CO2 Emissions in Germany Set to Rise as Diesel Sales Fall

This year the German car market is likely to end a 20-year-long decline in carbon dioxide emissions from new vehicles because of sagging demand for diesels, says importer association VDIK.

The group’s analysis considers only data for imported diesels. Through the first five months of 2017, CO₂ emissions from that pool of vehicles rose by nearly 1 gram per kilometer to 127.6 g/km compared with the same period last year. Annual CO₂ emissions, a proxy for fuel efficiency, haven’t increased since 1997 for imported diesels, Automotive News Europe reports.

The online newspaper notes that Germany’s experience may signal a similar trend across Europe. Diesels are roughly 20% more fuel efficient than gasoline engines. But consumers are worried about threatened bans on diesels over concerns about nitrogen oxides emissions. NOx pollutants are linked to pulmonary diseases.

But a Europewide decline in diesel sales will make it tougher for carmakers to meet the EU’s goal of reducing average CO₂ emissions from new cars to 95 g/km by 2020 from last year’s average of 118.1 g/km.

That likelihood is driving the industry’s sudden interest in hybrid and all-electric powertrains to help lower their CO₂ emission averages.