Cleaner New Cars Have Saved Five Million Tonnes Of CO2 In Last Decade

SMMT economists have calculated that car makers saved nearly five million tonnes of CO2 in the last ten years - thanks to the development of cleaner, greener cars.

Average new car CO2 has fallen by 22.6 g/km to 167.2 g/km since 1997, down by nearly 12 per cent. That equates to current annual CO2 emissions savings approaching a million tonnes.

'Car makers have made significant progress in cutting CO2,' commented SMMT chief executive Christopher Macgowan. 'Total CO2 emissions in the UK from cars have actually fallen since 1997, down 3.2 per cent from 72.2 million to 69.9 million tonnes in 2005. That's despite a 16.5 per cent rise in cars on the road from 26.3 to 30.7 million.'

The figures have been revealed as SMMT prepares to launch its Annual CO2 Report for the 2006 market on 6 July.