Audi CEO Rupert Stadler praised reports that the European Commission is considering a weight-based system to regulate CO2 emissions from cars.

The European Commission has proposed a reduction in average fleet CO2 emissions to 130 grams per kilometer by 2012 from about 160g/km now. German automakers cannot reach that target with their current range of large cars.

The issue has become a political north-south flashpoint in Europe as Germany, keen to protect its powerful auto industry, clashes with Italy and France whose domestic car producers make smaller, more fuel-efficient models.

Volume carmakers such as Italy's Fiat and France's Renault and PSA/Peugeot-Citroen would benefit if the EU decides to require that each automaker meet a flat 130g/km CO2 emissions limit because their mostly small cars are close to that level already.

But premium automakers with larger, less fuel-efficient fleets, argue in favor of rules that vary CO2 limits based on the size or weight of the vehicle.

Malcolm Harbour, a member of the European parliament, told Automotive News Europe last week that there is consensus building up in Brussels that a weight-based target system is the way forward.

Audi is the first carmaker to publicly endorse a weight-based system, which Germany's Handelsblatt newspaper says is under consideration by the commission.

"This system would have to apply to all manufacturers equally and be done in such a way that each individual car does its bit to reduce carbon dioxide in its market segment," Stadler said in an interview with WirtschaftsWoche.

A1 will help

A new Audi entry-premium car – the A1 – will help reduce Audi's overall emissions by around 5g/km, Stadler told WirtschaftsWoche.

Audi currently has average emissions across its range of mainly premium sedans of about 179g/km.

In comparison, Porsche's average CO2 output is about 280g/km, while BMW has an average of 190g/km for its fleet of sporty sedans, SUVs and coupes.

At the other end of the scale, Italy's Fiat had emissions of 139g/km in 2005, according to data by lobby group Transport and Environment.

A weight-based system would allow higher CO2 emissions for heavier or larger cars, thus easing the burden on makers of SUVs, sports cars and large sedans, many of which are German.

Germany's European commissioner, Günter Verheugen, has supported his nation's auto industry. The sector is a major employer and one of driving forces of Europe's biggest economy.

"We should not forget that upper-premium and medium-premium cars are our strength," Verheugen told German newspaper Bild am Sonntag.

He also supported a differentiated emissions scale: "The target level cannot be the same for every car."

Whether such a system would use vehicle weight as its base is undecided, he said.

The commission is due to present its proposals for a CO2 emissions reduction scheme by the end of this year or the beginning of next year, Verheugen said.

Verheugen secured the commission's target of 130g/km after successfully lobbying on behalf of the German carmakers. His commission colleagues originally wanted a target of 120g/km.

The commission's new target currently assigns another 10g/km reduction to be accomplished through the use of biofuels.

You may e-mail Tom Armitage at autonews@crain.com