New car emissions down, says SMMT

New car emissions down, says SMMT

Average new car CO2 emissions are dropping steadily, it has been reported.

According to figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the average emissions of new models dropped 4.7 per cent to 145.2g/km in the first half of 2010, compared with the same period last year.

While the rate of improvement is quite slow, the organisation notes that new technologies are constantly improving new car efficiency.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt commented on the statistics, praising "continued efforts" on the part of vehicle manufacturers.

"All manufacturers are committed to offering ever more efficient products through the introduction of increasingly efficient engines and alternative technologies," Mr Everitt said.

He added that the rest of 2010 will be "challenging" after the end of the government's scrappage scheme.

Despite this, registrations of alternatively fuelled cars doubled in the first half of 2010, compared with 2009.

The energy used to produce cars in the UK has dropped almost a quarter (24 per cent), according to SMMT data.