What vehicles are affected by the chicken tax? (vehicle, sedan, van)

[EckyX]

At work I drive a Ford Transit Connect. It's a small van that was built in Europe, and shipped to the US with various amenities to make it a passenger vehicle (backseats), which were discarded once it arrived in the US, the purpose being to avoid the chicken tax.

Thinking about this, I'm not actually certain which vehicles the chicken tax applies to. Are crossovers chicken tax protected, or exempt?

Looking at Wikipedia's article on "light trucks":

Federal regulations define a light-duty truck to be any motor vehicle having a gross vehicle weight rating (curb weight plus payload) of no more than 8,500 pounds (3,860 kg) which is “(1) Designed primarily for purposes of transportation of property or is a derivation of such a vehicle, or (2) Designed primarily for transportation of persons and has a capacity of more than 12 persons, or (3) Available with special features enabling off-street or off-highway operation and use. ”Light trucks includes vans, pickups, and sport utility vehicles.

Point 3 seems very slippery. Does a new AWD Prius get a "light truck" designation because there's a 7hp electric motor that can power the rear wheels, a "special feature enabling off-street use"?

What about a Mazda CX-3, which is essentially a Mazda 3, only with larger tires, that lift it an extra 0.7 inches of ground clearance?

Where is the line drawn?

[robr2]

There's a difference between the light truck designation for import and EPA purposes.

To get around the chicken tax, vehicles have to be designated as "passenger" vehicles. That is why Ford originally imported the Transit Connect with seats and then removed them. MB originally brought Sprinter vans in as kits and assembled them in SC to get around the tax.

The regulation you quoted is primarily for EPA classification and the loopholes that come with being a light-duty truck. Vehicles such as the PT Cruiser, Chevy HHR, and Outback sedan were all listed as light trucks. Some of the benefits included increasing CAFE standards for the brands light duty trucks and allowing them to be equipped with features limited to that class such as tinted rear windows.

Just having 4WD does not make a vehicle a light truck for EPA classification. The Lexus NX200 is classed as an SUV/Light Truck even in 2WD because the front lip is designed to allow for ground clearance.