WASHINGTON -- $42 million.
That's how much one automaker spent to change 100 parts and do the additional design and development needed to make a popular 2013 U.S. vehicle comply with European safety regulations, so it could be sold across the Atlantic, according to the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers.
And all that money makes little difference in overall safety, researchers say.
That's why automakers are pushing their governments to streamline safety regulations in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership free-trade deal the U.S. and European Union are negotiating. With the prospect of new regulations on autonomous driving technologies, the industry views the talks as a critical opportunity to bring harmony to the disparate rules.