSA denied an exemption request from the advanced airbag rule submitted by Pagani over three years ago. In an attempt to find out what was going on, we got in touch with Pagani and today received their explanation on what has been going on.

First of all they like to share that with last weeks debut the Huayra and Pagani brand received an overwhelming reception by the invited media and customers.

But to clear up the current situation we have to go back three years in time. It was than in the Summer of 2008 when Pagani petitioned NHTSA for a temporary exemption from the advanced or ‘smart’ airbag rule as regards the Huayra. The exemption would have covered sales for the first few years in the US. Pagani adds:

“The fundamental motivation for our exemption request concerned having to prioritize our budget (we have to remember that this was happening at the start of a period of global economic uncertainty). And keep in mind, this exemption had already been given to companies such as Bugatti, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Koenigsegg and Spyker.”