The figures were published by Clean Green Cars, which also pointed out that "Every manufacturer with average new car emissions significantly above 200 g/km of CO2 saw sales slump from January to June." Clearly, voluntary agreements are working. Why oh why then did the EU have to implement non-voluntary emissions targets for 2012? Press release below the jump.

Fiat tops the CO2 league; Porsche is rock bottom

Figures published exclusively by Clean Green Cars today reveal that Fiat and MINI are only mainstream manufacturers whose average tailpipe CO2 is now under 140 g/km. That figure was the target car makers' set themselves a decade ago in their voluntary agreement. Data for 2008 shows how far they have fallen short.

"Some manufacturers have delivered on their promise, but the vast majority have to raise their game significantly," said Jay Nagley of Clean Green Cars. "Porsche has the most work to do: bottom of the league, with CO2 emissions that actually went up slightly in the first half of 2008.

"What is interesting is that, as fuel prices rocket and the new car market falters, car makers with the highest emissions are being punished by the consumer. They have been complaining about pressure from the EU to meet what they say are 'unrealistic' targets. Now they are having to face much stiffer targets from the people that really matter: consumers."

Every manufacturer with average new car emissions significantly above 200 g/km of CO2 saw sales slump from January to June. Even bigger drops were reported last month by the five with the worst average CO2 output.

Porsche and Jeep sales were down by more than a half, Land Rover and Chrysler fell by nearly 30% while Subaru registrations plummeted 17.8%. As the total market only fell by 6.1%, there is clear evidence that high-CO2 cars are being heavily penalised.

There's a monetary penalty for not reaching the standards, based on the difference between the standard and the average multiplied by the volume of cars sold. Of course, there's still disagreement over that. Will this result in lighter, more efficient cars or just more exceptions? Only time and people with foreign accents will tell. [Guardian]

The point the French are making is that the amount they make per small car is so low that a differentiated requirement would make it less profitable to produce small cars. And that's actually the right point. As we've seen in America, luxury buyers will pay a high premium for just about anything you throw on a car. Just call it "electronic air freshening" and tack another few hundred on that S-Class. [Financial Times]

We found an interesting article on the confusion EU fuel retailers face as different members of the Eurofederacy pursue varying solutions to the petroleum problem. Chris Davies, the Minister of European Parliament who royally pissed us off a couple posts back by suggesting that performance cars should be banned also makes a point we find rather sound and valid: "Cars designed to go at stupid speeds have to be built to withstand the effects of a crash at those speeds. They are heavier than necessary, less fuel-efficient and produce too many emissions."

Except, Mr. Davies, they don't have to be built to withstand a crash at those speeds. They just have to perform well on the Euro NCAP (or similar) tests. Nobody says a Carrera GT or an Enzo has to be able to crash at 200mph with a reasonable chance of occupant survival. And besides, those cars are relatively light, because they're made of cost-no-object carbon fiber. Cars, Mr. Davies, are heavier because of insurance companies. You wanna really help out Joe Motorist? Go after those bastards. Oh, and subsidize the carbon fiber industry. – Davey G. Johnson

Fuelling choice: array of green options may offer drivers seven ways to fill up [Guardian, UK]

Related:
Europe Considers Banning High Performance Cars [Internal]

Sweet George Washington. Looks like the green-toothed, cheese-eating surrender monkeys are saddling up to the hoon-hating Pope. Sorry to revert to silly stereotypes, but this is just lousy. European leaders are in talks with each other discussing the possibility of banning high-powered sports cars on the Continent (and in Great Britain). Why? Global warming. The metric they are working with is that any car capable of going 25% faster than the Euro-norm of 130 kph (about 80 mph) is producing too much CO2. That means that under the proposal, any car that can travel 100 mph will be banned come 2013. Casting aside our hard-won journalistic integrity for a moment, this legislation is so impossibly stupid our head hurts. We once got our old 1.8-liter Sentra shitbox up to 120 mph in Arizona. Luckily, even if this does become law, none of this nonsense will have any legal teeth in Germany (because Germans are awesome), and as Germans make up a large number of the EU members with votes (99 out of 785) hopefully they can beat talk some sense into their insane stuffy friends. Or at least vote early and often. For the record, Jalopnik votes no. – Jonny Lieberman

