Hold the front page. Europeans are buying cars that are more efficient. No real surprise there. Higher fuel prices and the availability of lower CO2 cars are ensuring that this is both demand and supply driven over time. New generations of cars alone mean an increase in powertrain efficiency, even leaving aside any segmentation shifts that may be occuring.
Average carbon dioxide emissions per kilometre continue to fall in Europe, according to preliminary figures released today. The average CO2 emissions for new cars was 135.7 grams CO2 per kilometre in 2011, which is 4.6g CO2/km less than in 2010 – a reduction of 3.3 %.
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The 2011 data from the European Environment Agency (EEA) also show that car manufacturers are mostly on track to meeting European Union (EU) targets.
One unusual statistical finding stands out in the EEA data. It’s confirmed that cars are still getting heavier. The mass of cars increased slightly in 2011 and is now back to the level seen in 2007 before the economic crisis. It would have fallen sharply with the market downsizing caused by scrappage schemes in 2009, but has increased since (segmentation, but also underlying trend to pack more in to the average car – features, safety etc). Nonetheless, engine capacity, measured in cm3, has decreased by 5% compared to 2007.
