Plug-In Hybrids May Be Screwed By New European Emission Rules

Isn't the point of a plug-in hybrid to be better on emissions and fuel economy?

The whole point of a plug-in hybrid vehicle is to offer electric assist in order to reduce fuel consumption and overall emissions output. So why has Europe halted the sale of plug-in models for not passing emissions regulations?

As we've reported, Europe has recently switched to new emissions regulations called the Worldwide harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). These regulations are far more stringent than the previous guidelines and have already forced Volkswagen to stop selling the Golf GTI and limit the power output of the Golf R. Now, Automotive News Europe reports that the WLTP rules are impacting plug-in hybrids as well.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, and others have already been forced to halt sales of their plug-in hybrid models including the Passat and Golf GTE and Panamera and Cayenne Hybrids. Interestingly, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV meets the new WLTP standards.

The issue here is that the WLTP tests plug-in hybrids differently than the old rules. The new test has effectively lowered the battery range ratings on plug-ins, which has, in turn, raised the CO2 emissions to over 50 grams per kilometer. If a car is rated at over 50 grams per kilometer, it loses its tax benefits as an ultra-low-emissions vehicle and can no longer be sold with a nice discount.

In most cases, automakers will have to equip their PHEV models with bigger batteries to pass the tests. A VW spokesperson said, "there is a bottleneck with the testing and we have to get priority for highest-volume models." Porsche has similarly pulled sales of its PHEV models and said it "will not start taking orders again until the cars are being built, the timing of which has not yet been confirmed."

This is very bad news for Porsche considering the plug-in hybrid makes up around 69% of Panamera sales in Europe.

It seems as though these new emission regulations should have been more carefully planned out because they have already had a devastating effect on the European auto industry.

View the original article here

Death Of Diesel And Strict Emission Laws Can't Slow Porsche Sales

Porsche still had an amazing sales year.

On paper, 2018 sounds like it would be a difficult year for Porsche. The company has completely abandoned diesel and strict WLTP regulations threaten the sales of sports cars and even plug-in hybrids. We'd forgive Porsche for having lower-than-average sales in 2018 but the opposite is true. In fact, nothing seems to be slowing Porsche down as the German automaker trots into October with a significant sales increase. Over the first nine months of the year, Porsche has increased vehicle deliveries by 6% to 196,562 vehicles.

Even in Europe, where many automakers have been struggling due to strict WLPT regulations, Porsche saw a 9% sales increase to 66,551 units including a 13% increase to 24,709 vehicles in its home market of Germany. China too, Porsche's largest single market, saw a sales increase of 4% with 56,254 vehicles delivered. And although the growth wasn't as high as Europe and China, Porsche also saw a 3% increase to 42,626 vehicles in the United States.

“In Germany and Europe overall, our attractive product range meant that we were very well positioned to meet the strong demand for our sports cars in the first nine months,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing. “We are also extremely satisfied with our growth rates in the USA and China.”

Porsche's massive growth was spurred on by an impressive lineup with extremely high demand. The Panamera saw the largest increase in September (up by 60%). Even the 911 saw an increase of 19%, while the volume sellers continue to be the Macan and Cayenne SUVs. Porsche made the decision back in February not sell any more diesel models but strong demand for plug-in hybrids seems to have filled in the void left by diesel.

“There are a number of significant challenges that await us in the fourth quarter, and we will take proactive steps to ensure that we face up to them successfully. This includes the changeover to the new WLTP test cycle and petrol particulate filters and the farewell to diesel engines,” said von Platen. Although other automakers may have had their struggles in 2018, it seems like Porsche is doing just fine.

View the original article here

Plug-In Hybrids May Be Screwed By New European Emission Rules

Isn't the point of a plug-in hybrid to be better on emissions and fuel economy?

The whole point of a plug-in hybrid vehicle is to offer electric assist in order to reduce fuel consumption and overall emissions output. So why has Europe halted the sale of plug-in models for not passing emissions regulations?

As we've reported, Europe has recently switched to new emissions regulations called the Worldwide harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). These regulations are far more stringent than the previous guidelines and have already forced Volkswagen to stop selling the Golf GTI and limit the power output of the Golf R. Now, Automotive News Europe reports that the WLTP rules are impacting plug-in hybrids as well.

BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volkswagen, and others have already been forced to halt sales of their plug-in hybrid models including the Passat and Golf GTE and Panamera and Cayenne Hybrids. Interestingly, the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV meets the new WLTP standards.

The issue here is that the WLTP tests plug-in hybrids differently than the old rules. The new test has effectively lowered the battery range ratings on plug-ins, which has, in turn, raised the CO2 emissions to over 50 grams per kilometer. If a car is rated at over 50 grams per kilometer, it loses its tax benefits as an ultra-low-emissions vehicle and can no longer be sold with a nice discount.

In most cases, automakers will have to equip their PHEV models with bigger batteries to pass the tests. A VW spokesperson said, "there is a bottleneck with the testing and we have to get priority for highest-volume models." Porsche has similarly pulled sales of its PHEV models and said it "will not start taking orders again until the cars are being built, the timing of which has not yet been confirmed."

This is very bad news for Porsche considering the plug-in hybrid makes up around 69% of Panamera sales in Europe.

It seems as though these new emission regulations should have been more carefully planned out because they have already had a devastating effect on the European auto industry.

View the original article here

Death Of Diesel And Strict Emission Laws Can't Slow Porsche Sales

Porsche still had an amazing sales year.

