WLTP is a new statutory regime for emissions and fuel economy testing which will be introduced in phases starting in September 2017. All manufacturers of passenger cars and LCVs will therefore need to comply with the relevant requirements by this date.  The primary objective of the new tests and the data that they generate (CO2 and MPG in particular) is that they will more realistically reflect real world driving. cap hpi is leading industry efforts to ensure that all interested parties are both well informed and prepared for these changes when they come into force.

On February 20^th  cap hpi met with representatives from  the government and  industry bodies as part of the  WLTP Steering Group with a view to understanding progress updates from around the industry to drive out some initial completion target dates for this project.

This is the first part of a wider project between the Government, cap hpi and relevant industry leaders to bring the Government’s proposals into reality.  

In the latest meeting an agreement was reached that all impacted sectors across the automotive industry and involved government bodies would look to make the new WLTP outputs and educational messaging available to the general public at the start of September 2018.

While Manufacturers will still be obliged to generate the WLTP testing data on all new vehicles created from Sept 2017, the new 2018 timescale has alleviated the pressure to make changes to customer end points in systems, comparator and configurator tools by this date.

There is no expectation for the industry to display all the new WLTP information at this point. We should stress that customer systems WILL need to be changed and we recommend all business affected to continue to work with us on the effects of WLTP within each business.

Although the WLTP testing regime will be used on new vehicles, all WLTP final outputs will be converted to the equivalent NEDC figure using the Compass software calculation. This adapted figure will be used by the industry.

Benefit in Kind taxation for the new WLTP testing programme is not expected to come into existence until 2020/21.

The consumer messaging members of the Steering group (LowCVP) are to complete focus groups through April 2017 to ascertain the information a customer would want to see when shopping for a new car or light commercial vehicle. This will help the industry define what will need to be displayed in systems.

The overarching view was that our focus must remain on keeping it simple for the customer.

The Manufacturer representation in the steering group also requested that VCA produce a list of requirements regarding what it is expecting OEMs to supply.

It was agreed in principle that all OEMs will need to provide a standardised approach to displaying CO2 and mpg data agreed by Jan 1^st 2018.

SMMT has been asked to help engage all OEMs on this matter, and cap hpi is continuing to work with manufacturers to offer as much support and guidance as possible on a standardised approach.

A standardised approach to displaying the expected data allows a fair view across all brands and maintains competitiveness across the industry.

Once agreed, the format can be shared industrywide, allowing all affected sectors to understand their individual system impacts and timescales for making the changes. Separately, cap hpi is also working with Governments and industry bodies outside of the UK to help develop the WLTP programme and work to a globally agreed and harmonised approach.

It is important to note that at the time of writing, all proposed dates are still subject to change until the Government bodies involved agree to the timings suggested to them. We will continue to update our information and advice where it develops.