The European Union will ban the sale of thermal engine vehicles on the Old Continent in 2035 with the aim of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050. The defined objective implies that manufacturers convert their ranges to 100% electric. They are making a forced march there while meeting the short-term goals set by the European Commission.
In fact, car manufacturers no longer need to exceed an average CO2 emissions target.two. This is different for each brand in order to respect a certain fairness. If exceeded, manufacturers are penalized with a fine of €95 per gram in excess and per vehicle sold. Enough to encourage them not to get off the hook… So which manufacturers have cut their CO emissions the most?two in 2021? The company Jato Dynamics prepares the balance sheet.
Increase in SUV sales, CO emissionstwo fall
With the pandemic and semiconductor crisis, 2021 has been a difficult year for manufacturers. In order not to be penalized too much, they often decided to rationalize their ranges, focusing again on their most profitable and best-selling models. ” In most cases, they were electric cars and SUVs. “explains Jet. While SUVs are bigger and heavier, the arrival of a large number of zero-emission models has helped to balance the balance.
” Mid-size SUVs have emerged as the greenest vehicles in Europe, with a total average of 65.4 g/km “, point out the experts. On the other hand, city models are more difficult to electrify to contain prices. Incidentally, these B-segment SUVs exhibited ” the second highest average among all SUV subsegments, behind luxury models » says Jato, who warns that manufacturers will have to « find solutions, as this segment is the fastest growing “. Another notable phenomenon on this balance sheet: the success of the Tesla Model 3. This car alone allowed average CO2 emissions to be reduced.two in the sedan category – increasingly less popular – at 75.9 g/km. It’s as good as the city car segment average (76.9 g/km)!
In the end, the average CO emissionstwo of all car brands in Europe passed on from 117.7 g/km in 2020 to 99 g/km in 2021. ” This reduction is the result of a better sales mix, which contains more low-emission cars and less polluting SUVs. It also stems from the general drop in sales observed after the pandemic. explains Jet Dynamics.
Renault shines!
As for the manufacturer rankings, Tesla (the only 100% electric manufacturer in this top 25 best-selling brands in Europe) unsurprisingly takes first place. Renault and Hyundai always come second and third with respectively 86.7 and 89.8 g/km of COtwo. The diamond maker reduced average carbon dioxide emissions by 11.5% of its range, thanks in particular to the success of Zoe and the launch of several plug-in hybrid versions. Nonetheless, “ most Renault vehicles sold in 2021 were still equipped with gasoline engines, producing an average of 123.4 g/km “reports Jet. In turn, Hyundai has also improved by reducing its average CO2 emissions by 16%.two. The reason ? A big hit from its zero-emission cars and plug-in hybrids, which saw their sales increase by 26% and 246% respectively. “ The Korean brand is now among the top ten most popular among people looking for low-emission vehicles. “, says Jet.
The brands that are improving the most
As for the brands that lowered their average emissions the most, we can mention: Mini, Skoda and Jeep. The British brand reduced its score by 20% (90.1 g/km) thanks to the good sales of its Cooper SE. Skoda has reduced its emissions by 22% with the success of its Enyaq electric SUV. As for the Jeep, if it only points to the 23and ranking position, the American manufacturer managed to reduce its CO2 emissions by 23.2%two. He can thank the arrival of the rechargeable hybrid versions (4Xe) on the Renegade and Compass. These two models accounted for 26% of the brand’s total volume in Europe. Finally, if Cupra is not one of the 25 best-selling brands on the Old Continent, it is the one that registers the biggest drop in its CO2 emissions.two. These are down 40% thanks to its PHEV models and its Born electric compact, a cousin of the Volkswagen ID.3.
CO emissionstwo of our cars by country
In its study, the company Jato Dynamics also focuses on the classification of countries. Unsurprisingly, it’s Norway – where electrified vehicles are king – that CO emissionstwo are the lowest. The average is just 16.9 g/km! It must be said that almost two out of every three passenger cars registered in 2021 are purely electric. And SUVs are particularly popular there, notes Jato. They accounted for 65% of sales in 2021. At the bottom of the table, Slovenia, Croatia or Greece show average COtwo very high. In these countries, where average per capita income is lower than in many northern European states, drivers do not invest in expensive zero-emission models due to a lack of purchasing power and significant financial incentives from governments.
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