Tom Raftery
A key European Parliament committee on Thursday gave its backing to strong European Union limits on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) new cars should emit in a dramatic turnaround from the expected result.
But it was met with dismay by auto lobbies and politicians, with the association of European car manufacturers, ACEA, saying that the committee had "given the wrong signal" and "missed the opportunity to shape a realistic framework" for development.
The committee decided that car makers selling their vehicles in the EU should ensure that the average CO2 emissions of the cars they sell are no more than 120 grams per kilometre (g/km) in 2012.
Penalties for non-compliance should start at 20 euros (29.3 dollars) per car sold and per g/km over the limit in 2012, and rise to 95 euros per g/km in 2015, they said.
And the EU should bring in a further target of 95 g/km by 2020, they decided.
co2 co2 emissions carbon dioxide
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