PSA Peugeot Citroen has become the first carmaker to publish real world fuel consumption figures for its cars, along with having the lowest average vehicle CO2 figures in Europe.
The Group released real world economy figures for three of its best selling cars, the Peugeot 308, Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and the DS 3. All three were equipped with the same 1.6-litre BlueHDi 120 engine.
Real world figures for the 308, Grand C4 Picasso and the DS3 were 56.6mpg, 50.4mpg, and 57.6mpg, respectively, some distance off the official combined cycle figures, but aligned with those obtained from customer surveys.
|
Vehicle tested |
Peugeot 308 1.6 BlueHDi 120 S&S BVM6 |
Citroen Grand C4 Picasso 1.6 BlueHDi 120 S&S BVM6 |
DS 3 1.6 BlueHDi 120 S&S BVM6 |
|
Combined (NEDC) |
88.3mpg |
70.62mpg |
78.5mpg |
|
Real world |
56.5mpg |
50.4mpg |
57.6mpg |
|
Customer surveys |
56.5mpg |
70.6mpg |
54.3mpg |
Source: Transport & Environment
The economy testing was done under a variety of urban, extra-urban and motorway driving, with passengers and luggage present, along with the air conditioning systems turned on. The two independent authorities conducting the tests, Transport & Environment and France Nature Environment, used the same portable emissions measurement system (PEMS) which will be featured in the forthcoming European vehicle type approval tests in 2017.
The PSA Group will reveal the real world fuel consumption for 30 more models later this year.
Greg Archer, Clean Vehicles Director at Transport & Environment, said: “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 carmakers advertising their vehicles’ fuel efficiency.”
Peugeot has lowest car CO2 emissions in Europe
Another victory for the environmentalists is that the average CO2 emissions for new cars continues to fall across Europe, with average CO2 emissions totalling 119.3g/km for new vehicles, down 3.2 per cent from the previous year.
Peugeot is the new emissions leader, just ahead of Citroen and Renault, with average vehicle CO2 emissions totalling 103.5g/km – an improvement of 5.8g/km from the previous year.
Part of the impressive cuts in emissions comes down to the frugal 1.0-litre 3-cylinder engines found in small cars like the 108. However, it wasn’t just the superminis that were leading the charge, hatchbacks like the 308 also saw average CO2 figures dipping below 100g/km for the first time.
The only carmakers that showed an increase in CO2 figures were Fiat and Nissan. The Italian manufacturer saw a 0.3g/km rise in fleet CO2 averages between 2014 and 2015, while Nissan reported a 0.5g/km increase.
| Position 2015 | Make | Average CO2 2015 (g/km) | Average CO2 2014 (g/km) | Change | Position 2014 |
| 1 | Peugeot | 103.5 | 109.3 | -5.8 | 2 |
| 2 | Citroën | 105.7 | 110.8 | -5.1 | 3 |
| 3 | Renault | 105.9 | 108.4 | -2.4 | 1 |
| 4 | Toyota | 107.7 | 112.5 | -4.9 | 4 |
| 5 | Nissan | 114.3 | 113.8 | 0.5 | 5 |
| 6 | Skoda | 115.4 | 121.5 | -6.2 | 8 |
| 7 | Seat | 116.8 | 117.4 | -0.6 | 6 |
| 8 | MINI | 117.0 | 122.1 | -5.1 | - |
| 9 | Fiat | 117.8 | 117.4 | 0.3 | 7 |
| 10 | Volkswagen | 117.8 | 123.4 | -5.6 | 10 |
| 11 | Ford | 118.1 | 121.8 | -3.6 | 9 |
| 12 | Dacia | 121.9 | 125.7 | -3.8 | 12 |
| 13 | Volvo | 123.8 | 126.4 | -2.6 | 13 |
| 14 | Opel/Vauxhall | 126.3 | 130.3 | -3.9 | 16 |
| 15 | Audi | 127.3 | 132.4 | -5.0 | 18 |
| 16 | Mazda | 127.4 | 128.9 | -1.4 | 14 |
| 17 | Hyundai | 127.5 | 129.8 | -2.3 | 15 |
| 18 | Kia | 127.7 | 130.9 | -3.2 | 17 |
| 19 | BMW | 128.0 | 133.0 | -5.0 | 19 |
| 20 | Mercedes | 128.2 | 133.5 | -5.3 | 20 |
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