New car emissions down - but not enough

Tuesday, April 25, 2006

New car emissions fell by 1.2% last year
Not enough to meet 2008 target
EC funding for greener cars due this week

Emissions from new cars have fallen, but not enough to meet targets

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New car carbon dioxide emissions continued to fall last year, but 2008 targets are unlikely to be met.

The latest study from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders reports that average new car emissions fell from 171.4g/km in 2004 to 169.4g/km last year.

Although it's the eighth successive drop, the 1.2% fall isn't enough - it doesn't accelerate the rate of improvement recorded since 1997 and leaves the industry well short of its target to reach average new car emissions of 140g/km by 2008.

The proportion of new cars sold that produce 140g/km or less has also improved, however, from 15% of registrations in 2004 to 18% last year.

Another goal for 10% of new cars sold by 2012 to have emission of 100g/km of carbon dioxide is also unlikely to be met. The SMMT last report showed only two cars registered in 2004 fell below this mark - both were Honda Insights, which remains the only model available that beats the 100g/km level.

There are plenty of cars which fall below the 140g/km margin, so the SMMT says that at least the 2008 target could be reached if better incentives for buying green were offered by the Government and consumers were more receptive to cleaner options.

The SMMT is hopeful that a new funding mechanism for environmentally friendly cars will be approved by the European Commission this week, and said that fridge-style energy efficiency labels now used in showrooms could help consumers make more informed buying decisions.