The European Union industry commissioner, Guenter Verheugen, has warned against targeting large cars in the CO2 debate, as the upper segment and upper medium segment is where German car manufacturers excel, and many jobs in Germany depend on these cars.

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Speaking to a German newspaper at the weekend, he said there is still scope for reducing CO2 emissions in all classes of cars. “Even in the small car segment there is still a lot that can be done,” he said.


Referring to the planned EU CO2 emissions limit of an average of 130g per kilometre by 2012, down from around 160g today, Verheugen said that the limit should not be the same for all types of vehicles. This is a view that has also been argued by the German automotive industry trade association, the Verband der Automobilindustrie (VDA).


Different types of vehicles could be distinguished by weight, or other technical criteria. According to the German press agency, the European Commission has so far evaluated 46 different models for a possible CO2 emissions limit. Eight of those are now being evaluated in more depth. A proposal from the Commission is not expected before December.


In the article in Sunday’s Bild am Sonntag, Verheugen added that vehicle manufacturers will not be allowed to offset emissions targets through financial payments.

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Audi chairman Rupert Stadler told another German news publication that Audi would not be able to meet the average of 120g CO2 emissions per kilometre by the proposed date. Audi’s fleet average currently stands at around 179g/km.