Car manufacturers 'heading in right direction' for carbon reduction

Date: 19/4/2010

Three manufacturers producing four-seat vehicles have met the EU target of 130 g/km of CO2, new research has shown.

A study conducted by Clean Green Cars has found that Fiat, Toyota and Mini have reached the EU emissions target ahead of the 2012 deadline.

"At present, the industry is on broadly the right path to get down to 130 g/km by the end of next year, given a reduction of over five per cent per year in CO2 output," the organisation stated.

However, it added that many recent gains have come from a shift to smaller, more economical cars as a result of the scrappage scheme, so now manufacturers may need to take steps to ensure they keep those gains and can make further progress.

The total market has made a total carbon reduction of 5.39 per cent, the organisation's figures show, although some manufacturers have made bigger improvements than others.