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Sam Charlwood22 Jun 2020
NEWS

Vehicle emissions plateau amid ute and SUV boom

Reduction in Australia’s new-vehicle CO2 output stagnated in 2019 despite more hybrid and EV sales, research shows

Australia’s accelerated take-up of hybrid and electric vehicles is seemingly being eroded by continued demand for large SUVs and dual-cab 4x4 utes, latest emissions research shows.

New figures from the National Transport Commission found the average new car sold in Australia in 2019 emitted 180.5 grams of CO2 per kilometre – a fall of 0.2 per cent on the previous year.

The result is the smallest reduction in vehicle emissions since local records started in 2002, and places Australia well behind Japan (114.6g/km), Europe (120.4g/km) and even the US (145.6g/km) in terms of new light vehicle pollution.

Australia’s poor result is being largely attributed to the continued popularity of utes and SUVs – some of the biggest polluting vehicles on sale. Last year, SUVs accounted for 45.5 per cent of Australia’s new-vehicle market (up 2.5%) while light commercial vehicle sales comprised 21.2 per cent (up 0.6%) and the Toyota HiLux remained the nation’s top-selling vehicle.

According to the NTC, pick-ups now contribute 21 per cent of Australia’s national average emissions intensity – up from 12 per cent back in 2011. Medium SUVs (up 9%) and large SUVs (up 2%) have also been weighty contributors in the latest figures compared with 2011.

Another key factor in the increased emissions is Australia’s high-sulphur petrol, which has prevented several manufacturers from importing their latest engines.

car exhaust infographic

“One of the key findings in the report is that if we choose new vehicles based on emissions performance, we can have a significant impact,” said Sandra McKay, head of sustainability for the National Transport Commission.

“If everyone who purchased one of Australia’s top 10 selling cars or utes last year had chosen the best-in-class vehicle for emissions, Australia would have recorded a 63 per cent reduction in emissions intensity from the cars sold. Instead, Australia recorded a 0.2 per cent drop in emissions intensity.”

The plateauing effect of SUVs and utes comes despite accelerated adoption of hybrid and electric vehicles in Australia. In 2019, hybrid and electric vehicles accounted for 3.5 per cent of all new vehicles sold, with sales more than doubling on the year prior.

Within that, Tesla commanded 56 per cent of the green vehicle market share, based on internal figures provided to carsales earlier this year revealed, allowing the US marque to outsell Jaguar, MINI and Peugeot locally.

As revealed by carsales last month, the Australian automotive industry is set to introduce a landmark voluntary CO2 code that will move emissions figures closer to that of Europe and other developed nations.

There is also speculation the controversial Luxury Car Tax will soon be replaced by a new CO2 levy which would also help in slashing emissions.

For the 15 most popular makes sold in Australia, Suzuki had the lowest average CO2 emissions intensity at 128g/km, while Ford had the highest at 210g/km – a reflection of the popularity for its Ranger ute and Mustang sports car.

Other marques, including BMW (up 7.3%), actually increased their average carbon dioxide emissions between 2018 and 2019 due to a higher proportion of SUV sales.

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