Average CO2 emissions from new cars sold in the EU dropped by 5% last year – the largest annual fall ever recorded, a report published today by the European Commission shows.
The drop partly reflects a surge in sales of small cars – with smaller engines and lower CO2 emissions – across the region last year on the back of scrappage schemes, as well as ongoing powertrain efficiency improvements.
Go deeper with GlobalData
Discover B2B Marketing That Performs
Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.
The Commission has also adopted detailed rules to harmonise the monitoring of CO2 emissions from cars across the EU.
Climate Action Commissioner Connie Hedegaard said: “Reducing CO2 emissions from road transport remains a major challenge for the years to come. The latest data shows however that the car industry is on track to achieve the 2015 target and most likely several major manufacturers will be able to do so well in advance.
“When the targets were set, industry feared that they would be impossible to reach in time. I am glad in reality EU legislation on reducing CO2 emissions is proving an effective driver of innovation, keeping the EU industry at the front-edge of competitiveness.”
The EU CO2 emissions target of 130g CO2/km that is to be met in 2012 by the average 65% lowest emitting cars was reached last year.
Please click here for the full press release.
