Main car makers seen on track for EU's 2015 CO2 target

(PARIS) - The world's main car makers are generally on target for meeting the EU's carbon emissions target for 2015 but some are lagging in the race to meet its goal for 2020, a survey said Monday.

The auto industry has to meet a target for 2015 of 130 grammes of carbon dioxide (CO2) per kilometre in the average emissions of new cars sold in the European Union, amounting to an 18-percent improvement over 2007 standards.

This target is sector-wide, and has been broken down into individual goals for each maker based on the weight of their vehicle, so that manufacturers of larger models are not unfairly penalised.

The not-for-profit group Transport & Environment, in its eighth annual assessment, said four carmakers (Peugeot-Citroen, Toyota, Volvo and Renault) had already reached the 2015 target, and six more, including Fiat and BMW, should attain it this year.

Nissan, Suzuki, Mazda and Honda are more than five percent away from the objective.

The EU has sketched a goal of 95 grammes of CO2 per kilometre for 2020, a target that has recently been clouded by German demands for concessions for its industry.

Toyota, Volvo and Daimler seem to be on course for meeting this, Transport & Environment said.

Five others -- Peugeot-Citroen, Fiat, Renault, Ford and Volkswagen -- need to make only slight progress to meet it.

General Motors, Hyundai, BMW, Honda and Mazda, though, still need to make a "significant" effort.

"The 2020 target is achievable for makers for makers of all types and sizes of cars with appropriate planning, and most are on track," the report said.

The European Parliament has set a target of 68-78 grammes of CO2 per kilometre for 2025.