Cars 'greener than ever', says SMMT
- Five million tonnes of CO2 saved in 10 years
- New cars built using less energy than in 2002
- Industry can't be complacent, says SMMT
More than five million tonnes of carbon dioxide have been saved in the last decade through the introduction of more fuel-efficient cars.
That was the key message of this year's Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' (SMMT) annual report on carbon dioxide and the new-car market.
The SMMT's chief executive, Christopher Macgowan, said: 'We have to be part of the solution, not just seen as a problem.
'The truth is the motor industry has a good news story to tell, a story that will probably surprise many people. Significant improvements have been made in our products and production sites.'
Estimates suggest that road transport accounts for one-fifth of the UK's man-made carbon dioxide output each year.
However, the SMMT's document also revealed that each vehicle made in Britain today requires half the energy to produce compared with cars built five years ago, and that one in five new cars now emits less than 140g/km of carbon dioxide - five times more than 10 years ago.
Macgowan stressed that the industry cannot afford to become complacent, although he called on consumers, governments and fuel companies to share the burden of reducing carbon dioxide emissions.
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