Peugeot, Citroen adopt new testing procedures

The French Peugeot-Citroen automotive group PSA is questioning the accuracy of the fuel consumption and emissions testing approved by government authorities publishing official figures for new cars.

Fired up by the recent negative publicity around claimed consumption and emissions figures during Volkswagen's 'Dieselgate' crisis in late 2015, PSA says it made the decision to adopt a new approach to determining and publishing consumption data that would give a more accurate picture to customers. This new approach is at odds with the entrenched NEDC (New European Drive Cycle) testing procedure that is the basis for our own ADR-approved test.

PSA has published figures for three of its models using the new protocol, which is claimed to closely reflect real-world figures obtained in recent independent real-world surveys. PSA intends to subject its entire model range of vehicles to the new testing procedure, with data to be published in the public domain.

Non-government organisations Transport and Environment and France Nature Environment have developed the new protocol, which was based on the European Union's Real Driving Emissions project using a portable emissions measurement system. The protocol is guaranteed by the independent and respected body Bureau Veritas.

Testing involved driving on public roads near Paris, comprising 25.5km urban, 39.7km extra urban and 31.1km motorway with "real-life" passenger and luggage loads, road gradients and air-conditioning systems in operation.

Marc Boissonnet, who is the Executive Vice President, Marketing, Sales and Communication at Bureau Veritas, said: "The initiative, based on cooperation between a manufacturer, an NGO and a certification organisation, is both innovative and constructive.

"It meets all the conditions for addressing issues that may be raised by consumers. PSA Peugeot Citroën has done what was necessary to ensure an independent and credible verification that can set the standard for the automotive industry".

The Clean Vehicles Director at Transport & Environment, Greg Archer, added: "The test developed with PSA Peugeot Citroën is reproducible and representative. It confirms the fuel consumption of a tested model by a typical driver in real-world driving conditions. This test proves that the on-road tests are reliable and can be used to measure real CO2 emissions. This should become the benchmark for all car makers advertising their vehicles' fuel efficiency."

At this stage, the results published by PSA only quote fuel consumption, but they indicate a strong correlation with the customer survey figures.

The figures are for the Peugeot 308 1.6 BlueHDi 120, the Citroen C4 Grand Picasso 1.6 BlueHDi 120 and the DS3 1.6 BlueHDi 120. In accordance with the new protocol, the consumption figure for the Peugeot 308 was 5.0L/100km, comparing closely with the customer survey figure of 5.0-5.1L/100km, while figures for the other two vehicles were similarly close.

PSA says it will release figures for 30 Peugeot, Citroen and core DS models before mid-2016.