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Recently I have seen a move away from diesel cars towards petrol. Part of the reason is because petrol cars have seen an improvement in their resale values at the end of leases making them, in some cases, a little less to lease. Part is because fuel consumption has been improving as petrol engines become more efficient with some petrol engines capable of close to the same fuel consumption to that of their diesel equivalent.

Also, since the VW emission debacle people have become twitchy over the emissions credentials of diesel engines. The truth is that the new Euro VI engines are about as clean as petrol engines but with lower CO2’s so if that is your argument for moving to petrol it is flawed. But there is a new consideration, that of entering and parking in city centres.

Some authorities in London are imposing charges for polluting vehicles with a suggestion that all diesels are more polluting than petrol, which isn’t true in the case of Euro VI engines. Last April 2015 Islington Council brought in and annual surcharge of £96 if you drive a diesel car with Hackney proposing a £50 surcharge for 2017. They are thinking of increasing this further if the car is pre-2001 due to the higher emissions.

Other cities considering similar schemes are Birmingham, Bristol and Leicester along with congestion charges with a premium if you happen to drive a diesel. Maybe someone should suggest they get all the facts first! By Graham Hill

The EU Commission had already made it clear that emission testing would be tightened up from 2017 but they have now announced that they will be going several steps further. As a result of growing mistrust of the emissions testing procedures which were to reflect real life motoring conditions by 2017 the Commission has announced a number of additional rules.

First of all, instead of randomly selecting cars off production lines to test they will in future be selected from cars that are already on sale as well as cars from production lines. Recalls will be issued if cars are found to emit different levels of regulated emissions than those suggested by the manufacturer. Financial ties between European test centres and the manufacturers will be cut (I didn’t know there were any), thus making the system fairer.

It seemed that testing could be carried out in any country within the EU in the past for it to be accepted across the EU. So manufacturers were having cars tested at centres where they knew controls were more lax. This is being address with greater controls being imposed upon the test centres.

The Commission is also applying for additional powers to suspend, restrict or withdraw the number of services that a test centre can offer if it is performing at a less than acceptable level. The Commission is also pushing for access to new car ‘software protocols’ and the ability to restrict the use of such devices as the ‘defeat device’ used by VW. I’d have thought these sorts of devices should be banned rather than just restricted!

Whilst it seemed to be a move in the right direction there were some observers who believed the new rules still ‘lacked teeth’. In a damning statement Greg Archer, green vehicles director at campaign group Transport & Environment said, ‘Without the threat of future EU sanctions, it will be  mission impossible to break the strong bond between national regulators and their car makers that has protected the industry but at the cost of higher emissions.’

And I thought I was outspoken! The EU Parliament is now considering the proposals ahead of a debate and vote. If approved the new rules will come into force immediately = as if that could happen! Ridiculous! By Graham Hill

We seem to be having a week of environmental issues! MP’s have prepared a new clean air report for consideration by the Government. In it they recommend that a new scrappage scheme be introduced for diesels and vehicle excise duty (car tax) should be based on nitrogen oxides as well as CO2 and not just CO2 as it is at the moment.

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The report was presented to the Chancellor before his Autumn Statement by the Environmental Audit Committee in a hope that he would take note and encourage people out of ‘polluting diesels’. The chairman of the committee, Huw Irranca-Davies, urged the Chancellor to strike a better balance, he went on to say ‘A National scrappage scheme could provide a shortcut to cleaning up the air in our cities.’

Whilst the Chancellor only retained the 3% benefit in kind loading on diesels in the Autumn Statement that’s not to say that more won’t be done in next year’s budget. My own view is that whilst we should focus on the environment we should stop all this knee jerk reaction, the like of which we’ve seen following the VW debacle.

They did it with pay day lenders which has ended up taking out competition and increasing the use of illegal money lenders and by extending the rules into the whole of the consumer finance industry, to an unnecessary degree, they could end up pushing us back into recession.

Things may look good for the Chancellor at the moment but will it still look quite so rosy in a year’s time when ‘affordability tests’ become the focus of attention by the PPI lawyers? By Graham Hill

Following on from my previous blog post in which I was musing over the next steps to a cleaner environment. Maybe VW/Audi had the answer all along!

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Rather than fiddle the emission figures they have been working in the back room on a revival of the hydrogen fuel cell, something of which I’m a great supporter. According to their press releases the car will be more dynamic and more efficient than anything else in production.

The only thing they haven’t revealed is the bodystyle they will use to launch the new technology. Audi have produced hydrogen powered concept cars in the past as A2 and Q5 models and they have recently been showing off the A7 h-tron prototype which can power to 62mph in 7.9 seconds with a range of 300 miles.

Dr Rene Van Doom, powertrain engineer for fuel cell technology, confirmed that Audi has four major priorities for the immediate future, one of which is alternative drivetrains. He added that Audi were set to go into volume production with fuel cells as soon as the market and infrastructure justifies the move.

