BRITAIN鈥橲 motor industry is planning a major publicity campaign to counter
what it sees as an official anti-car bias and to improve the environmental image
of the car, according to documents leaked to the pressure group Friends of the
Earth (FoE). The five-year campaign could cost up to 拢12 million.
The internal document, which was produced last month by the Society of Motor
Manufacturers and Traders, says that the 鈥渦ltimate objective of the campaign
must be to protect the long-term commercial freedom of the motor industry and
the lifestyle freedom of car users鈥�.
The campaign will highlight the motor industry鈥檚 efforts to reduce emissions
of carbon dioxide. European car manufacturers have already agreed with the
European Commission to reduce CO2 emissions from new cars by 25 per
cent to a target of 140 grams per kilometre by 2008 (This Week, 8 August, p
5).
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However, the document also reveals that the industry is some way from meeting
that target. For example, last year鈥檚 new cars emit an average of 192 grams per
kilometre鈥攕ome 37 per cent above the target.
To help curb these emissions, the government has proposed replacing the flat
rate annual tax on cars with a tax related to engine size so that owners of
large gas-guzzlers would pay more than owners of small cars. But the motor
industry opposes taxes on people owning cars, preferring taxes on use.
Richard Barnett, the society鈥檚 media manager, says: 鈥淲e will work with the
government to produce a practical system.鈥� But Ian Willmore of FoE says the
industry 鈥渕ay pose as partners of the government, but its real intention is to
frustrate serious attempts to reduce traffic levels鈥�.