Fuel consumption figures provided by car manufacturers in Europe can be off by as much as 30 percent, some consumer groups in several markets are saying.
This is because the system of asessing fuel use figures are done by a standardised set of test cycles which, the groups say, no longer equate to real-world motoring.
They also say that official CO2 figures don't always work out in practice.
Because everyone uses the same standard, the figures are accurate enough for comparison purposes in most cases. But the disgruntlement of buyers who can't achieve what they feel they were promised.
"Automakers should reconsider fuel-consumption testing methods," says Automotive News Europe's Wim Oude Weernink. "More honest numbers will make it more credible in a critical society, where car buyers expect products that deliver what their makers promise. At the same time, realistic test cycles will help create real-life -- not academic -- improvements in CO2 reductions."
Brian Byrne.
