When are the UK banning all dirty diesels? Do I (or my business) have to get an electric car/van next? We know that in showing the car pictured, the diesel VW Arteon, some leasing customers may think this is no longer an apt choice for their next new deal.
Very much the £300 per month type of car, the Arteon offers a great alternative to the prestige manufacturers in the saloon/coupe hybrid segment which we now refer to as a “sportback”.
However, will cars like this continue to be part of the UK’s automotive framework or are we looking at a relic? A huge thank you to the VW Warrington broker/fleet team for visiting the CarLease team in one of their demonstration vehicles.
As a broker, not a lender or dealership, we work with a select number of suppliers to provide the vehicles to our customers. For anyone in the St Helens, Wigan, Warrington or Leigh area, we arrange all of our VWs to arrive from the Sytner team in Warrington to ensure a purely local (and quality service).
Contrary to popular belief, dealerships are not “dead”; indeed we are all working together more closely to ensure a safe and efficient process for our customers whether it is an online or face to face transaction.
One of the discussion points at our meeting was the growth of electric cars and how their team was managing a new and more complicated demand.
As part of this, we will be receiving a VW “E” Golf for a couple of weeks in May. This will be used at the Leigh Business Expo (https://www.launcheventsnw.co.uk/event/leigh-business-expo-2019/) which is one of the leading local networking opportunities for small and medium businesses based in and around the northwest.
Hosted at Leigh Sports Village, do consider visiting us if you want to see (and try) some of the leading electric cars for 2019 and 2020.
So why are we experiencing a shift in engine types? The fundamental issues is that human beings are using far too many resources – it is estimated we use 100% of the annual resources by July/August. Put simply we use too much energy, eat too much meat, prioritise convenience over experience and forget that we have to leave the world in a somewhat adequate condition for the next generation. Transport is a massive contributor to this and now the UK is having to make huge changes in attitudes, policies and infrastructure to rectify the unsustainable environment.
This means cars, vans, buses and HGVs all need to change; and they need to change quickly.
The UK wants to be combustion engine free circa 2030 and already clean air zones and low emissions zones are being put into place for 2020/21 across major cities. Add to that a swathe of new alternative fuel product, company car tax changes plus grants/incentives for going “green” and you have a new environment.
So NO you don’t have to change just yet but you SHOULD be thinking of making that change very soon. This is isn’t really something for the future, it happening very much now.
But where does this leave the diesel car? To confirm manufacturers are still making combustion engine vehicles and these are still readily available to buy, lease or hire. We haven’t made an immediate change.
That being said, these vehicles will be phased out but only after they have gone through updated testing procedures to make sure that the ones which do get put onto the roads are adequate.
The influence of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Testing Procedures (WLTP) has already been experienced in the car world, as all vehicles have been undergoing these new rigorous testing standards since September 2018. This will change for vans, as any LCV must go through this in September 2019. Longer testing times, higher speeds, more gear changes and additional types of driving will produce more accurate MPG and CO2 statistics for customers to use. For company car users – from April 2020, WLTP will be used for calculating taxation. Any cars registered beforehand will use “correlated” figures.
However, this isn’t all manufacturers are going to have to adhere to. The Real Driving Emissions (RDE) test will measure pollutants like NOx and Particulate Matter (PM) which is something many diesels have been connected to.
These operate in conjunction with WLTP and ensures that cars are measured “on the road” in a realistic fashion.
There will be two stages for this prices, which essentially allows a maximum amount of NOx and PM to be produced on a car. Any which do not conform to the standard will fail. The manufacturer will therefore be unable to release the vehicle onto the roads. Once a vehicle has done through the first stage, it will be known as Euro 6d-temp and Euro 6d when it passed the second stage. What we do have to consider that is that higher mileage drivers, particular those covering in excess of 25,000 miles per annum, there is no real alternative fuel yet. Many electric cars will cover no more than 250 miles on a full charge and until batteries can store more energy and charge points are quick enough (ultra-rapid chargers are being developed), for some users, diesel is the foremost way to operate.
To help this, Mercedes have brought out a PHEV using a diesel engine, so that users can experience the long journey efficiency of a diesel coupled with the short-journey benefits of an electric power source (you get 15-20 miles with a PHEV on the electric component). However, for at least the next 3 – 5 years, diesel vehicles, like our VW Arteon here, are still going to feature in our personal and business fleets.
Want to know more on the next generation of motoring? Head over to our alternative fuel information website at – CarLease UK Car-e
In terms of the car shown here, the VW ARTEON DIESEL FASTBACK 2.0 TDI R Line 5dr DSG, this is based on the following configuration:
· Turmeric Yellow Metallic paint
· Nappa leather – Carbon black
· 19″ Montevideo Black alloy wheels
· Aluminium trim on upper and lower air vents extending across cockpit
As standard the car includes Bluetooth, 6-way electric adjustable driver seat with lumbar support, navigation, front/rear parking sensors, 19” alloys, heated windscreen and washer jets, tinted rear windows, auto hold, front assist with emergency braking, hill start assist, front ventilate brake discs, front + rear carpet mats, adaptive cruise control with pedestrian detector, driver alert system, remote tailgate release, dynamic light assist, lane assist, start/stop function, 8” touch screen, analogue clock, traffic message channel, auto dimming rear view mirror, electric adjustable/heated/folding door mirror, battery regeneration during braking, DAB radio, premium USB cable for Apple or Android (you have to choose), body coloured externals, LED tinted rear lights, automatic hazard lights, automatic headlights, dynamic cornering lights, headlight washers, LED daytime running lights, LED rear lights, climate control, multifunction steering wheel, leather steering wheel, leather upholstery, stainless steel pedals, ambient lighting, footwell lights, warning triangle, heated front seats, full size spare wheel and alarm/immobiliser. In terms of additional specification consider – the head up display, panoramic roof and keyless entry.
In terms of the technical details, company car and business users can note the P11d at £37,300.00 and CO2 at 118g/km. The 1968CC 7 speed auto diesel engine provides 62.8 combined MPG (EC), 49.6 (WLTP), 150ps and 0-62 times of 9.1 seconds. Service intervals are every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever lands sooner.
So would you select the VW Arteon as your next car leasing option or would the BMW 4 series, Audi A5 Sportback or Alfa Giulia be your preference?
Find the best lease car deals online @CarLease UK for the VW Arteon – or – Check out more sportback and business lease car ideas below…