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The European Parliament has pushed through legislation forcing car makers to reduce the CO2 output of new cars within four years.

The move is a blow to European car makers, who had expected the EU proposals to be toned down before coming into effect.

In particular, the influential German car lobby had been placing significant pressure on MEPs to 'water down' the controversial proposals. But European lawmakers dismissed their arguments out of hand.

"The German car lobby... ...Read the full article

I'm sorry but I have no sympathy for the car manufacturers. For years theyve been churning out too many cars for too few buyers.The Germans have been creating ever more absurd cars (Audi Q7 v12 diesel anyone??) and now they are having a paddy because mummy has smacked them on the bottom for being naughty. Perhaps if they used as much effort in making their cars more efficient as they do in making them ever more powerful and profligate  they wouldnt have anything to worry about .I seem to remember Audi producing an A2 that could do 100km perlitre or something like that 10 years ago.I think the man from the smmt said something stupid(as usual) like if these car makers made efficient cars then nobody would buy them???? Thats from the same people who said car prices in the uk werent expensive compared to the continent in the early 90's. Im sure Porsche could make an efficient 911 if it really wanted too .It doesnt mean we all have to drive around in Hybrids all day.

what does it mean to car owners..?

if i buy a car today that hits the 160g/km target, but in 2012 the new target is 130g/km, am i going to be paying another tax for the pleasure ?

 

mrspock:

seem to remember Audi producing an A2 that could do 100km perlitre or something like that 10 years ago

- or something. It was 3 litres per 100km. Hence the 'three litre car'. The 'one litre car' was I believe the cigar-shaped obect that Ferdinand Piech pedalled, no, drove to VW's supervisory board some years ago with the VW boss Pischetsrieder in tandem in the back.

Just a word of warning for all the lower (CO2 emissions) the better crowd. This hokum of CO2 emissions is everything draws its logic and god-like authority from CO2 gas being a 'greenhouse' gas. And that CO2 is the causal factor in the warming of the earth's atmosphere which if left unchecked by programs to reduce CO2 emissions(MMGW) will eventually cause the oceans to expand and rise and drown tens of millions of people, and so on. But, and there is a but, lastest eidence from the solar observor scopes show a marked lack of sunspot activity to the extent that many people now believe the earth is headed into a major cooling period which would support the observations of no warming since 1997 and 2007 being the coldest year in the northern hemisphere in at least 100 years. In fact some observors of sunspots and earth/solar cycles believe that earth is overdue the start of the next ice age which may transact in as few as 25 years, by temperatures dropping up to ten centigrade on average.

I believe personally that this hokum come criminal scam - once it's used to extort tax, tax and tax again, and control people's behaviour - is already on its last legs. Unfortunately, if the lack of sunspot activiy portends a marked global cooling the time for gloating and arresting and jailing if not capital punishment for the most egregious perpetrators of this scam, including politicians, pseudo-academics, media lackeys, and corrupt businesspeople, will be short as survival in arctic conditions in far north latitudes, like Britain, will be all-consuming of people's energies.

http://www.libertyunbound.com/archive/2008_09/contoski-warming.html

 I think that what with the current economic situation and the current cost of fuel. Manufacturers won't have to do an awful lot to reduce the average emissions of new cars to 130g/km. I can't see them shifting much in the way of V8's at the moment. The only thing selling in numbers will be little diesels. So their averages will change accordingly.

Madness. Sheer, stark, raving PC madness. In these increasingly grim economic times, the very last thing the European car industry - Europe's biggest and most important - needed was the interference of the EU and its legions of overpaid, ignorant meddlers. Their knee-jerk decision will result in severe economic grief for the car makers, massive job losses in Europe and the transfer of the production of more profitable vehicles to other, less punitively regulated parts of the world. It should be remembered that Green is, in reality, the new Red . . . an obvious vehicle of crypto-Marxism. At bottom, it has nothing to do with spurious environmental arguments, and is, in fact, all about gaining ever more powers of control and interference in even more aspects of our already sickeningly over-regulated lives. It is motivated, at least in part, on sheer economic envy and class resentment. Abolish Bentleys! Mandate Aygos! See the logic? Perhaps when everyone has been taxed, shamed and bludgeoned into driving a tiny, 500cc two cylinder diesel hatchback they might just be satisfied. . . but don't even count on that. Still, you can voice your dissent in the 2009 European Parliament elections.Please do so, unless you actually fancy something on the lines of a Tata Nano. or taking the bus.

