Diesel passenger cars represented 1.7 per cent of the market just five years ago. Today (or last year, to be precise), they accounted for 15 per cent of all passenger vehicles sold in Australia.
Such a major shift in vehicle buying preferences has played a significant role in the steady reduction in CO2 emissions across the national vehicle parc. The Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) certainly argues that point, and has the stats to prove it in the National Average Carbon Emission (NACE) figure for 2011 — released yesterday.
In 2002, according to NACE, the average vehicle CO2 emissions figure was 252.4g/km. Since then the average has dropped in increments, to arrive at 206.6g/km last year. That's an 18.1 per cent reduction over the nine-year period and a 2.8 per cent reduction since the previous year (2010). Taken back to 2000 the figure is even better, says Ian Chalmers, Chief Executive of the FCAI.
“The average new car sold in Australia is now at least 20 per cent more efficient than it was in 2000.”
“This is one of the most significant yearly improvements in the NACE figure and demonstrates the industry’s commitment to continue to improve fuel efficiency and reduce carbon dioxide emissions. The result is a combination of improvements in vehicle technology and a change in consumer buying preferences toward lower emission vehicles.
“There has been a strong uptake in new-generation diesel and hybrid powered vehicles by consumers. In addition, ongoing efficiency improvements in average emissions from petrol powered vehicles by almost 7 per cent indicates that consumers are continuing to purchase more efficient vehicles across the new vehicle fleet. Carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles have reduced significantly without regulation and the industry now looks forward to working constructively with the Federal Government in developing a new standard.”
Governments at state and federal level — plus the Australian Conservation Foundation — have called for a mandatory fuel efficiency standard such as CAFE in the US, but the FCAI has lobbied in the past for market forces alone to drive down CO2 emissions, as the NACE figures seem to support.
The NACE average is calculated by establishing the NEDC (New European Driving Cycle) combined fuel consumption figure for each and every car sold in Australia during the year. Based on each vehicle's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number), the FCAI can determine what options are fitted to that vehicle — everything from engines, transmissions and all-wheel drive, to multi-zone climate control and heated seats. Each vehicle's NEDC combined-cycle figure goes into the pot and an average is calculated across all vehicles sold throughout the country for the reporting year.
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