European
carmakers seek delay to tougher emissions testing
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[May 06, 2015] By
Julia Fioretti and Barbara Lewis
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - European carmakers are
lobbying for a three year delay to new rules that would reduce the
fuel-saving claims they can make for their vehicles, according to an
industry paper seen by Reuters.
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The European Commission wants to tighten vehicle testing to close
loopholes such as driving on an unrealistically smooth surface and
taping up car doors and windows.
It wants to introduce the tougher standards by September 2017, but a
position paper from the European car industry trade group says it
"cannot envisage vehicle testing beginning before 1 January 2020".
The paper from the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association (ACEA)
-- whose members include BMW, Volkswagen <VOWG_p.DE> and Fiat
Chrysler -- goes on to say a further year's delay might be needed
because of the time required for all manufacturers to have
newly-registered vehicles tested under the new rules.
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ACEA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Commission research published in 2013 showed lab techniques
explained around a third of a recorded drop in average EU emissions
from passenger cars of planet-warming carbon dioxide (CO2), linked
to reduced fuel consumption.
A meeting of EU member state representatives and the Commission on
Thursday will decide which techniques carmakers will be allowed to
use when testing their vehicles as well as the date of introduction
of the new rules.
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"We all know by now that pumped-up fuel economy figures are the
direct result of carmakers gaming the lab tests. EU governments have
the opportunity this Thursday to stop this cheating as from 2017,"
said Greg Archer, clean vehicles manager of sustainable transport
group Transport & Environment.
The industry has already won a concession after Germany, home to
Europe's biggest carmakers, led a campaign to delay by a year the
Commission proposal to introduce an emissions limit of 95 grams of
carbon dioxide per kilometer from 2020.
(Editing by Mark Potter)
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