On paper, 2018 sounds like it would be a difficult year for Porsche. The company has completely abandoned diesel and strict WLTP regulations threaten the sales of sports cars and even plug-in hybrids. We'd forgive Porsche for having lower-than-average sales in 2018 but the opposite is true. In fact, nothing seems to be slowing Porsche down as the German automaker trots into October with a significant sales increase. Over the first nine months of the year, Porsche has increased vehicle deliveries by 6% to 196,562 vehicles.

Even in Europe, where many automakers have been struggling due to strict WLPT regulations, Porsche saw a 9% sales increase to 66,551 units including a 13% increase to 24,709 vehicles in its home market of Germany. China too, Porsche's largest single market, saw a sales increase of 4% with 56,254 vehicles delivered. And although the growth wasn't as high as Europe and China, Porsche also saw a 3% increase to 42,626 vehicles in the United States.

“In Germany and Europe overall, our attractive product range meant that we were very well positioned to meet the strong demand for our sports cars in the first nine months,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing. “We are also extremely satisfied with our growth rates in the USA and China.”

Porsche's massive growth was spurred on by an impressive lineup with extremely high demand. The Panamera saw the largest increase in September (up by 60%). Even the 911 saw an increase of 19%, while the volume sellers continue to be the Macan and Cayenne SUVs. Porsche made the decision back in February not sell any more diesel models but strong demand for plug-in hybrids seems to have filled in the void left by diesel.

“There are a number of significant challenges that await us in the fourth quarter, and we will take proactive steps to ensure that we face up to them successfully. This includes the changeover to the new WLTP test cycle and petrol particulate filters and the farewell to diesel engines,” said von Platen. Although other automakers may have had their struggles in 2018, it seems like Porsche is doing just fine.

View the original article here

Death Of Diesel And Strict Emission Laws Can't Slow Porsche Sales

Porsche still had an amazing sales year.

On paper, 2018 sounds like it would be a difficult year for Porsche. The company has completely abandoned diesel and strict WLTP regulations threaten the sales of sports cars and even plug-in hybrids. We'd forgive Porsche for having lower-than-average sales in 2018 but the opposite is true. In fact, nothing seems to be slowing Porsche down as the German automaker trots into October with a significant sales increase. Over the first nine months of the year, Porsche has increased vehicle deliveries by 6% to 196,562 vehicles.

Even in Europe, where many automakers have been struggling due to strict WLPT regulations, Porsche saw a 9% sales increase to 66,551 units including a 13% increase to 24,709 vehicles in its home market of Germany. China too, Porsche's largest single market, saw a sales increase of 4% with 56,254 vehicles delivered. And although the growth wasn't as high as Europe and China, Porsche also saw a 3% increase to 42,626 vehicles in the United States.

“In Germany and Europe overall, our attractive product range meant that we were very well positioned to meet the strong demand for our sports cars in the first nine months,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing. “We are also extremely satisfied with our growth rates in the USA and China.”

Porsche's massive growth was spurred on by an impressive lineup with extremely high demand. The Panamera saw the largest increase in September (up by 60%). Even the 911 saw an increase of 19%, while the volume sellers continue to be the Macan and Cayenne SUVs. Porsche made the decision back in February not sell any more diesel models but strong demand for plug-in hybrids seems to have filled in the void left by diesel.

“There are a number of significant challenges that await us in the fourth quarter, and we will take proactive steps to ensure that we face up to them successfully. This includes the changeover to the new WLTP test cycle and petrol particulate filters and the farewell to diesel engines,” said von Platen. Although other automakers may have had their struggles in 2018, it seems like Porsche is doing just fine.

View the original article here

Death Of Diesel And Strict Emission Laws Can't Slow Porsche Sales

Porsche still had an amazing sales year.

On paper, 2018 sounds like it would be a difficult year for Porsche. The company has completely abandoned diesel and strict WLTP regulations threaten the sales of sports cars and even plug-in hybrids. We'd forgive Porsche for having lower-than-average sales in 2018 but the opposite is true. In fact, nothing seems to be slowing Porsche down as the German automaker trots into October with a significant sales increase. Over the first nine months of the year, Porsche has increased vehicle deliveries by 6% to 196,562 vehicles.

Even in Europe, where many automakers have been struggling due to strict WLPT regulations, Porsche saw a 9% sales increase to 66,551 units including a 13% increase to 24,709 vehicles in its home market of Germany. China too, Porsche's largest single market, saw a sales increase of 4% with 56,254 vehicles delivered. And although the growth wasn't as high as Europe and China, Porsche also saw a 3% increase to 42,626 vehicles in the United States.

“In Germany and Europe overall, our attractive product range meant that we were very well positioned to meet the strong demand for our sports cars in the first nine months,” said Detlev von Platen, Member of the Executive Board for Sales and Marketing. “We are also extremely satisfied with our growth rates in the USA and China.”

Porsche's massive growth was spurred on by an impressive lineup with extremely high demand. The Panamera saw the largest increase in September (up by 60%). Even the 911 saw an increase of 19%, while the volume sellers continue to be the Macan and Cayenne SUVs. Porsche made the decision back in February not sell any more diesel models but strong demand for plug-in hybrids seems to have filled in the void left by diesel.

“There are a number of significant challenges that await us in the fourth quarter, and we will take proactive steps to ensure that we face up to them successfully. This includes the changeover to the new WLTP test cycle and petrol particulate filters and the farewell to diesel engines,” said von Platen. Although other automakers may have had their struggles in 2018, it seems like Porsche is doing just fine.

View the original article here