Renault now faces a criminal investigation over its diesel emissions. The French government said that the country’s consumer fraud watchdog had sent prosecutors the findings of its independent inquiry into possible emissions test manipulation by Renault. The law in France means there has to now be a preliminary review of the issues before a formal prosecution begins and which could lead to … [Read more...]
Newslines 30 September
The Cardiff Half Marathon will see city centre roads progressively closed over the next few days until Monday to allow for set up and dismantling of facilities. On street parking will also be reduced and motorists are advised to allow more time for journeys and use park and ride facilities where possible. The price of car insurance has been named by drivers as the motoring cost that has … [Read more...]
VW is cleaning up a year after “dieselgate”
As “Dieselgate” turns one year old, a study by Transport & Environment reveals that Volkswagen is currently selling the least polluting Euro 6 diesel vehicles. Nonetheless, the marque caught cheating in the US also has the most grossly polluting Euro 5 vehicles on the road, which were sold between 2011 and 2015 . The better performance of Volkswagen Euro 6 cars has nothing to do with the … [Read more...]
EC toughens stance against Volkswagen
The European Commission is tightening screws on Volkswagen this week. The European Commission has found that Volkswagen Group broke consumer laws in 20 European Union countries by cheating on emissions tests, German daily Die Welt reported, citing Commission sources. Among them are the Consumer Sales and Guarantees Directive -- which prohibits companies from touting exaggerated environmental … [Read more...]
VW UK told to clean up its act and compensate owners
An influential group of British politicians has called on the Government to set strict timelines for Volkswagen Group to recall tainted diesel vehicles and compensate their British owners. VW is "only just beginning to recall cars in the UK," where about 1.1 million vehicles were found to contain software that rigged emissions tests, said Parliament's environmental audit committee. It … [Read more...]
Newslines 5 August
Hyundai Motor UK has revealed pricing and specification details for its new i20 Turbo Edition. Designed, engineered and built in Europe, the i20 Turbo Edition will be priced from £12,975 OTR when it enters showrooms this month. Meeting the growing trend for small capacity turbo petrol engines, the special edition i20 Turbo features Hyundai’s entertaining yet efficient 100PS 1.0-litre … [Read more...]
Fleets suffer with SUV orders
The growing popularity of SUVs in all sectors of the company car fleet market means that fleets could increasingly struggle to hit cost and emissions targets, says Chevin Fleet Solutions. The fleet management software specialist points out that even the most car-like of SUVs tend to have worse emissions and fuel economy than their equivalent hatchbacks or saloons by a margin of around 10-20% - … [Read more...]
Car makers want rapid change in emissions testing
Vehicle makers want the rapid introduction of Real Driving Emissions testing, says ACEA. The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association takes note of the announcements of recent vehicle tests by Germany’s federal motor transport authority (KBA) as well as the UK Department for Transport. Both these announcements highlight the known differences between laboratory test cycles and real-life … [Read more...]
Volkswagen may face impossible task over engines
It may be impossible to fix Volkswagen Group cars which have illegally high exhaust emssions, according to the California Air Resources Board. An official of the board has said the state may allow partially repaired VW diesel cars to continue operating on its roads because a full fix may be impossible. The agreement with being negotiated with VW also includes creating national and California … [Read more...]
European inquiry ordered by MEPs over emissions tests
The European Parliament is setting up a committee of inquiry into car emission tests. MEPs voted for the inquiry team comprising 45 members who will also investigate alleged failures by EU member states and the European Commission to enforce EU standards. It will present an interim report within 6 months, and a final report within 12 months, of starting its work. MEPs approved the … [Read more...]