ACEA

Lead-time is essential and will not prevent emissions from going down

Of the cars for sale in 2012, 60% is already in production today

Carbon emissions from new cars will continue to go down, no matter what the entry date of new legislation will be. The car industry has taken and will take many incremental steps in the coming years to further reduce CO2 emissions from new cars. Manufacturers have implemented and will further introduce many different technologies, each in their own way. Many of the solutions have been invested in and developed over the past decade.

For specific new legal requirements, however, the industry needs sufficient lead-time to adapt. Every detail matters, as different types of legislation can have different effects for manufacturers and models.

Cars are highly complex and innovative products and vehicle and engine adjustments are capital-intensive operations. Typically, the implementation of our many innovations will evolve gradually, along with the industry's planned production schedules and model changes, to avoid prohibitive costs that would make cars unaffordable or force production out of Europe.

Development of car takes up to 12 years

Development of a car - from design to production logistics - takes up to 5 years. The product cycle, or the time a model is kept in production, comprises up to 7 years. The concept phase and production cycles of engines and transmission are even longer, with 7 up to 10 years. Manufacturers and their suppliers plan and allocate production capacity well ahead to accommodate production and renewal of their car portfolio.

As a consequence, 60% of the cars that will be for sale in 2012, is already in production today. Another 30% is in the advanced stage of development, where only limited changes are still possible.

Lead-time is common procedure

Lead-time is an accepted part of legislation. Euro 6 standards, for example, were adopted in 2006 and will enter into force in 2015. In Japan, new CO2-related agreements were accepted in 2006 and will apply from 2015. The target set in Japan is 138 grammes of CO2 per kilometre.

New law will most likely not be ready before 2009 and, depending on how new CO2 targets will be translated in technical legislation, the consequences for individual car models may differ significantly. It is essential that the upcoming legislative framework takes account of what is technologically possible and cost-effective - both at the short and at the longer term.

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