BMW is currently among the top 3 automakers closest to making their European Union mandated CO2 targets. They are currently #3 and follow Toyota and PSA/Peugeot-Citron. BMW needs to cut its overall fleet emissions by only
7.1 percent in order to meet the more onerous emissions regulations which begin next year. Toyota needs to reduce by only 4.2 percent, and PSA by 5.1 percent.
BMW has been able to be far ahead of the curve on meeting the targets through a combination of offering increased diesel efficiency and models, activehybrid models, smaller motors with forced induction (turbo), and soon to join the fleet - pure electric vehicles.
The increased emissions standards call for reducing CO2 emissions from new cars sold in Europe to a fleet average of 130g/km by the year 2015. Failure to meet the standards will impose heavy fines - from 2012 to 2018 penalties are 5 euros per vehicle for the first g/km of CO2; 15 euros for the second gram; 25 euros for the third gram; and 95 euros from the fourth gram onwards. A carmaker with sales of 1 million units in Europe that misses the target by 1g/km of CO2 faces a 5 million euro fine.
Source [
Autonews]