VW Scandal Threatens U.K. Fleet Operators’ Trust

Some 54% of U.K. fleet operators say they are less likely to trust claims made by automakers as a result of the Volkswagen emissions-testing scandal.

Sewells Research and Insight says its survey taken this week shows the impact on the VW Group is even more fundamental, with 62% stating they are less likely to trust the manufacturer’s claims.

Of the 2.3 million company cars in the U.K., 81% run on diesel.

Among those operating VW models in their fleet, 49% say they are considering reviewing the automaker’s position on their fleet’s choice lists.

Some 73% want VW to reassure that vehicles in their fleets are not affected and 67% want all manufacturers to do so.

More than 300 fleet executives in the U.K. took part in the survey immediately following news of the scandal.

Sewells says the results show reports of VW’s use of a defeat device to skew emissions-test results in its favor and resulting investigations could significantly affect the market.

Some 68% of the fleet executives believe cars in the U.K. will be affected and 61% say they will expect reimbursement for any resulting recalls in the region.

As well, 95% believe the U.S. investigation will extend to the U.K., and 81% expect implications for the U.K. fleet market.

A key issue for fleet operators is trust. With responsibility for 2.3 million car registrations in the U.K., they are among the most influential buyers in the U.K. car market. They rely on manufacturers’ claims when making car-purchase decisions.

Sewells data shows fleet decision-makers place great importance on emissions figures, with 90% considering carbon-dioxide emissions important and 64% considering nitrogen-oxide emissions important when adding new cars to their shopping lists. Furthermore, 84% look to manufacturers to cut NOx emissions in their diesel cars.

“Fleet operators have a right to ask serious questions of manufacturers when news like this emerges,” Sewells Research Head of Commercial Insight Simon Staplehurst says in a statement.

“It’s hard to exaggerate just how important fleets are to manufacturers and how important diesel is to this market. Fleet managers make critical business purchasing decisions on manufacturer claims when it comes to fleets, and trust is the bedrock of these relationships and choices.”

Meanwhile, Autogas, a joint venture between Shell and liquefied-petroleum-gas supplier Calor, is urging automakers to reintroduce LPG power to the U.K. market.

Autogas says despite the technology being fully developed and widely embraced across the rest of Europe, no vehicle manufacturers offer LPG variants within their U.K. model range.