‘Amicable solution’ to Euro 7 would secure future of Volkswagen Polo

Volkswagen is hopeful that an "amicable solution" to the occupation of the contentious caller Euro 7 emissions proposals is emerging aft discussions involving the European Commission, VW marque brag Thomas Schäfer has said.

If not, VW is apt to discontinue the Polo owed to the outgo burden, helium warned.

The car manufacture slammed the proposals announced successful November past year, describing them arsenic “unworkable” and “useless”. 

Manufacturers person hotly contested the Commission’s assertion that the proposals volition adhd €90-€150 (£79-£131) to the terms of a car, informing that they whitethorn request to cancel smaller models altogether.

VW has said its Polo exemplary is nether threat. “Smaller combustion-engine vehicles volition go prohibitively expensive,” Schäfer told Autocar astatine a caller lawsuit to unveil the ID 2all concept, which previews an electrical tiny car VW wants to merchantability alongside the Polo from 2025. “It virtually makes it intolerable to proceed with a tiny [ICE] conveyance arsenic it presently stands.”

Schäfer said helium raised the further outgo with the Commission successful a caller meeting, arguing that it mightiness beryllium existent for bigger cars but not for smaller models. “The caller measures are not a large occupation for thing similar a Audi A6, which already has hybrid exertion and an car gearbox,” helium said. The other outgo comes from adding that exertion to a fund car. “It makes a dying exertion prohibitively expensive.” 

The timescale to use Euro 7 from 1 July 2025 for caller cars and airy vans is besides acold excessively short, fixed that immoderate of the proposals person inactive to beryllium tested and verified. Schäfer cited the request to nonstop on-board diagnostics backmost to the Commission to corroborate vehicles are continuing to execute their emissions targets implicit the people of their life. The aforesaid is besides existent for measuring particulates from brakes and tyres.

However, discussions are moving successful the absorption of the car maker, Schäfer believes. “There’s astir apt a batch of misunderstandings,” helium said. “From the engagements we’ve had recently, I had the feeling determination is an amicable solution going forward. I anticipation so.”

Whether oregon not the Commission recasts the proposals much favourably to the car makers “plays a relation successful the aboriginal of Polo”, Schäfer said.

VW says the contented is not with emissions levels themselves, which are astir unchanged from those of Euro 6 from September 2014. “We’ve got nary occupation with the emissions part. We really asked to instrumentality the limits for CO [carbon monoxide] and NOx [oxides of nitrogen] close up!” Schäfer said. “But they said no, we springiness you tougher framework conditions.”

The ‘frame conditions’ see a broader operational model successful which the emissions restrictions apply. For example, the ambient somesthesia changes from 0-30deg C to 0-35deg C, portion the “extended” conditions drops from -7deg C to -10deg C and rises to 45deg C. 

Rather than absorption connected the emissions themselves, the European Union successful the past fewer years has been tightening up the loopholes wrong Euro 6, starting with the Real Driving Emissions (RDE) constituent to guarantee the cars are really cleaner successful the existent world, not conscionable the laboratory. RDE was introduced successful 2017 successful the aftermath of Dieselgate - which VW was astatine the centre of.

VW and different car makers reason that the propulsion to electrification with a prohibition connected interior combustion engines connected the docket for 2035 makes Euro 7 irrelevant, fixed the gait of the switchover. “The solution is electrification. We each cognize this,” Schäfer said. “Combustion motor volumes driblet close disconnected successful 2026/27 aft Euro 7 comes in.”