Their 10 year plan includes providing an electric alternative for every model in its range. With mild hybrid (whatever that is), plug in or hydrogen cell system. In 2016 a new 48 volt hybrid will be launched with an electric compressor to eliminate the annoying turbo lag and boosting efficiency by shutting down the engine when coasting.

If that wasn’t enough to put them ahead of the game again they are now working on electronic dampers that not only reduce body roll but they use the movement to regenerate kinetic energy to charge your mobile phone and air-con in the way that kinetic energy generated in hybrid cars recharges batteries. They claim that they can recuperate 150 watts meaning a CO2 saving of 3g/km. Amazing!

They also mentioned that they still understand the importance of internal combustion engines and will not neglect development of this technology. Good to hear! By Graham Hill

2 years ago I reported on some comments made by an environmental and technical expert who said that European targets for emissions were not only becoming difficult to meet but impossible to meet.

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He explained that an internal combustion engine burns fossil fuel which has the negative effect of emitting undesirable gasses and particles that pollute the air. That is a fact that can’t be changed. The objectives to continually reduce the gasses is fine and very environmentally friendly but technology and additives can only go so far before the targets are impossible to meet.

We all know that the harder we drive our cars the higher the amount of fuel we use. We may get from A to B quicker but we use much more fuel in doing so and it goes without saying the more fuel we use the more gas we emit from the exhaust. So as we reach the limit of gas reduction is the next step a control on the way we drive.

The only measure used at the moment is CO2 but will NOx enter the equation following the VW debacle? And by halving the NOx emissions target (Euro VI diesel engines) have we created an impossible task for the manufacturers? As we know fuel consumption figures are shown using different driving conditions, urban, extra urban and combined.

They may not exactly reflect actual driving conditions but we have three, often very different figures so why do we have just one CO2 emission figure as well as other singular gas emission figures when clearly they must differ from 10mph to 100mph? It was clear, even 2 years ago when I expressed my opinion on this subject that some creativity would have to enter the equation if targets were to be met.

However, I didn’t expect that creativity to extend to out and out deception. And whilst there wasn’t a murmur when the new Euro VI emissions came into effect on the first of September, following the VW debacle many manufacturers have announced that they are struggling to meet the Euro VI targets – strange that isn’t it? So what next? Will we see driving style and speed controls?

Limits on motorways dropped to 60mph and a drop from 30 to 20 around town? Or maybe cameras that can measure acceleration away from lights to stop drivers from pretending to be Lewis Hamilton? All very worrying for us petrol heads! By Graham Hill

As VW continue to fight fire as things get worse following the latest revelations that 800,000 petrol cars have incorrectly stated CO2 emissions. In a statement from VW following a question about the effects on personal tax of those driving affected company cars, they have said that they will stand any additional CO2 based tax due from drivers and went further asking that the Governments involved charge VW direct rather than involve drivers.

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We are yet to see the responses from Governments across Europe – this is getting very messy. In addition VW have issued an action plan. The new chairman, Matthias Muller, said in the plan, ‘We have to look beyond the current situation and create the conditions for Volkswagen’s successful further development.’ There’s an optimist for you.

The first of the 5 point action plan – aimed at the re-alignment of the group, is to support customers affected by what VW is now referring to as ‘the diesel issue’. The company is working towards finding effective technical solutions to help its models to meet historical Euro4 and Euro5 emissions limits which it plans to roll out in January 2016 having liaised with the German Federal Motor Transport Authority.

Second on the action plan list is to carry out a thorough investigation in to how the software that was allegedly installed to falsify emission figures, during certain testing conditions, came into existence and why. Muller added, ‘We must uncover the truth and learn from it’. They have also recruited audit firm Deloitte to assist with the investigations and added that ‘those responsible for what has happened must face severe consequences’.

Third on the list is a total re-organisation of the group in an attempt to ensure that this can never happen again. Group management is to be decentralised to a greater extent in the future with individual brands and regions being given more independence. Muller said that the company would examine the portfolio of more than 300 models with a view to examine the contributions made by each model to earnings.

They will also look into ‘cross brand strategies’. The fourth ambition is one of openness. This will involve a realignment of the Group’s culture and management behaviour with a focus on retaining ‘the pursuit of perfection’ and employees’ commitment to the company. The company will change the way the business handles and communicates mistakes with an aim to create ‘a culture of openness and cooperation’.

Finally VW Group, which had a 2018 strategy, has replaced it with a 2025 strategy shifting emphasis from sales numbers to building ‘qualitative growth’. Muller revealed that they would be working on the new strategy over the next few months to be unveiled in mid 2016.

I have written several articles recently asking whether this ends with emissions. In the past manufacturers have been trusted to keep us safe in our cars and meet the many standards laid down by Governments. But is this the tip of the iceberg? Will other manufacturers be caught out fiddling emissions but worse have any of them been fiddling safety tests in order to sell more cars? By Graham Hill

Have you ever heard the expression ‘Real World’? It’s used about our royalty, ‘They don’t live in the real world’. When talking about wealthy people, they don’t know what it’s like to be in the real world. Dating men or women on dating sites, it’s not like dating in the real world.

