Why are car companies hiding their progress? Photo: drinksmachine
It's not often you see car companies trying to hide their green achievements. We're more used to seeing them worn boastfully on the outside. The way Superman wears his underpants.
So why would they hide them now?
The Corporate Social Responsibility guys must be choking on their almond croissants. Today's news is something they want to shout about: fast, tangible progress on vehicle efficiency technology that reduces emissions. Greener cars, greener company. This time they don't have to make it up. But they're being hushed up by the lobbyists in the boardroom, who know that talking about these gains is going to counter their main argument with politicians: that their companies can't comply with proposed CO2 targets in time.
The nerdy details have just been released in a report by Transport & Envrionment, which shows that companies like Toyota, Suzuki, Daimler, Ford and Mazda are streets ahead of where they legally need to be on vehicle emissions. Toyota - the same company our colleagues in Brussels say is one of those lobbying against the next stage of European car fuel efficiency regulations - is six years ahead of the current target.
Good news, no?
Not if you're a car industry lobbyist saying to ministers and their sidekicks across the EU that "these van product cycles take ages to change", or "these proposed emissions targets for our vehicles are unrealistic for the pace of technological innovation", or even "another glass of Tattinger, sir?"
The truth is that the technology is improving faster than was previously thought possible. That's something car manufacturers should be shouting about.
But they're not, and there are worrying signs that the UK position on the upcoming European negotiations on efficiency targets for vans is already slipping - in part due to this fiction about the time needed to develop the technologies.
More than 9,000 of you have already emailed Philip Hammond telling him to take a strong position in these discussions - thank you. We'll be keeping a watchful eye on what happens in this process and be sure to update you on all developments. Including when carmakers need congratulating, loud enough for the politicians to hear.