Europe considers ban on performance cars [Motor Authority]

Related:
Merkel Don't Need No Merkin: German Chancellor Stands Up for Bruce [Internal]

Angela Merkel just applied a blast furnace to the cockles of our speed-freak hearts by standing up to the EU and asserting that unrestricted autobahn speeds aren't negotiable. The key to the development of the most Brucetastic vehicles in the world, the highways are a wonder of order and precision, at least when compared to the 405. The German chancellor stared down EU Environmental Commissioner Stavros Dimas when he asserted that Germany isn't doing enough to be green. Funny, because when we studied in Germany a decade ago, it was a helluva lot greener than the US is now. Plus, gas prices and the cost and rigorous nature of driver training in Germany, as well as serious TUV inspections, combined with impeccably-maintained roadways make travel by car in the nation, from our anecdotal experience, some of the safest and cleanest in the world.

We agree with Merkel; the unrestricted Autobahn and its success add to German prestige. And as the EU clamps down on emissions, practicioners of Bruce's black, precise art will simply build more powerful, cleaner engines. You cannot stop Bruce. You can't even contain it. It will triumph. And the autobahn is Bruce's natural habitat. Limit the 'Bahn and you neuter Bruce. Remember what happened last time international governments cut the Germans off at the cojones? – Davey G. Johnson

Germany's Open Speed Limits To Continue — But for How Long? [Inside Line via Autoblog]

According to a survey by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders, 90% of Blighty motorists want cars that cause less in the way of blight, and the European Commission is fast-tracking an initiative to make that happen. The new Low Carbon Car Fund will offer motorists between three-hundred and a thousand quid if their cars emit less than 115 grams per kilogram of carbon dioxide. Green-leaning po' folks are stoked.

90% Brits want greener cars [Platinum Today]

Related:
Five Corporations: Big Companies Produce More CO2 Than All of UK's Cars [Internal]

Owners of older cars in Sofia, Bulgaria are playing havoc with the city's traffic as they line up for new EU-approved license plates, in some cases waiting in lines four hours long and creating hazardous traffic conditions. Brilliantly, in a city of nearly 1.4 million people, authorities have set up one station where the plates can be obtained and then cut the deadline back by 9 months. The communist system may have fallen apart, but y'know, bureaucrats always learn to adapt.

Old Cars Seal Off Large Chunk of Sofia [Sofia News Agency]

Related:
Bulgarian Key-Fob Guns Show up in UK [Internal]

The Brits are amending their Road Safety Bill to include a provision for law-enforcement officers to clamp foreign-registered vehicles that muff the rules. Inspired by falsified names/addresses by cross-Europe truckers, the po-po will now be able to clamp vehicles from other nation-states if the drivers are unable to pay the fine. By the way, can we mention that we've always thought that "lorry" was a stupid word for a great big freakin' truck? That's like calling Robin Tunney "Gustav" or something.

Police allowed to clamp foreign cars [Channel 4, UK]

Related:
Johnny Law s Gone Too Far: UK Lawyers Decry Tricks Book as Intimidation [Internal]

The EU ain't all that happy with Greece these days. It seems that they're seizing cars of visitors and leveling some some seriously preposterous fines. In short, seems to us (and bear in mind our grasp of Greece's place in the geopolitical spectrum dates back to roughly 'round the time Socrates quaffed the hemlock), that Greece wants all of the benefits of EU-ness, while being able to go its own way. And the whole thing brings to mind the punch line of the old off-color joke about the girl who marries the Greek man: "But mom! What if I wanna have babies?" [Thanks to Conor for the tip.]

