Automobile industry calls for urgent clarity on emissions test

Brussels, 19 January 2016 – Following the debate on real-driving emissions (RDE) during the plenary session of the European Parliament in Strasbourg yesterday, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) reiterates that it fully agrees with the need for emissions to more closely reflect real-world conditions.

“We urgently need to have a new test method to bridge the gap between the current laboratory testing of pollutant emissions, as defined by law, and the very different conditions experienced on the road,” said Erik Jonnaert, ACEA Secretary General. Alongside other stakeholders, ACEA has therefore been contributing constructively to the efforts of the European Commission and member states to develop a robust RDE test.

During the October meeting of the Commission’s regulatory committee (TCMV) a tough compromise was agreed on RDE with testing standards that will be extremely difficult for automobile manufacturers to reach in a short space of time, and highly challenging targets in a second step. The TCMV also agreed that the RDE conformity factor should be reviewed in the future.

“Despite the challenges in the latest proposals, the industry urgently needs clarity now so manufacturers can plan the development and design of vehicles in line with the new RDE requirements. Any delay to this legislation would leave little time to make the necessary changes and ultimately would just push back the benefits for the environment,” stated Jonnaert. “Our industry needs the RDE test to restore the confidence of consumers and legislators in the environmental performance of new vehicles.”


About ACEA

  • The European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) represents the 14 major Europe-based car, van, truck and bus makers: BMW Group, DAF Trucks, Daimler Truck, Ferrari, Ford of Europe, Honda Motor Europe, Hyundai Motor Europe, Iveco Group, JLR, Mercedes-Benz, Renault Group, Toyota Motor Europe, Volkswagen Group, and Volvo Group
  • Visit www.acea.auto for more information about ACEA, and follow us on www.twitter.com/ACEA_auto or www.linkedin.com/company/ACEA/

Contact:

  • Cara McLaughlin, Communications Director, cm@acea.auto, +32 485 88 66 47
  • Ben Kennard, Content Editor and Press Manager, bk@acea.auto, +32 2 738 73 17

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About the EU automobile industry

  • 12.9 million Europeans work in the automotive sector
  • 8.3% of all manufacturing jobs in the EU
  • €392.2 billion in tax revenue for European governments
  • €101.9 billion trade surplus for the European Union
  • Over 7% of EU GDP generated by the auto industry
  • €59.1 billion in R&D spending annually, 31% of EU total
Content type Press release
Vehicle types All vehicles
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