03-26-2016, 07:52 PM
I think a big part of it is Transport Canada. I know for my smart, they prohibited the Canadian versions from having cruise control because the text on the stalk didn't match their approved nomenclature. They also couldn't offer the wider tires option on the "pulse" version because it slightly alters the fuel consumption and they'd have to go through all the testing again to offer them, so they just slapped on the standard tires for that version in Canada (grr!). They also rewired the headlights and turned the fog lights into turn signals in Canada, and cut the wires to the turn signal lamps embedded in the headlights - they're 98 mm apart, and Transport Canada requires them to be 100+ mm away from the headlights.
tl;dr: It's easier for automakers to just disable those cool features that the European cars have because Transport Canada gives them such a hard time about the stuff.
tl;dr: It's easier for automakers to just disable those cool features that the European cars have because Transport Canada gives them such a hard time about the stuff.