EU

Car manufacturers are not doing enough to meet Europe’s proposed targets for cutting CO₂ emissions, according to a report from environmental group Transport & Environment (T&E).

As part of European Union (EU) efforts to reduce CO₂ emissions by at least 20% by 2020, compared with 1990 levels, the European Commission (EC) is considering limiting average CO₂ emissions from new cars to 130 g/km by 2012.

However, T&E’s report reveals that average CO₂ emissions have fallen by just 1.7% to 158 g/km over the last year. To meet the proposed EC target, car manufacturers will have to cut CO₂ emission by 17% between now and 2012.

French car makers PSA Peugeot-Citroen and Renault, together with Italian company Fiat, are closest to meeting the target with only 10%, 13% and 14% respectively to go.

However, German car manufacturer BMW has made the greatest progress knocking over 7% off its average. Nevertheless it remains one of the manufacturers with the highest average CO₂ emissions for its fleet of 170 g/km.

“With the threat of legislation looming, BMW has shown that even premium carmakers can seriously reduce CO₂,” says Jos Dings, director of T&E.

Nissan, Mazda and Suzuki are all among the worst performers and will have to make significant improvements in fuel efficiency to meet the CO₂ emissions targets. Honda even manages a 1.1% increase in average CO₂ emissions over the last year, although it still manages to rank equal fourth in terms of actual amount.

The European Parliament’s Environment Committee is due to decide on car CO₂ emissions in early September but the target, which was originally proposed in 1994, has been both increased and postponed on three previous occasions.

German car manufacturers have been particularly vociferous in their protests against the move and are pushing for the targets to phased in over several years.

T&E want to see the original target of 120 g/km reinstated and a long-term target of 80 g/km by 2020 to be set. Improvements in fuel efficiency can be made through existing measures such as start-stop engines, weight reduction and engine downsizing, says T&E.

According to a poll by environmental pressure group Friends of the Earth (FOE), the more stringent targets to improve fuel efficiency are what the public want too.

“People want car makers to produce cleaner, smarter cars that use less fuel, reduce climate change emissions and slash fuel bills,” says FOE transport campaigner Tony Bosworth.

For further information:
www.transportenvironment.org/News/2008/8/BMW-leaps-ahead-on-new-car-CO2-emissions-others-still-stalling/
www.foe.co.uk/resource/briefings/delivering_greener_cars.pdf