VW Is Renting Thousands Of Parking Spaces For Cars It Can’t Sell
Volkswagen is being forced to rent thousands of parking spaces in order to store cars it can’t legally sell yet.
The Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure (WLTP, for some reason), which replaced the frankly useless New European Driving Cycle (NEDC), has affected many new cars’ emissions and fuel economy to such a degree that many can’t legally be sold until they are modified and/or recertified.
We’ve already reported on how the VW Group’s EA888-powered hot hatchbacks have had to sacrifice power in order to meet the new regulations, punting some of them back to output levels they had years ago.
But while the search for lasting fixes goes on, cars that are rolling off production lines before being fettled have to be stored somewhere. VW has reportedly rented a number of multi-storey car parks and there’s talk of using the still-delayed Berlin-Brandenburg airport, which, as you’d imagine, has quite a lot of space that’s not being used right now.
VW is also shutting down certain factories for part of the week to slow the current over-supply of cars. The main Wolfsburg plant will shut on 1-2 days per week in August and September. Zwickau, which makes parts for the Golf, and Emden, which makes the Passat, will also reduce their operating hours.
Source: Automotive News Europe
Comments
Can’t they sell them under older norms since they seems to have been designed before the new emition test?
By that argument, you could still sell a 1972 Ford Granada as a new car because it was, in fact, designed before the new emission and safety regulations. That’s not how it works. The date of registration counts, not the date of production, let alone the date of design.
I wouldn’t mind having a car that has higher emissions than the limit. Because given the fact that my actual car is a 2002 Citroen C3 (Petrol i4 1.4L, 75hp), I think the emissions would be lower than the Citroen, The fuel consumption may be lower too…
Something should be done about these for people owning 10+ years old cars.
No. If they start changing rules for older cars we could well end up losing the ability to own classics, or even just older supercars. That would be terrible considering lots of people would much rather have an older car than a new one as there is a pure experience and less distracting technology etc.
The majority of a cars environmental impact comes from the manufacturing process, so its better for the environment to drive around an old car that’s already been built, than ordering a brand new car.
Thing is if they touch older cars it eliminates a huge segment of the population who simply cannot afford a new car which could have massive side effects like people not being able to get to work etc
Seriously these Emissions regulations are just uselessly tight.
All they want is more money and they don’t realise that All means of transport - cars, planes, etc.- make the LEAST of CO2 Emissions every year.
there’s talk of using the still-delayed Berlin-Brandenburg airport
Honestly, you could have put this in a satire article, and I wouldn’t have noticed. Because that’s hilarious.
For those who don’t understand: there’s the Berlin-Brandenburg airport that was supposed to be finished in 2012, but after six years beyond deadline and decupled budget it still isn’t even close to being finished. That whole project at this point is basically a meme in Germany. Apparently there are about ten thousand parking lots that are already finished but can’t be used because the airport can’t be used. It would be really funny if it weren’t so sad.
Sad? SAD? DUDE HERE IN CROATIA WE ARE WAITING 20 YEARS FOR A BRIDGE
A 100 METERS LONG BRIDGE.
We got it last year tho, but 6 years is nothing man. Especially for an airport
Here in Italy we are full of this situation…palace buld in 70-90’s never finished today. City rent palace for storage and newer used,road ecc
The Berlin-Airport-VW-scenario is a win-win-situation for two losers. 😹
Recently I travelled from Stuttgart to Berlin, a city without a proper train station to another city without a proper airport. Some would argue to go by car. That’s kind of hard if you go there to buy a car 😬
South Africa is also a RHD market but who don’t yet need to obey the EU emission laws.
There’ll be a few of the locals very keen to buy a unit at the cost VW pays for storage….
#ifOnly
“You know what? Let’s make emission regulations tighter, because ecology and stuff! And also let’s make so that if car isn’t compliant with these new regulations it can’t be sold, even if it was made before changes. That will force manufacturers to put those cars in the open, but it will do less enviromental damage, than driving it. Probably” - government logic.
They’ve had enough time to adjust to the new standards. It’s not like the governments were like: „Suprise! We’ve figured out new standards you must stick to from tomorrow!“
VW just thought, their lobbyists would calm down the governments and give them more time. Well, this time the poker game didn’t work out.
VW is being forced to park their low af emissions cars because they are not “environment-friendly enough” and here i am driving a 3.0 liter N/A diesel from 1982. WLTP would be mad.
did renault have the same issue? because in the netherlands in the city that i work there are thousands of renaults parked behind a couple of warehouses since december
Jeez VW slow the hell down!
Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedure sounds too much like a socialist authoritarian regime.
That’s the EU in a nutshell.
Socialist and authoritarian, all the way.
Thank God we’re leaving (hopefully/maybe!)