Makers winning war on dearer fuel
Page 28
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
MOTOR MANUFACTURERS are doing their best to counter everrising petrol prices by cutting consumption. They have already far exceeded the target, set in October, 1978, of a 10 per cent reduction by 1985.
Indeed, in five years they have improved consumption by more • than 15 per cent, for which all fleet operators must be grateful. This figure takes no account of diesel-engined cars, of which there are now at least 47 models on the British market.
Sam Toy, chairman of the SMMT Energy Committee, has pointed out that the reduction could have been 171/2 per cent had new EEC exhaust-emission controls imposed in 1982 not knocked off 21/2 per cent. Another 2-21/2 per cent saving will be lost through further emission regulations planned
for 1985, so that there is a risk of taking one step back for every three forward.
Makers are, however, confident that they can go on improving consumption so long as they are spared the totally irrelevant and complicated, costly, troublesome catalytic converter. This would gobble up to 10 per cent more fuel for no good purpose. Beware of environmental hysteria.