VW 'Dieselgate' scandal puts 'lax' EU testing under scrutiny
- 9 years ago
How clean are cars in Europe, and what does the VW ‘Dieselgate’ scandal mean for the European car industry?
The exposure of Volkswagen as an emissions test cheat in the US has put the spotlight on the other side of the Atlantic.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) says there is no evidence of an industry-wide issue, and Renault, Peugeot Citroen and Fiat Chrysler have all denied breaching test rules.
But if the situation in the US is serious, for Volkswagen it is a disaster and in Europe it’s potentially seismic.
Demand for diesel has soared over the past 20 years, helped by cheaper fuel and various incentives such as tax breaks and cheaper parking charges.
Industry figures show that in 2014 more than half (53 percent) of cars sold in Europe had diesel engines, way above the global average (19.8 percent) and the tiny proportion of sales in the States (2.75 percent).
41% of the cars on European roads run on #diesel – Infographic: EU passenger car fleet
The exposure of Volkswagen as an emissions test cheat in the US has put the spotlight on the other side of the Atlantic.
The European Automobile Manufacturers Association (ACEA) says there is no evidence of an industry-wide issue, and Renault, Peugeot Citroen and Fiat Chrysler have all denied breaching test rules.
But if the situation in the US is serious, for Volkswagen it is a disaster and in Europe it’s potentially seismic.
Demand for diesel has soared over the past 20 years, helped by cheaper fuel and various incentives such as tax breaks and cheaper parking charges.
Industry figures show that in 2014 more than half (53 percent) of cars sold in Europe had diesel engines, way above the global average (19.8 percent) and the tiny proportion of sales in the States (2.75 percent).
41% of the cars on European roads run on #diesel – Infographic: EU passenger car fleet