(Tue 20 Jan 09)

The average CO2 emissions of new cars may not be falling as quickly as many people would like, but a report by CleanGreenCars suggests that the trend is at least going in the right direction.

Back in 1997 the average figure was 189.8g/km. It has fallen every year since, and in 2008 it took its biggest tumble yet, dropping by 3.7% from 164.9g/km to 158.7g/km.

The lowest-CO2 manufacturer in 2007 (counting only those who build cars with at least four seats) was Fiat, with an average of 142.2g/km. Fiat brought this down to 137.3g/km last year, but the adoption of stop/start engine technology across the entire MINI range allowed that company to take the overall lead at 137.2g/km.

MINI continued to improve throughout the year, recording an average of 131.2g/km in the final quarter. But there is still more to be done. The EU's target figure across the entire industry is 130g/km, and not even MINI has reached that yet.

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