CO2 emissions from new cars fell by over 3% in 2011

The European Commission  adopted a decision confirming provisional findings that average CO₂ emissions from new cars in the EU dropped by 3.3% last year. This decision is based on emissions data gathered by the European Environment Agency and verified by car manufacturers.

The average CO₂ emissions for the 12.8 million new cars registered in the EU in 2011 was 135.7 grams per kilometer. This is a drop of 4.6g CO₂/km compared to 2010 and confirms that car manufacturers are on track to reach the 2015 target of 130g CO₂/km.

The monitoring process includes the collection of data from Member States by the European Environment Agency and verification by the manufacturers themselves. This ensures a balanced assessment by the Commission of manufacturers’ performance in meeting their specific targets. In 2013, the confirmed emissions for 2012 will serve as a basis for calculating the binding targets which will apply from that year and for imposing excess emission premiums for manufacturers not meeting those targets.

On the basis of information provided by manufacturers, the Commission has adjusted the calculations of the average specific emissions and targets. As data quality has improved since 2010, only minor adjustments were needed to the provisional data published in June.