New EU regulations could force European car makers to hit an average of 106mpg across their model ranges by 2025, according to plans floated by members of the European parliament.
This target could be made even harder to hit by the adoption of the new World Light Duty Test Procedure (WLTP), a new method of calculating fuel economy that the EU wants to see incorporated into law by 2017 “as a matter of urgency”.
The WLTP has been designed under United Nations guidance to be “more reflective” of typical fuel economy in real-world driving conditions. The current EU combined cycle economy test, which is carried out under laboratory conditions, is coming under increasing criticism from drivers who cannot achieve the quoted figures.
MEPs also passed a draft law that will regulate the average emissions of cars sold in the EU from 130g/km of CO2 today to just 95g/km by 2020. Only car makers building fewer than 1000 cars per year will be exempt from these regulations.
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