As anyone who’s bought an Italjet or Malaguti in the last ten years can tell you, it’s frustrating to spend a few grand on a motor vehicle, then find out a month later that a $5 component you need to replace will never be available again at any price. The Indian government is taking steps to require vehicle manufacturers to provide parts and service for five years after a model is discontinued or (handy for LML owners) if the company shuts its doors or changes hands. The Indian Business Standard reports that a new car model is launched in India every month. Meanwhile, Daewoo Motors Ltd., Premier Automobiles Ltd., Hero Puch Ltd., and LML, have all shut down. These closures and remaining manufacturers’ haphazard product lines are leaving millions of customers helpless to maintain and repair their cars, mopeds and scooters.
The article cites “similar laws in the US and the UK,” begging two questions: First, where do American Italjet and Malaguti owners get the proper forms; second, how can a government force a defunct importer of a defunct manufacturer (or worse, a fly-by-night importer dumping Chinese scooters on the market) to provide parts and service?