It's been a tough 12-months and there are still issues for the motor industry, but BMW is putting on a brave face and rolling out its newest models, writes David Miles. Falling UK new car sales due to the repercussions of Brexit, potentially less investment in new cars built in the UK, higher interest rates, demonisation of diesel, tit-for-tat trading … [Read more...]
EU has unrealistic goals for EVs, say car makers
Ahead of next week’s European Parliament votes on future CO2 targets for cars and vans, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association says the severe lack and unbalanced distribution of charging points is putting off consumers buying electric cars. A new study provides a much-needed reality check for the Parliament, showing that the CO2 targets … [Read more...]
Fuel for thought when you buy a new model this autumn
From September 2018 all new cars registered in Europe, India, South Korea and Japan will have to report their official fuel economy and CO2 figures according to the WLTP, says David Miles. This acronym means Worldwide harmonised Light vehicle Test Procedure and in Europe it replaces the outdated New European Driving Cycle test introduced in the … [Read more...]
Newslines 9 June
Opposition Conservatives in the Assembly have announced their ideas to get Welsh people on their bikes. As Bike Week begins, the Tories say if elected they would introduce a bike strategy within 100 days, double length of cycle routes by 2040 and create a communities cycle fund to enable local plans while also increasing the number of secure parking … [Read more...]
Throttling back truck emissions
The European Commission has proposed for the first time binding EU emission standards for trucks. The proposal contains a reduction of CO2 emissions from trucks by 15% in 2025 against a 2019 baseline and at least 30% in 2030. The parameter recognises payload and mileage and is expressed as the number of grams CO2 per tonne kilometre (g/tkm). A fine of … [Read more...]
Triple whammy hitting fleets
A “triple whammy” means that fleets are in their biggest ever state of policy flux, says fleet software specialist FleetCheck. The WLTP fuel and emissions measurement changeover, the “demonisation” of diesel and the lack of information about company car taxation after 2020 are creating a high degree of confusion and frustration, says Peter Golding, … [Read more...]
Switch from diesel is increasing CO2, reports show
Last year saw two new and related trends in EU car registrations: an increase in CO2 emissions coupled with a rise in petrol sales, said the European Environment Agency and the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. According to the figures published by the EEA , average CO2 emissions from new cars went up by 0.4% to 118.5g/km in 2017. In … [Read more...]
Triple trouble faces car makers at Geneva show
Industry executives meeting at the Geneva motor show this week face testing choices to re-engineer existing vehicles at huge expense, restrict sales of some profitable models, or risk hundreds of millions of euros in penalties. While diesels produce more toxic nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulates than gasoline engines, their efficiency has been … [Read more...]
Car makers predict growth will stall at just 1%
Car makers in Europe say they face serious challenges to cutting emissions in line with EU plans over the next 12 years. While the EU passenger car market grew by 3.4% in 2017, with over 15 million cars sold, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association forecasts that growth will slow to around 1% in 2018. “The European automobile industry is on … [Read more...]
Misguided diesel attack will hit environment
Vehicle data expert cap hpi is warning that a clampdown on diesel vehicles could result in the UK missing European environmental targets. Experts from the company, who have authored a new report which looks at the recent issues around diesel, say there is a real danger that the EU’s 2021 environmental targets could be missed if the percentage of diesel … [Read more...]
