New cars boost air clean-up efforts

New cars sold in September produced fewer carbon emissions, air clean-up advocates will be pleased to hear.

According to new statistics released by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the average vehicle sold during the month produced four per cent less pollution than previous models.

Between January and September, emissions created by new cars stood at 138.5g/km - marking a 23.5 per cent reduction when compared to a standard motor from 2000.

This improvement has been attributed to the growing demand for fuel-efficient diesel cars, which now account for 49.9 per cent of the overall market - up from just 44.5 per cent 12 months ago.

The number of new cars being sold fell by 0.8 per cent throughout the month, but this was still a stronger performance than many motor industry experts had been predicting.

Earlier this week, BP announced it was launching a carbon emission offsetting scheme, which would aim to reduce the environmental impact of the extra travel that is expected during the 2012 London Olympics.

Posted by Claire Manning