German vehicle manufacturers are starting to catch up to their Japanese competitors in terms of environmental standards, but they still lag shockingly behind.
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This was the finding of the latest annual study by the German transport club, Verkehrsclub Deutschland (VCD), reported by Automobilwoche.
In VCD’s current ranking of more than 350 models according to their environmental credentials, seven out of the top 10 models were produced by Japanese manufacturers. The overall top ranking car was the Honda Civic Hybrid, which also held the number one position last year. The Toyota Prius ranked second. The most environmentally-friendly German-built car was the VW Polo BlueMotion, which ranked seventh.
VCD board member, Hermann-Josef Vogt, said the VCD welcomes the fact that German manufacturers are starting to place importance on fuel-efficient cars. But he added they are not leading the market in this area.
According to Automobilwoche, VCD has an environmental remit, and has called on the German car manufacturers to promote cleaner models in order to haul themselves out of their current niche. Vogt criticised them for their “newly discovered love of the environment while they are at the same time pushing sales of 4×4 luxury limousines with extremely high fuel consumption.” This is why a car tax system that is based on CO2 emissions is needed, he said.
71 of the the cars in the VCD ranking emit less than 140g CO2 per kilometre. The average of the top 10 models is around 110g. This shows that proposed limits are achievable, a VCD spokesperson told Automobilwoche.
Vehicle manufacturers will fail to meet a voluntary target to reduce average CO2 emissions to 140g per kilometre by 2008. Last year vehicles sold in Europe by German vehicle manufacturers averaged 177g/km.
Generally, environment-aware drivers should chose to buy smaller cars and when they need a bigger car, for example for a camping holiday, they should rent one, according to the VCD.
