Average CO2 emissions for new cars continued to fall across Europe during 2015, according to annual CO2 analysis carried out by JATO Dynamics. The analysis, which covered 23 European markets, concluded that average CO2 emissions fell by 3.2 percent across 2015 to finish at 119.3 g/km. The result was 4g/km lower than the total seen in 2014 and 7.5 g/km lower than the figure registered in 2013. The improvement is due to significant reductions coming from small and midsize markets, including Norway and Switzerland, better results posted by big volume carmakers and increasing numbers of electric vehicle registrations. Importantly, the reduction coincided with a 9.3 percent rise in registrations in the 23 markets studied across the same period, further emphasising the headway being made.
Peugeot ranked as the new emissions leader for 2015, ahead of Citroën and Renault, with an improvement of 5.8 g/km compared to 2014. The French brand’s total average CO2 emissions decreased from 109.3 g/km in 2014 to 103.5 g/km in 2015. Peugeot posted the second best improvement among the top 20 brands, buoyed by progress from the 1.0 and 3 cylinder petrol engines that power the Peugeot 108. The other Peugeot models that contributed to the overall improvement were the 308 with an average of only 97.8 g/km (vs. 102.3 in 2014), and the Peugeot 208 at 99.3 g/km.
Citroën, the other volume brand within the PSA Group, occupied second place with 105.7 g/km, down 5.1 g/km on 2014. This was driven by the higher volumes achieved by the Citroën C4 Cactus (+173 percent), the second best-selling Citroën in 2015 and the model that posted the second lowest average emissions for the brand this year.
Renault dropped two places to third in 2015, as the brand sold more SUV/Crossovers with bigger engines. The Captur’s registrations increased by 17 percent, while its average CO2 emissions increased from 105.7 g/km in 2014 to 106.2 g/km in 2015. The new Kadjar compact SUV, introduced in the second half of 2015, counted for 5.1 percent of Renault registrations with average CO2 emissions of 112.9 g/km. The real progress was made by the Clio (-2.1g/km) and the Twingo (-6.1g/km).
Fourth place was claimed by Toyota, which managed to reduce its average emissions by 4.9g/km to 107.7g/km in 2015. Last year, Toyota’s hybrid vehicles counted for 29 percent of its registrations, three more percentage points than in 2014. Nissan stayed in fifth, posting the highest average increase in CO2 emissions among the top 20. The Japanese brand recorded a rise in the average emissions for its top-seller – the Qashqai – from 115 g/km to 116.3 g/km in 2015, due to increased sales of the 1.2 115 hp and 1.6 120 hp petrol engines.
“There are a number of reasons for the improvements in CO2 emissions in 2015. The introduction of lighter models, more efficient engines and increased sales of hybrid and electric vehicles, all contributed to a positive outlook for further emissions reductions in the future,” said Felipe Munoz, global automotive analyst at JATO Dynamics.
