Carmakers paid huge CO2 fines to the EU in 2020, but have paid almost nothing since then

Not only did 2020 see a pandemic sweep the world, but it also saw automakers struggling to adjust to the new regulatory environment on emissions across Europe.

According to documents viewed by European automobile newsAutomakers operating in Europe had to pay 510 million euros ($837 million) in fines for failing to meet CO2 emissions targets in 2020, but that figure has since been reduced to just 10 million euros ( 16 million USD) in 2021 and nothing in 2022.

The trade publication confirmed Bentley, DR Motor (an Italian company that sells cars rebranded from several Chinese companies), JLR, Lamborghini, McLaren, Subaru, Suzuki and Volkswagen all failed to meet their 2020 targets. .

This is the first year the bloc has started enforcing a stricter standard that limits brands to a fleet-wide average emissions of 95g/km under the old NEDC standard or around 120g/km under the WLTP protocol Present.

Companies that exceed that target could have to pay up to 95 euros ($156) per gram per vehicle sold.

In its public filing, Volkswagen admitted to paying 100 million euros ($164 million) for not reaching its 0.75g/km target, while JLR had to pay 35 million pounds ($67 million) for being afraid of overdriving. 3g/km.

Based on European automobile newsThe Suzuki missed the mark by 10.4g/km, while the Subaru beat the target by a whopping 34g/km.

Although the documents do not detail the amount of fine each manufacturer must pay, the website estimates that Subaru's small presence in the EU (only 16,176 units sold) leaves it only liable for compensation. usually 52 million euros (86 million USD), while Suzuki, sold 160,570 vehicles. in 2020, it cost about 160 million euros ($265 million).

Starting in 2021, many automakers have organized themselves into officially approved groups. Within these groups, manufacturers with highly efficient product lines or pure electric vehicle lines will help offset emissions from less fuel-efficient automakers.

CO2 targets for each group are also adjusted according to the size of vehicles sold, with a slightly more lenient target for larger vehicles.

Only a few brands, including Bugatti and Ferrari, exceeded the 2021 target.

In 2022, only Bugatti missed the target and because it was a low-volume manufacturer – with only 30 units sold across Europe – it avoided fines.

That year, a group including Tesla, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover easily surpassed their target with average emissions of just 50g/km, while another group including Mazda, Suzuki, Subaru and Toyota passed with level 114g/km.

Behind Tesla, the manufacturer with the best performance is Kia (100g/km), followed by Hyundai (101g/km) and Stellantis (103g/km). The Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance (105g/km) entered the top 5.

Next is BMW (105g/km), Mercedes-Benz (112g/km), Ford (113g/km), Mazda/Subaru/Suzuki/Toyota, and then Volkswagen (119g/km).

These figures suggest that CO2 penalties for car manufacturers over the next few years will be low, but regulatory rules will tighten in 2025 when the overall target is lowered to 93.6g/km under WLTP standard.

In 2030, the threshold will drop to 49.5g/km before reaching zero in 2035, banning new cars with petrol and diesel engines.