Car Makers Vow to Cut Emissions

The race for a greener future means, for some manufacturers, inventing new drive trains and presenting the world with the promise of an electric vehicle powered future. For others, however, being green does not necessarily mean turning electric.

Six of the biggest carmakers operating in Taiwan, BMW, Ford, Honda Taiwan, CMC, Hyundai and Mercedes-Benz, announced this week they had signed a series of voluntary agreements with the local Environment Protection Administration (EPA).

The agreements state that the six carmakers will cut their carbon emissions by 10 to 15 percent by 2015. The reduction in harmful emissions should be significant, as the six account for roughly 30 percent of the country's motor pool (the rest belongs to local producers like Kuozui Motors, Yulon and Hotai Motors).

The agreements require those who have signed them to incorporate these objectives into their products and marketing campaigns. Even if they are voluntary, the agreements do not come without penalties.

Those who will meet their targets will be rewarded (even if the rewards were not announced), while those who fail to meet the goals will be penalized. A detailed report of the amount of CO2 emitted within a period is also required to monitor the progress achieved by the carmakers.

The state agency is currently working on convincing other manufacturers to join the effort. The main targets of the talks are Japanese carmakers, led by the leader of the industry, Toyota. A decision by the others is expected to be taken next year and announced at a later date.