Half of Volkswagen's Models Not Yet Through WLTP Testing
The transition to the new WLTP emissions standard looks like it might be more difficult for Volkswagen than previously thought.
The company said yesterday that only half of its main vehicle lineup has made it through the tests so far.
The new emissions testing standard requires automakers to recertify their entire fleet. That’s even limited editions. But as VW’s marketing boss Thomas Zahn said yesterday “the new tests are more cumbersome and take two to three times longer than in the past.”
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That’s because every car has to be tested, in nearly every configuration. It’s a lot of lab testing. Once that’s completed, they need to test the cars again on the road, but automakers have more time to complete those certifications.
While the company hasn’t said exactly which vehicles are still pending, it did say that the Golf hasn’t yet gotten the OK. The Golf is the company’s top-selling model. Zahn said that he does expect the Golf to pass the standards by the end of September. The delay means fewer car shipments in September, but the company expects “very strong deliveries in December.”
[Source: Automotive News]
A version of this story originally appeared on VW Vortex.
Evan moved from engineering to automotive journalism 10 years ago (it turns out cars are more interesting than fibreglass pipes), but has been following the auto industry for his entire life. Evan is an award-winning automotive writer and photographer and is the current President of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada. You'll find him behind his keyboard, behind the wheel, or complaining that tiny sports cars are too small for his XXXL frame.
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