What's the news?
BMW has confirmed that it's one of the first car makers to meet the new WLTP regulations in full, across all models including the MINI range. While perhaps it's not that big a deal, on the surface of it, to meet new regulations, the introduction of the WLTP rules have proved deeply troubling for more than a few car makers. Brands such as Volkswagen and Porsche have had to remove some models, temporarily, from sale until they can be put through the new system, and vehicle laboratories across Europe are reporting bottlenecks as car makers rush to meet the deadline.
"Customers can have confidence that the full range of BMW Group vehicles is compliant with the new testing requirements and offers a more compelling value proposition than ever when compared with alternative brands. Buyers can also be sure that the figures supplied for all our vehicles are future-proof providing certainty in terms of future cost," said Paulo Alves, managing director at BMW Group Ireland.
Another BMW spokesperson confirmed to CompleteCar.ie that two models from the range had not survived the transition to WLTP. The 330e plugin hybrid and the high-performance M3 will be dropped from the price list, because new models for both cars are imminent, and it would not have made financial sense for them to be put through the new procedures.
What is WLTP? It's the 'World harmonised Light-duty vehicle Test Procedure', and it replaces the old NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) test as the official fuel economy and emissions testing procedure. The NEDC test had become largely discredited as being too easy for car makers to find shortcuts around, most notoriously Volkswagen's 'defeat device' for its diesel engines. The WLTP system it much tougher, so many cars will see rises in their emissions ratings, and falls in their official fuel efficiency.
Because the move is designed to be revenue-neutral, from a tax point of view, car makers are being given a lead-in time for full implementation of WLTP rules. For now, the official figures are based on what's called an 'NEDC-correlated' figure, which is basically a slightly tougher NEDC test. Full WLTP won't come into force until next year, but expect big jumps in emissions figures when they do.
BMW boasts that its 530e plugin hybrid has seen its emissions rise by just 3g/km under the new testing system.
NEDC to WLTP - What changes?
NEDC: Single test for all cars
WLTP: Three different tests for different types of vehicle
NEDC: 20-min test
WLTP: 30-min test
NEDC: 11km distance covered
WLTP: 23.25km covered
NEDC: Two-part test - 37 per cent urban/63 per cent extra-urban
WLTP: Four-part test, with higher speeds - 13 per cent urban/87 per cent extra-urban
NEDC: 34km/h average speed
WLTP: 46.5km/h average speed
NEDC: 120km/h max speed
WLTP: 131km/h max speed
NEDC: Optional extras not considered
WLTP: Optional extras taken into account
NEDC: Fixed gear shift points
WLTP: Variable gear shift points for each vehicle
NEDC: 20-30 degrees Celsius temp
WLTP: Fixed 23-degree Celsius temp