Caterham announces WLTP-compliant range

Caterham has announced its updated EU and UK model range since the introduction of the Worldwide Harmonised Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP).

The manufacturer has confirmed the lightweight Seven 275 and high performance Seven 485 have passed the WLTP’s stringent tests on fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and pollutant emissions, and will now form the updated EU Caterham line-up.

Exports continue to make-up nearly 60% of Caterham annual sales.

Due to its low-volume production, Caterham models sold in the UK fall under the Individual Vehicle Approval (IVA) scheme, making them exempt from WLTP.

The WLTP was introduced in 2017 to replace the outdated New European Driving Cycle (NEDC) test process, which was designed in the 1980s. WLTP was developed with the aim of being used as a global test cycle across different world regions, so pollutant and CO2 emissions as well as fuel consumption values would be comparable worldwide.

Caterham’s chief motorsport and technical officer, Simon Lambert, said, ‘The biggest hurdles faced by Caterham during this transition period were time and cost. WLTP’s implementation date was set early on, but with no regulations published we were unable to start work until legislation was finally confirmed with little more than a year to go.

‘For a small manufacturer, we have done an amazing job given the scale of the task. We have met the same stringent regulations applied to mainstream and volume manufacturers in a congested timeframe, when every man and his dog needed access to the specialist testing facilities.

‘It is a true testimony to our resilience and flexibility, and above all, a desire to keep the Seven flourishing overseas.’

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