Greece accused of illegal car seizures [BBC]

Related:
Adventures in Inebriated Nitespot Decamping With Paris Hilton and Her Greek Lover! [Internal]

Following the Landwind fiasco, another Chinese automaker is taking heat for making an end run around EU safety regs. Great Wall Automobile plans to launch the Hover SUV and Deer 4x4, both phenomenally-named vehicles that Great Wall is hoping will hover and bound their way to 12,000 sales a year, primarily in Spain and Italy at first. However, the vehicles are being imported on a license for commercial vehicles, thus conveniently exempting them from crash tests. We think it can go without saying that the Benelux Badasses of Brussels aren't havin' any o' this nonsense.

More Chinese cars dodge tests [Automotive Business Review]

Related:
Ugly, Fat Beligian Bastards Refuse to Let American Cars into Country [Internal]

European vehicle manufacturers aren't thrilled with Chinese decrees that foreign automakers must engage in joint ventures with domestic companies. They feel (and rightly so), that the playing field is set for an uphill run to the goal for their products, as well as their long-term business plans. So much so, in fact, that they're threatening to go to the World Trade Organization with their grievances if the Chinese don't offer some redress to their complaints. And although the Chinese are eager to become an automotive powerhouse, somehow we don't see them backing down. What say ye, oh mighty WTO? What say ye?

EU Renews Threat to Take China to WTO over Cars [Planet Ark]

Related:
Still Feel Ghosn: Renault to Bail on China? [Internal]

Despite rumors to the contrary, Lewis Booth main Lewis Booth and generally guy in charge of FoMoCo's Euro endeavors says that Jaguar is mos def not on the block, despite impending staff cuts. He also said that the automaker's Old Word unit is on track to post a profit of $100-200 million bucks. All's rosy in Ford-land. Go about your business. Especially you, you male-belly-dancin' Beth Chayim Chadashim types. [Thanks to Punkey for the tip.]

Jaguar not for sale, Ford Europe head says [Reuters]

Related:
Jalopnik Poll: A Luxury Brand for Renault [Internal]

The EU's mental muscles hooked up in Brussels for a sit-down on the question of daytime headlight operation and came out convinced that it should be mandatory across the European Union within a couple of years. When they were done, the went out for a few glasses of Chimay, ate tall waffles, consumed some small-cabbage-esque items, engaged in a paintball re-enactment of the Battle of the Bulge and enjoyed a private screening of "Hard Target."

EU: cars to keep lights on at all times [Expatica]

Related:
Belgian Landwind Hullabaloo [Internal]

Swedish officials are asking for an exemption from an EU mandate that no member nation can require safety features on vehicles that the others haven't agreed to. In Sverige's case, it's the installation of alcohol locks on all cars and trucks sold in the country; the Scandinavian nation is pushing for all vehicles to come standard with the devices by 2012. Says Debra Ulrica Messing, Sweden's communications minister, Swedish experts believe that alcohol-related road accidents can be halved if all cars are fitted with an alcolock. We cannot afford to forgo this chance," while Swedish road safety director Claes Tingvall adds, We have seen with electronic stability control and seatbelt reminders that markets can be created. Creepy or good? Commenters, it's Fray time.

Sweden wants 'alcolocks' on new cars [Globe and Mail]

Related:
Quit Yer Naggin, Eh? Canada Testing GPS-Linked Throttle Controls [Internal]

PSA Peugeot Citro n got slapped with a fish by the European Commission in the form of a 45 million-euro fine for preventing people from benefitting from a common market. The company kept French customers from purchasing vehicles in the Netherlands between 1997 and 2003, where prices are up to 16% lower for the average vehicle. Peugeot said that it had taken notice of the EU's decision and quote, "Waves our collective private parts at their aunties."

Peugeot Citroen hit with EU fine [BBC]

Related:
Peugeot Citroen's Plan: Scrap Your Car, Get a Thousand Bucks [Internal]