New cars getting cleaner and cheaper

The average new car sold in Europe last year was 4% more fuel efficient, emitted 4% less CO2 and was 2.5% cheaper in real terms than 12 months earlier.

A report by the Brussels-based lobby group, T&E, reveals that CO2 emissions from the average new car sold in Europe last year dropped to 140g CO2/km. T&E argues that like-for-like retail prices have not increased dramatically since legally-binding CO2 targets were introduced in 2007, as the car industry predicted, but have fallen every year in real terms.

A report carried out in 2001 for the European Commission, based on data supplied by the motor industry, predicted that reaching 140g/km would cause the retail price of the average new car to increase by over £2,000.

130g/km target

The top four car manufacturers, in terms of fleet-average CO2 emissions, remain unchanged. Fiat leads with 126 g/km, followed by Toyota, PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault. The industry as a whole is 7% away from hitting its 130 g/km target for 2015.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Manufacturers are being forced to deliver more efficient vehicles, but high fuel prices are playing a major role in steering motorists towards the frugal cars that happen to be low on emissions, too.”

Jos Dings, Director of Transport & Environment said: “The car industry has consistently resisted fuel efficiency regulations by complaining that cars would become ‘unaffordable’. But car emissions have now dropped to 140g CO2/km and that simply hasn’t happened; prices have actually fallen in real terms.”

The 2011 T&E report into car company progress on reducing CO2 emissions can be downloaded from the T&E website.