Emissions from new cars sold in the EU dropped 3.4 per cent last year to 136.1g of CO2 per kilometre, just ahead of the UK average of 138g/km, research published yesterday by analysts JATO Dynamics has revealed.
Europe's fleet averaged 140.9g/km in 2010, but reductions across almost all manufacturers and in 21 European countries monitored helped the bloc to stay well on course to achieve the 130g/km EU target by 2015.
The figures are bound to add more fuel to green groups' claims that manufacturers have overestimated the impact of the emissions standards on costs and could move even faster to enhance fuel efficiency.