This problem has to be taken in context of the EU emissions targets for CO2. Car makers need to keep their average CO2 across their whole fleet to 95g or less or they face an EU fine on every car they sell and for every gram they are over. From next year these fines become punitive at 95 euros for every gram of CO2 times the number of cars produced in their fleet. Scary amounts of money.
Without this hanging over them VW would be able to sort the problem with their 1.0L and 1.5L petrol engines simply by run slightly richer but as these are the mainstay of their fleet and sell in big numbers they can't afford to let them produce even 1g more CO2, so they are having to try to do the impossible. So its not just that there is a backlog at the testing stations its the cars are not ready for testing.
Expect to see lots of small super efficient cars, electric cars and hybrids being promoted as its the only way car makers will be able to sell their bigger flagship models. All in all I think its a good strategy from the EU.
Making articial limits (with huge financial penalties) on CO2 emissions which may not be achievable without sacrificing driveability or compromising on emissions of other pollutants such as particulates, or if the consequence is significantly driving up prices (which is happening, even when the drop in the £ is factored in), then I don't see what the point is - the motor industry is shouldering too much of the burden.
This is especially true when other significant contributors to environmental problems generally, and specifically climate change and pollution such as air & sea transportation and the use/disposal/recycling of of man-made materials and certain chemicals used in supposedly 'green' tech (see the news/thread on that) have not made much improvements or (in the case of sea transport and disposal of waste) are getting worse through use of other very non-green materials.
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