Volkswagen commits to slashing fleet emissions

Volkswagen has committed to dramatically slashing its fleet emissions to 95g/km by the year 2020.

This is the first move by an auto manufacturer to commit to reducing emissions by agreeing to an ambitious package of targets that will see average fleet emissions drop to 95g/km in seven years time.

It announced it would be on track to deliver average fleet emissions of 120g/km by the year 2015. If this milestone is reached, it will have exceeded the EU’s legally-binding targets by 12 grams.

With this in mind, the car manufacturer decided to set an even more ambitious emissions target for the end of the decade, which VW's chair Professor Martin Winterkorn described as a “Herculean task”.

The expert said that the company is “well on our way to making our Group the world's leading automaker in environmental terms."

Professor Winterkorn insisted that, despite the size of this target, it was wholly achievable, as Volkswagen already offers customers some 36 models with emissions below 100g/km.

He added that many of the technologies needed to meet the target have already been developed.

"Our one-litre car, the XL1, is a technological spearhead," he claimed.

"With fuel consumption of 0.83 litres and 21 grams CO2 per kilometre, the XL1 sets new long-term standards in the automotive industry. The technologies used in the XL1 find their way into our series vehicles. That applies in particular to plug-in hybrid technology, which we are systematically pursuing."

What’s more, the professor said that the company would not use loopholes, such as the double counting of electric cars, in order to meet the average emissions target.

Volkswagen is this week set to debut its new e-Co-Motion concept vehicle - an electric city delivery fan. This vehicle promises a driving range of up to 200km and a top speed of 120km/hour.