British automakers have won a four-year delay for the introduction of European rules designed to force them to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars. Earlier this year, European sports car makers said they felt endangered by new EU regulations. The new deal means automakers producing fewer than 10,000 cars a year won't have to invest in carbon-reduction technology for years, Times Online reports.
For the rest of the industry, a 130g/km target is being phased in over three years from 2012. A third of each company’s output will be exempted from the target in 2012.
Under the special deal, Jaguar Land Rover can comply with a 25 percent CO2 emissions reduction by 2015 from its 2007 average. Aston Martin, Lotus and McLaren have also won the right to have special targets.
The new deal also delays the fines for failing to comply with EU's CO2 reduction target. The fines won't be enforced until 2019.
Tony Bosworth, transport campaigner of Friends of the Earth’s, told Times Online that “This is a depressing outcome on a vital piece of climate legislation.”
