German automakers emit the most CO2 among European automakers
Transport and Environment, an environmental group based in Brusses, launched a report last Thursay showing that the average CO2 emissions from new cars made by German manufacturers rose in 2006, while French and Italian automakers actually cut emissions from their vehicles. In numbers: new German cars pollute 0.6 percent more than in 2005 while French and Italians reduced exhaust gases by 1.6 percent.
What these figures show is the big divergence between makers: German automakers have bigger cars, usually in the premium segments, while other European manufacturers have specialized in smaller, more efficient vehicles. For instance, Renault and Fiat used to have large sedans but haven't built them for a while because at that price, buyers were choosing a "premium" German brand. Citroën/Peugeot still makes big sedans, but they aren't star-sellers outside France for the same reason.
That being said, remember that the European Parliament is discussing legislation, due in December, to require average CO2 emissions under 120 g/km. Carmakers will be required to achieve 130 g/km with engine technology alone, while the use of biofuels will help lower that figure to the desired 120. Current targets, established by the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, are 140 g/km for 2008.
Continue reading to see more facts and figures
Related:
[Source: Transport and Environment (link is to a PDF file)]
The average car built in Germany currently produces 176 CO2 g/km, although BMW successfully lowered its figures from 188 to 184 g/km. The only actual manufacturer that will manage to reach the 140 g/km target is Peugeot/Citroën, by means of weight reduction.
| Manufacturer | 2006 CO2 emissions (g/km) | % change from 2005 |
| Toyota | 153 | .5.00% |
| Honda | 154 | -3.80% |
| PSA | 142 | -2.70% |
| BMW | 184 | -2.50% |
| Mazda | 173 | -2.00% |
| Nissan | 168 | -1.60% |
| Hyundai | 167 | -0.80% |
| Renault | 148 | -0.80% |
| Fiat | 144 | -0.50% |
| Ford | 162 | -0.50% |
| GM | 157 | -0.30% |
| Volkswagen | 166 | +0.90% |
| Suzuky | 166 | +1.80% |
| DaimlerChrysler | 188 | +2.80% |
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Karl-Uwe Strunzen 4:56AM (11/18/2007)
The data shows that German cars are those which pollute the most in Europe. I don't think there is evidence to suggest that this is because they make bigger cars. The German carmakers also make compact cars like the Golf, and the French, Italians and Japanese also make station wagons and larger cars. German cars pollute more in both cases. French and Italian cars tend to be more fuel-efficient, have a better EURONCAP safety rating (usually five stars) AND cost less than the German equivalent. I think this is clearly an inferior technology issue (take for example the HDi and Multijet technologies which have been exported the world over). Here is a comparison of French, Italian and German cars in both the small and large segments:
COMPACT CARS
Peugeot 308 2.0 HDi:
146 g/km CO2
average fuel consumption 5,5 l/100 km
136 bhp
22500 euros
EURONCAP 5 stars (score of 35)
FIAT BRAVO 1.9 MULTIJET:
149 g/km CO2
average fuel consumption 5,6 l/100 km
150 bhp
22300 euros
EURONCAP 5 stars (score of 33)
VOLKSWAGEN GOLF 2.0 TDI SPORT (the 1.9 is totally wiped out by the above cars)
156 g/km CO2
average fuel consumption 5,9 l/100 km
170 bhp
28000 euros
EURONCAP 5 stars (score of 33)
AUDI A3 2.0 TDI
149 g/km CO2
average fuel consumption 5,7 l/100 km
140 bhp
30000 euros (you must be kidding)
EURONCAP 4 stars (score of 29)
CITROEN C4 2.0 HDi
142 g/km CO2
average fuel consumption 5,4 l/100 km
136 bhp
24300 euros
EURONCAP 5 stars (score of 35)
The story with station wagons and sedans and the "B" segment cars is the same as the manufacturers use the same engine technologies for them as well.
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Xavier Navarro 2:46PM (11/18/2007)
Hum, while you have a point in what you say, please note that when I say that Renaul doesn't make Safranes or Avantimes anymore. The biggest Opel is the Signum, there are no Omegas anymore. Ditto for the 607 or the C6, which are marginally sold. Fiat used to have very large sedans but stopped making them in the 80s. Toyota and Honda don't sell large sedans in Europe (althought the Avensis or the Accord aren't small at all). Compare to the 7-series, E-class or A8s which can actually be seen on the roads.
I'm excluding SUVs, which are being added to all line-ups. PSA just started making one, VW has a couple of them now. Nevertheless, Europeans also think that SUVs are premium and are buying them more and more
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EV2G 9:24PM (11/18/2007)
No comment, just awsome news: http://translate.google.com/translate?hl...
The German #1 auto greener and Nanosafer:
http://www.phoenixmotorcars.com/news/2007/pr_071119.html
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EV2G 9:27PM (11/18/2007)
http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=es&u=http://www.intoleranciadiario.com/cgi-bin/cgis/Seccion.pl%3Fid_seccion%3D12%26dia%3D15%26mes%3D11%26anio%3D2007%26pagina%3D1&sa=X&oi=translate&resnum=3&ct=result&prev=/search%3Fq%3DPristine%2BInternational%2Bmexico%2BPhoenix%2Bmotor%2Bcars%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG
Ev2G.com
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 10:21PM (11/18/2007)
Look at the figures for the Renault Laguna and Peugeot 405s, etc sales on the French market compared with the BMW 3 series and Volkswagen Passat for the year to date. Similarly in Italy the Alfa 159 and Fiat Croma (new version has yet to be seen) also match these cars (e.g. 29500 for BMW compared with 28000 for Alfa). In the case of France, they comfortably outsell them.
My point was more about technological inferiority rather than sales, though they are linked of course, and presumably wll be more linked in future. When you outperform your competitor in fuel efficiency, emissions, safety, bhp AND comfortably outprice them, well the numbers are eloquent enough. The engines used in the compact cars are normally the exact same ones used in the sedans and SWs (in the case of Italy and France, HDi and Multijet enginess exported worldwide). The trend now is to to try to get more bhp out of smaller engines, and with larger engines becoming more prohibitive, this will be ever more the case. My opinion is that the German sales tend to rely too much on nationalism (compare national market shares in Germany and Italy)and marketing. If I'm right, then, with time, simple economics, environmental policies and natural disasters are going to affect the German carmakers much more than the French or Italians.
Unfortunately what you say about SUVs is quite true. They are not just a US fashion and there are many today on the roads in Europe. However the CO2 EU rules and national taxes should dissuade people soon from this silly fashion (I'm more than content for the trend to continue only in the US). As an example there is the new Spanish car tax as of 1 January, and others will follow suit. I think (I hope) that in the end only a very few people in rural areas will be using these in Europe. Marketing here can play a big role. If driving a SUV is depicted as stupid (like the Greenpeace UK ad) instead of trendy, consumers will change their minds from one day to the next.
I have to say, by the way, I am rather surprised by the number of GM suburban-sized cars which regularly appear on autobloggreen.
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