MEPs urged to vote for more car fuel efficiency

A new poll indicates most EU citizens believe that making manufacturers produce cleaner cars is the best way to bring down climate changing emissions from cars.

The survey, conducted in five EU countries, shows 'overwhelming' support among citizens for measures to force carmakers to reduce the fuel consumption of the cars they produce by 25 per cent without delay.

The results come ahead of decisive votes in parliament on a proposed new legally-binding target for new car CO2 emissions.

The findings were welcomed by Dutch EPP deputy Anders Wijkman, who told this website, "I agree entirely with the outcome of the poll.

"If we'd had mandatory legislation on CO2 emissions ten years ago we would not have these difficulties now. The situation is critical because the task is to reduce transport emissions by 80-90 per cent over the next three to four decades," said Wijkman, who has spearheaded parliamentary efforts to cut emissions and is parliament's rapportuer on bio-fuels.

Friends of the Earth Europe will place a vintage and a contemporary car, designed to show the lack of progress by carmakers on fuel efficiency, in Place du Luxembourg outside parliament on Monday next week ahead of an industry committee meeting on the cars directive.

The environment committee is also due to vote on the directive on 9 September.

The poll - carried out by TNS Opinion - probed 5000 people in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK

An overwhelming majority (87 per cent) stated that measures to reduce the fuel consumption of new cars by a quarter - equivalent to the 120g CO2/km target being discussed by MEPs - should be introduced urgently.

Almost half (46 per cent) of respondents think that requiring manufacturers to reduce the fuel consumption of vehicles is the best way to reduce harmful emissions from cars, ahead of tax incentives (27 per cent) and promoting fuel-efficient cars through better information (13 per cent).

Also, around two thirds (64 per cent) of citizens support the statement that such measures will be good for their national economy because people will buy less fuel and have more money to spend on other things.

Respondents listed fuel consumption (64 per cent) as the most important factor, apart from price, when choosing a new car. Safety was second (37 per cent) and environmentally clean third (26 per cent).

The findings seem to show that citizens don't buy carmakers' claims that the proposed legislation would damage their industry.

"Citizens are sending a loud and clear message to politicians and carmakers to shift fuel efficiency up a gear," says Jeroen Verhoeven, car efficiency campaigner for Friends of the Earth Europe.

"Car fuel efficiency is a simple, effective and sustainable way to reduce Europe's climate changing emissions. MEPs should listen to their constituents and vote for a regulation which is guaranteed to deliver a 25 per cent reduction in fuel consumption by 2012."

The lack of progress by the car industry on fuel efficiency is highlighted in a new advertising campaign launched today by Friends of the Earth Europe and Transport and Environment (T&E).

The two environmental groups are calling on MEPs to vote for fuel efficiency targets (120g CO2/km by 2012 and 80g CO2/km by 2020).

The adverts show the 1948 and 2008 models of the Volkswagen Beetle which, despite sixty years of advances in automobile design, share the same level of fuel efficiency. The post-war Beetle used 7.5 litres per 100 km driven while the 2008 Beetle 'Luna' 1.6 Petrol uses the same.

Kerstin Meyer of T&E said "For the last six decades, carmakers have been innovative in everything but fuel efficiency. And they have failed to notice that times have changed. We need fuel efficient cars that minimise impacts on the environment."

"If new cars were twice as efficient as they are today, we'd be on the right track. It's up to MEPs to set the targets, and to Europe's top automotive talent to produce the goods," she added.

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