PSA is 100% WLTP ready

Amidst all negative news stemming from the switch to Europe’s new type-approval procedure, PSA brings good tidings: Groupe PSA’s passenger cars are all WLTP-certified and available for customers.

All Peugeot, Citroën, DS, Opel and Vauxhall passenger cars are approved under the new laboratory test procedure. According to the press release, sound technological choices made in anticipation of the regulations, such as Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) for diesels and Gasoline Particulate Filters (GPFs) for petrol cars, have enabled Groupe PSA to be at the forefront for implementing the more stringent standards.

The next step will be the future Euro 6d-Temp standard, which will apply from September 2019 for all new cars sold in the EU – not just new type-approvals. It will also take into account the pollutant emissions (NOx, PN) measured in real-world driving conditions on open roads or Real Driving Emissions (RDE).

Limited availability

In its press release, PSA states that “Group PSA’s passenger cars are all certified under the WLTP new laboratory test and are available for customers”. Available has to be interpreted with a degree of flexibility, though. The WLTP has caused serious bottlenecks in production. Add to that the high demand for crossovers, and you get pretty prohibitive delivery times.

If you order a new Peugeot 3008 1.2 petrol, for instance, you need to be patient for 4 months. If the VW Tiguan 1.5 TSI, VW Tiguan Allspace (all engines), Skoda Karoq (all engines) or Skoda Kodiaq (all engines) tickles your fancy, you are unlikely to take delivery before spring 2019. The Volvo XC40 has the questionable honour of beating the record: in some countries, you have to wait up to 10 months.

You could consider a stock vehicle but with D-Day for WLTP nearing (September 1st 2018), OEMs will by now have depleted most of their reserves. To learn more about WLTP and RDE and get 7 answers to 7 fleet-relevant questions, watch our video.  

Picture copyright: PSA, 2018