Left:The general manager of VCA Australia, Howard Danielson.

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He noted that Toyota’s TRD performance car division said they would not use VCA until the company established an Australian office.Apart from the costs involved in sending cars and engineers overseas, Mr Danielson said that VCA’s fee for certification would now be at least 50 per cent lower for a program that lasts more than four days.It should also save a great deal of time because he can attend an urgent test almost immediately.The VCA was established by the UK department of transport in the 1970s to help British car-makers with their exports and now has 10 offices around the globe.VCA CEO Paul Markwick, who travelled from London for the formal Melbourne opening this month, said he hoped the Australian office would become “an enabling force” that helps the local automotive industry meet the global challenges and opportunities.“The Australian automotive industry is a very important part of the overall economy and has become increasingly export focussed,” said Mr Markwick.“I very much hope our presence in the region will help support industry in its drive to access European markets.”He described Mr Danielson as one of the company’s most experienced expert engineers who had been responsible for the success of other overseas offices in the US, Japan and Malaysia.Mr Danielson said that Australia has all of the test facilities required for full certification – including the Australian Automotive Research Centre at Angelsea in Victoria, EMC Technologies in Melbourne and Crash Labs in Sydney, as well as the car companies’ own facilities.