Growth of small, low-CO2 cars has led to lower carbon emissions being produced across Europe, according to JATO Dynamics.

More than 50 per cent of cars in the European car market emit less than 140g/km, with low-carbon cars , producing less than 120g/km, taking an 8.9 per cent increased market share.

Average volume-weighted CO2 emissions across all models and segments fell by 7.9g/km last year, compared to in 2008 when the reduction was only 5.4g/km.

The majority of this decrease is due to a change in buying habits, with people downsizing to smaller, more economical cars, according to JATO, which is the automotive industry’s leading provider of data.

This change in consumer behaviour is also related to the scrappage schemes, which were implemented in various countries across Europe from last year.

Small, low-CO2 emitting cars were the most popular sold during the scrappage schemes, which strongly influences new car sales across Europe in 2009.

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