Car manufacturers are holding back low emissions vehicles, campaigners say

Green transport campaigners Transport and Environment (T&E) has accused car manufacturers of delaying more efficient models until 2019 to clear old diesel stock and trick lawmakers into thinking new emissions targets to be introduced in 2021 are too difficult to achieve.

The 2021 objective says that the average emissions of new cars registered in the EU should not exceed 95 grams CO2/ km. Failure to meet the targets could result in heavy fines.

T&E said: ‘This tactic of continuing to sell old models for as long as possible makes it clear that carmakers are both optimising profits and trying to deceive regulators that they will struggle to hit the 2021 CO2 targets as the EU weighs up new targets for 2025.

Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) chief executive Mike Hawes hit back at the claims, saying: ‘This report shows a fundamental lack of understanding of the industry, its product cycles and the legislative process.

‘Cars are produced on five-to-seven-year cycles, and the number of model updates from each brand will vary naturally from year to year.

‘Producing new models takes time and huge investment and manufacturers now face the challenge of developing new technology to meet a 2020 regulation which still hasn’t been finalised.

‘There is an ever-increasing range of advanced, low, ultra-low and zero-emission vehicles to suit all lifestyles and consumer demands as the industry continues to address environmental ambitions.’

Figures released by the SMMT in January showed that the average CO2 emissions of new cars sold in the UK increased by almost 1% last year – the first time since 1997 that the figure hasn’t decreased year-on-year.

At the time, Hawes blamed this on the ‘demonisation of diesel.’

Sales of cars running on the fuel were down 31% last year – a trend that has continued into 2018.