July/August 2019

NEWS Petrol engine vehicles could soon be embroiled in ‘Petrolgate’ due to real- world emissions being higher than the benchmark set by the new test procedure, an emissions-testing company is warning, which could ultimately affect the garage sector. With many workshops looking to invest in training and equipment to work on modern petrol systems as diesel popularity declines, a consumer shift away from the fuel type could end up causing more headaches in the aftermarket. Following decades of popularity in the UK, the emissions controversy surrounding diesel vehicles was partially blamed for sales of cars running on the fuel falling dramatically in recent years. According to the SMMT, 2018’s full-year car sales alone saw diesel car sales drop by 29.6%. In the same period petrol vehicle sales were up 8.7%, and alternatively fuelled vehicles (AVF) went up by 20.9%. However, Emissions Analytics says the implementation of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) may actually be leading to another crisis. Nick Molden, CEO of Emissions Analytics, commented: “While our real-world test results for diesel cars are in line with WLTP data indicating that manufacturers have got their house in order over diesel, the same cannot be said for petrol. This discrepancy brings back worrying echoes of the previous, discredited official rating system.” WLTP has been designed to bring CO 2 emissions in line with the real-world by more closely replicating actual vehicle use in laboratory tests. The previous programme, the New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) was found to be not able to accurately measure real emissions, partly due to VMs optimising vehicles to pass the tests. This was part of the situation that led to the ongoing Volkswagen controversy and the wider Dieselgate scandal. The final version of WLTP was released in 2015. All cars sold from September 2018 must conform with the WLTP. Another cause of falling car sales during 2018 was the need for VMs to have vehicles retested to conform with the standard. This caused a stranglehold on the supply of vehicles for several months. As a result of the move over to WLTP, diesel car CO 2 emissions are now more in line with laboratory results. However, Emissions Analytics says there a discrepancy between lab tests of petrol cars and their real-world emissions. Despite the test more closely reflecting actual use, CO 2 emissions for petrol cars have fallen to a fleet average of 133g/km on an NEDC- equivalent basis. At the same time, the average CO 2 figure, as measured by Emissions Analytics, is in fact 185g/km. Emissions Analytics’ EQUA Index (equaindex.com) , established in 2011, has been used to test 2,000 vehicles. The company says the gap between EQUA real- world data and the adjusted NEDC values for diesels has reduced to the point where they are essentially the same. At the same time, it says the gap with petrol has increased to 24%. As previously mentioned, while vehicles sold since last September need to be WLTP- compliant, the fleet average CO 2 figure will still be based on the pre-existing NEDC rating. This will remain the case until the full WLTP switchover is complete in 2021. Similarly, average fuel economy figures are already based on the WLTP. Figures are now being translated to create NEDC equivalent values from the WLTP test. “While the EU has provided a software package to model this translation,” said Nick, “NEDC-equivalent WLTP figures can be derived from manufacturer-declared values or from actual dynamometer tests. Unquestionably this means the system is still open to manipulation, disguises inherent flaws in WLTP and leads to consumer confusion, which is hardly what you might expect almost four years on from Dieselgate. “This would make WLTP questionable as a source for gathering actionable data, much like NEDC that preceded it. It is also worth pointing out that the EQUA Index currently shows real-world emissions sitting well above the EU headline 130g/km fleet average target for CO 2 , which suggests official data flatters how much CO 2 is being reduced overall.” Nick added: “There is still fallout from Dieselgate and consumer trust needs to be built back up. The industry really needs to act now to avoid a Petrolgate.” 4 AFTERMARKET JULY/AUGUST 2019 www.aftermarketonline.net Are we heading for Petrolgate? A Leeds-based garage has seen an advert it placed in a magazine banned by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) due to its perceived sexist content. Strasse, an independent Porsche specialist, ran an advert in the February issue of 911 and Porsche World that featured an image of the lower half of a woman, wearing a black mini-dress and high heels, positioned underneath a car, surrounded by car tools and a handbag. The phrase ‘ATTRACTIVE SERVICING’ was emblazoned across. The ASA received a complaint about the advert that posited that it was degrading and sexist towards women, and challenged whether the ad was offensive and irresponsible. In its response to the ASA, Strasse said that model in the ad was fully clothed and was empowered by the addition of power tools. The ‘attractive servicing’ referred to in the ad was in relation to their attractive prices versus those of their competitors. The magazine’s publisher, CH Publications, added that the ad showed a fully clothed model working beneath a Porsche, who was presumed to be a female. However, it was not entirely clear. The ASA upheld the complaint, saying that while the ad was not sexually explicit, it objectified women and was likely to cause serious offence to some people. The ASA also said the advert must not appear again in its current form. Garage sees ‘sexist’ advert banned