Heres my conspiracy theory, how about if the global warming/CO2 thing is just a smoke screen (or lack-of-smoke screen?) and the real aim is more economy. Perhaps the big secret is someone has worked out how much oil is really left and when it will run out on projected use and there is no way alternative energy will be ready in time and  - they are terrified. If the world ran dry I suspect society would  return to the dark ages after a few decades of utter anarchy. The only solution is going to be a massive nuclear power program, electricity whether carried in batteries or used to turn sea water into hydrogen is the key to mankinds survival.

If they suddenly start slapping up reactors we would all know its hit the fan so its got to be done over a careful timescale, somehow they have to get us to eak out the oil until then...(taxation and more efficient cars) I have said too much already, i'm off out before MI5 get here!!

Read this:

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0%2C25197%2C23583376-7583%2C00.html

and this:

http://wattsupwiththat.com/2008/09/19/news-nasa-to-hold-press-conference-on-the-state-of-the-sun/

and then decide if you've got the guts, balls, call it what you will, to stand up for what gives you great pleasure in your lifes and is currently being legislated out of existence by a criminal cabal who are using athropogenic global warming as a cult to scare the sheep people into line and enrich themselves further. You and your kin could well freeze to death in the next decade, if the solar scientists are right. It'll be too late then. Poor, cold and totally surveilled to snuff out any possible resistance. Read the above and many other evidential articles on the Net. You're being lied to. You're paying out for your own loss of freedoms and the innate right to enjoy your life to the fullest. 

Why the obsession with Co2? What about all the other dangerous, poisonous gases and particulates which come from exhaust fumes AND what about all the Co2 created in car production! Surely this should be measured too? I agree that these rules may force more car production abroad. Any idea on wether the rules only apply to cars built within the EU - or will all manufacturers be punished? Cant see Hummer hitting the target somehow.

Quattro369:

on wether the rules only apply to cars built within the EU - or will all manufacturers be punished?

I'm guessing that manufacturers will only be allowed to sell those models that meet the new limits. I suppose we can look forward to a very limited choice of cars on sale: say for instance, two or three versions of the Ford Focus Econetic in each body style instead of the current expansive range of engines and trim levels. Why should a manufacturer bother too much in the European market only when it can continue to sell the full range outside the EU and probably built it cheaper there too. As in so many spheres of influence, the EU seems divorced from reality whilst being unable to restrain itself from interfering in as many matters as it can think of. I used to think that it was a good idea (as a trade organisation) but the longer it goes on the worse it gets, the UK needs to get out as soon as possible as we seem to be able to do huge damage to ourselves with just the national government we have, never mind getting the EU involved.

I seem to remember that it was an average across the range last time I read about this.  So BMW could balance the few 650s against the many 118ds.  The CO2 of the 118/120 and 318/320  models will be well under 100 by then I should think.  If this is the case then we need not worry too much.  The idea that the big three German manufacturers didn't see this coming is laughable really.  They have been goading the power brokers in Europe for years,  I think Porsche's move on Ken's proposed congestion charge increase has to be seen in this light. I'm not saying that I agreed with Ken but you can't go around having a go at entrenched ideologies and expect no comeback.  As Europe lurches to the right in the current economic circumstances maybe the left leaning, green flavoured consensus realised that this was the last chance to drive home this kid of legislation, and they took it.

 Surely making cars more efficient not less is a good thing?? whether it be because of CO2 the use of fossil fuels or any other argument.People against this kind of thing always bring out that same old argument that we'll all be driving around in these little plastic electric cars.

No we wont. because pushed to do these things the car manufacturers always manage to develop cars to meet the legislation. it wasnt long ago the car manufacturers were saying they couldnt make a euro 5 Diesel oh but low and behold we now have some.

Its also amazing how quickly all these little technologies suddenly appeared on BMW's overnight. Why hadnt they been there for years.because until they were pushed they didnt bother. I wouldnt be surprised if you'll be able to buy a Bentley that does over 40mpg within a couple of years and then everyones happy.