SMMT warns ‘anti-diesel agenda’ will halt CO2 emission fall

Although diesel cars generally emit less carbon dioxide, they are responsible for high levels of other airborne pollutants including nitorgen oxide (NOX). The market share for diesel vehicles shrank by 0.8 percentage points last year, it said. In addition, average new van CO2 emissions also fell by 1.9 per cent to a new low of 173g/km in 2016, ahead of EU regulatory targets. "Turning our back on any of these will undermine progress on CO2 targets as well as air quality objectives," said Hawes. The fall in diesel, EV and hybrid demand alongside a growing preference for SUVs over smaller cars "continues to make progress on CO2 reduction much harder".


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SMMT warns 'anti-diesel agenda' will halt CO2 emission fall

This has led to concerns from the SMMT that the current 'anti-diesel agenda', which has been spurred by fears over nitrous oxide emissions and the dieselgate scandal, could have a negative effect on the CO2 reduction progress. SMMT chief executive, Mike Hawes, said: "The automotive industry has some of the most challenging CO2 reduction targets of any sector and continues to deliver reductions as it has for nearly two decades. "Turning our back on any of these will undermine progress on CO2 targets as well as air quality objectives. An uptake in alternatively fuelled vehicles and diesel cars (which emit 20 per cent less CO2 than petrol equivalents) has also played a part. The 2017 SMMT New Car CO2 Report revealed that average CO2 exhaust emissions fell to an all-time low of just 120.1g/km in 2016, beating the previous year's record by 1.1 per cent and 2000's levels by 33.6 per cent.




While diesel car registrations hit a record high in the UK last year, diesel's market share fell by 0.8%. The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has said that the shift towards diesel cars, which emit around 20% less CO2 than the equivalent petrol car on average, is partly responsible for average new car CO2 emissions falling by more than a third since 2000. And these 'tremendous' gains could be wiped out as many drivers look to swap back to petrol models following Volkswagen's diesel emissions scandal and increasing NOx pollution levels in urban areas, says the SMMT. Turning our back on any of these will undermine progress on CO2 targets as well as air quality objectives. The UK has a successful track record in encouraging these new technologies but this must be maintained through a consistent approach to fiscal and other incentives."


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