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And so on and so forth, but what is the real world? And where is it? Who are its inhabitants? Just recently journalists and reporters have gone into meltdown over ‘real world’ testing when it comes to emissions from vehicles as well as the miles per gallon they return in test conditions compared to ‘the real world’.

For years What Car has been testing cars in ‘real world’ conditions to provide a more accurate MPG reading. But in my opinion it’s an absolute nonsense because the real world simply doesn’t exist except in the minds of each individual. If a driver was to drive through the middle of London, would that be extra urban conditions in the ‘real world’ or would it be more accurate to drive through the centre of Leeds.

And what time of day would be more accurate? 11.00 in the morning or 5.30 at the height of the rush hour? How would you measure urban or motorway driving. I would measure it on the motorway I use most, the M25 on which I consider it to be my birthday and Christmas combined if I keep moving for the whole of the trip.

OK I might agree that the testing conditions could be tweaked a little which may result in cars seen to be achieving a few miles to the gallon less than currently shown in the manufacturer’s handbooks. But what about CO2 emissions? Supposing we find that the readings have been out by a few grams per kilometre as a result of the changes to the tests to make them ‘real world’ tests?

The Government has set its tables for benefit in kind tax and road tax for the next few years so would drivers be hit with additional costs? Yes, they probably would because the Government can’t suddenly say that they will increase a banding from 99g/km of CO2’s to 109g/km because of miscalculations by car manufacturers.

The changes would affect motorists’ pockets because the Government has already established that they want to pull down CO2 emissions to the 99g/km level and ultimately to zero emissions. Speed, weather conditions, temperature and the driver of the car can all affect the fuel consumption and emissions so should we change the way cars are tested when there are so many variables?

Maybe the activists should be careful for what they wish for. The changes might just come back and bite them, you and other motorists on the bum! The fact is that manufacturers will still continue to try to find ways to improve the emissions of their cars, they are obliged to, irrespective of the way that cars are tested. By Graham Hill

Whilst I happily sit on the wall over the whole EU thing – should we be in or should we be out, there are certain things that they do that provide us with great benefits. One of these is standardisation. Safety issues sometimes require a group of people to get their heads together in order to agree a standard because clearly we can’t leave things to the individual manufacturers.

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Have I ever told you about the Ford Pinto back in the 1970’s? At the time it was the best selling compact car in the US. In fact there were 11.5 million of these cars on the road but they had a major fault. The fuel tank was mounted in the back of the car in a position where, if the car was shunted in the rear, the tank would explode. More than 500 people died as a result of the fuel tank exploding and bursting into flames with many more suffering severe burns.

This only came to light because one of the burn victims sued Ford. It then turned out that Ford engineers were fully aware of the danger posed by the fuel tank but company executives carried out a cost benefit analysis with shocking results. They decided that the benefits of fixing the problem in lives saved and injuries prevented were not worth the cost of $11 per car to fix the problem on all of the Pintos.

They calculated that if the tanks weren’t repaired there would be a further 180 deaths and 180 burn injuries. They then applied a cost of $200,000 per life and $67,000 per injury. They added to this the cost of repair and replacement of cars as a result of the tank explosions and they came up with a cost of $49.5 million but to make the cars safer at a cost of $11 per vehicle would cost $137.5 million so they chose not to repair all the cars already on the road.

When this came out in court the jury found against Ford and awarded the plaintiff $2.5 million in compensatory damages and $125 million in punitive damages (later reduced to $3.5 million). So my point is that if manufacturers were left to make their own decisions on safety I suspect that cars would be nowhere near as safe as they are now.

So on the plus side we can feel comfortable that when we get into any car across Europe we are protected by some very high standardised safety levels. God forbid we ever leave our safety in the hands of just the manufacturers. By Graham Hill

Possibly not but it might be useful to know what you are likely to face in the future. I can help there because Auto Express has carried out a survey amongst 46,000 readers to come up with the best and worst dealers by manufacturer.

Thinking of a change but unsure as to the best way to finance your car? Then you need a copy of my car finance book, Car Finance – A Simple Guide by Graham Hill. Click on the link below to buy the best car finance book on the market, available as a Kindle Book and Paper Back.

I can’t reveal all but I can give you a rundown of some of the best and worst dealers. In the best category Lexus heads the list for the second year running. Suburu and Toyota come in at positions 2 and 3. Honda was 4^th and Jaguar 5^th. Porsche, Skoda, Mitsubishi, Renault and Kia finished off the top 10.

Strangely not many Germans achieved a top 10 position. But what abouth the bottom of the list, the last 10 places. At the bottom was Seat at position 31, Chevrolet was 30, Ford at 29, Fiat 28, Citroen 27, Peugeot 26. Next up the list were a few Germans, at 25 was VW, just above was BMW at 24, Audi 23 and Chrysler/Jeep at 22.

A few surprises there and very interesting. Probably won’t influence too many buying decisions but interesting to know all the same.