Survey shows Japanese and German carmakers worst at cutting CO2[fr][de] 

Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda, Audi, Volvo, BMW and Volkswagen are the worst performers among a group of 20 manufacturers surveyed by the Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) for T&E, the European Federation for Transport and the Environment. 

According to T&E who published the figures on 25 October, "75% of carmakers are failing to cut emissions fast enough". Only Fiat, Citroen and Renault have already met their individual target fully, followed by Ford and Peugeot who are close to 100%.

The survey - "How clean is your car brand?" - is based on analysis of sales data for the period 1997-2005. It is the first to track progress of individual car brands in reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

Aat Peterse of T&E said: "Renault is on track while Volkswagen is way off even though Renault started with higher emissions in 1997." 

"Europe must kiss its voluntary targets goodbye and waste no more time in coming up with legally binding measures to double fuel-efficiency in the next decade. Individual carmakers must be held responsible and punished if they fail."

Sigrid De Vries, the spokesperson for ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers Association, said that the issue is not about naming and shaming individual brands. She pointed out that the voluntary agreement to reduce CO2 is an industry-wide one that involves all makers. The commitment, she told EurActiv, "is a safeguard for the diversity of the industry," which produces vehicles ranging from heavy-polluting off-roads to small urban cars.

She said "customer demand for heavier cars" has added to the pressure on CO2 emissions along with "regulations on air pollution".

De Vries added that policies should focus on creating demand for more fuel-efficient cars. "ACEA supports CO2-based taxation of cars and alternative fuels in the EU as this will create the necessary demand for CO2 efficient solutions," said Ivan Hodac, secretary-general of ACEA in a statement last month.

Hiroki Ota, European director-general at JAMA, the Japanese automaker association, said that he preferred waiting for official Commission data before making a comment. "The target is ambitious and challenging," he said, adding that Japanese manufacturers were making efforts to meet them.