OEMs, EU Closer to Deal

FIAT SPA CEO SERGIO MARCHIONNE SAYS the European Commission and auto makers in the region are close to a compromise agreement on future emissions standards, although he declines to provide details.

Speaking at the Frankfurt Motor Show and joined by seven colleagues from competing European OEMs, Marchionne says auto makers would agree to cut carbon-dioxide emissions to 120 g/km by 2015, but that any proposal with an earlier effective date, such as a 2012 timeframe proposed earlier by the EC, is “not doable.”

The ACEA, the European auto makers' association, led currently by Marchionne, is insisting every one of the EU's 27 countries be on board with the agreement. Today, only 11 EU members enforce C02 emissions regulations, Marchionne says.

In addition, any deal should include governmental efforts to promote “eco-driving,” he says. Eco-driving refers to motorists who make a conscious effort to conserve fuel by such measures as combining all errands into one trip, observing speed limits and making sure tires are properly inflated. Marchionne says studies show eco-driving can cut CO2 emissions about 7%.

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