Aussie drivers, you could be fooled too

AUSTRALIAN car buyers could fall for dodgy guarantees similar to those exposed in the Volkswagen scandal because car makers’ claims aren’t tested here.

AUSTRALIAN car buyers could be fooled by dodgy emission guarantees similar to those exposed in the Volkswagen scandal because car makers’ claims are not tested here.

The nation’s peak motoring body is so concerned it wants all vehicle engines tested to ensure they live up to their makers’ promises.

The Australian Automobile Association (AAA) will conduct research over the next 18 months into “the real-world emissions of Australian cars” to help create a national testing scheme.

The results will be used by the Ministerial Forum on Vehicle Emissions consultations, today meeting in Sydney.

The motoring world recently was shocked by revelations more than 10 million Volkswagen Group vehicles had “defeat device” software designed to understate emissions produced in laboratory settings.

In October some 77,000 Volkswagen and Skoda cars were recalled but the deception also affected Audi vehicles.

Those bogus results had been used to market the vehicles.

“Action must be taken to test the emissions claims made by vehicle manufacturers and as the leading consumer advocate for almost eight million Australian motorists, the AAA is willing to step up to the plate,” AAA Chief Executive Michael Bradley said today.

“There is a debate emerging around the adequacy of Australia’s current vehicle emission standards, but this debate risks being rendered meaningless unless a more relevant testing regime is put in place.”

Mr Bradley said the Volkswagen scandal clearly showed regulators across the globe needed to be assessing the emissions produced by vehicles in the real-world, not just those produced in a laboratory.

“The AAA is very concerned that the Government currently has no capacity to test, audit, or enforce elements of its current vehicle emissions regulatory regime, which is why the AAA has commissioned an independent engineering firm to commence on-road testing of Australian vehicles in early 2016,” he said.

“To accurately inform the Government’s deliberations on these matters, the AAA’s testing will be consistent with the Real Driving Emissions methods and protocols developed by the European Commission and will assess the emissions produced by popular vehicles on the Australian

market, when driven on Australian roads, in Australian conditions.”

The ministerial forum will report on options for managing fuel quality standards, the measurement and reporting of pollutants, and ways the car industry could help reach 2013 climate change targets.

Originally published as Aussie drivers, you could be fooled too