Sales of high polluting cars keep plummeting in Spain
Higher fuel prices? Higher registration taxes? Economic downturn? Might these three issues be the reasons why cars that produce more than 200 g/km of CO2 just aren't being purchased in Spain as much as they used to be. Sales of vehicles in this segment sunk by 44 percent during the first four months of 2008, compared to 2007 figures. All car sales were down, but the most polluting cars were the most affected: Vehicles producing between 161 and 200 g/km of CO2 sold 30 percent less, while sales of the 121 to 160 g/km of CO2 segment were down by just 10 percent. These figures confirm the trends observed in February.
Remarkably, SUVs were slightly less affected than large sedans: Sales of SUVs producing more than 200 g/km of CO2 were down by 37.4 percent, compared to 53.7 percent for passenger cars in the same emissions category. As a result, the average car sold in Spain now produces 4.6 percent less CO2 than last year, at 150.7 g/km of CO2. This translates to slightly less power per average car, 118.5 HP (down by 0.75 percent) but also better mileage: 17.5 km per liter (about 42 mpg U.S. - EU highway cycle), which is 2.8 percent better than last year.
Spain's Registration Tax (also called "Inmatriculation") might be the reason. This tax is paid when purchasing a new vehicle. It changed on January 1st and became dependent on CO2 emission levels, encouraging cleaner vehicle purchases. The new rate is zero percent for cars producing less than 120 g/km, 4.75 percent for cars between 121 and 160 g/km, 9.75 percent between 161 and 200 g/km and 14.75 percent if the vehicle produces more than 201 g/km of CO2
[Source: Faconauto via Econoticias]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
alcatholic 3:08AM (6/12/2008)
Wow, California needs to copy Spain immediately.
First, Spain publishes pollution information for each car in terms of CO2 g/km. I would love to know that before buying a car.
Second, Spain ties Vehicle Registration Fees to pollution! That is brilliant and a timely model. CA is trying to close a budget deficit this year, and raising the Vehicle Reg Fee is on the table. So, we have a perfect opportunity to implement a Spanish type fee structure tied to pollution.
Spain officially rocks!
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 3:56AM (6/12/2008)
.. and not just California.
France has also introduced similar measures, but in Europe both Italy and the UK should copy Spain asap.
4.6% less CO2 in just 4 months is a breathtaking figure and though not enough, it shows that there is plenty of margin for improvement. Showing the CO2 figure for any car is now mandatory in Europe, not just Spain. Indeed if you go into a showroom you normally see a big color eco-grading next to each model (based on CO2 emissions), just as you would a refrigerator or washing machine.
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diesel 4:38AM (6/12/2008)
Ireland has a similar system taking affect from july 1st.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 5:42AM (6/12/2008)
could you provide a link for the new Irish system?
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Phil 12:26PM (6/12/2008)
"in Europe both Italy and the UK should copy Spain asap."
The UK has announced a similar 'show room tax' based on CO2.
We already have quite an onerous annaul tax based on CO2. How would the average American feel about paying $800 / year tax on an SUV? Even small cars by US standards fall into the highest tax band, e.g. Euro Accord Tourer 2.4 auto.
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Karl-Uwe Strunzen 3:54AM (6/13/2008)
I've found a useful website on CO2 taxes:
http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/files/20080302_CO%202%20tax%20overview.pdf
In conclusion, here are the dates from which EU countries will or already have introduced a CO2-based bonus-malus system:
Austria bonus-malus 1 July 2008
Belgium bonus only
Cyprus bonus-malus
Finland bonus-malus from 2010
France bonus-malus
nothing yet from Germany
Ireland bonus-malus 1 July 2008
Italy bonus only
Netherlands only annual circulation tax is linked to CO2, not registration
Portugal bonus-malus
Spain bonus-malus
Sweden bonus-malus
UK annual circulation tax only
This was the picture in the EU as of 22 February 2008.
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