Top 50% of European vehicles now average 130g/km CO2 emissions

JATO Consult, the new intelligence consultancy division of JATO Dynamics, the world’s leading provider of automotive data, has published a detailed report available to the industry on its analysis of European automotive CO2 figures.

The report covers 21 countries, of which 19 are EU member states and studies volume-weighted CO2 emissions by country, segment and brand, whilst also providing an in-depth analysis of the effects of CO2-friendly vehicle technology and CO2-based taxation regimes across the individual markets.

Highlights of the report reveal that by the end of the first nine months of 2008, the best performing 50% of the new car market is now averaging 130g/km, a figure which compares favourably to 39% in 2007 and only 24% back in 2003. However, with EU targets now set to achieve 100% compliance by 2015, the industry must act swiftly and decisively to have a realistic chance of meeting this requirement within the 6 year time frame.

“Advances in vehicle technology are making significant inroads into reducing CO2 emissions”, says David Di Girolamo, Business Manager for JATO Consult. “However, the requirements for the ongoing improvement in vehicle safety, as well as the increasing desire for higher levels of standard equipment are both factors that are at odds with reducing weight and, therefore, emissions. In the long term, government led consumer incentives to purchase lower emission vehicles will make the biggest impact.”

The report also reveals that countries that have introduced CO2 based taxation systems have generally witnessed the biggest reductions in emissions. All the countries studied have reduced their volume-weighted average CO2 emissions in 2008, with the exception of rapidly evolving Slovenian market. Many European markets have benefited from the increasing popularity of the small ‘B’ segment cars, which are amongst the most efficient in the market place. SUVs witnessed a decline in popularity in the first nine months of 2008, a trend that should assist in the ongoing reduction in emissions. JATO suggests that SUVs currently account for 9.4% of the total of European new car emissions.