A limited edition Lamborghini Murcielago was found to be the top CO2 emitter in a government survey. |
By Bae Ji-sook
Staff Reporter
Sleek-bodied, fast sports cars may be everybody's dream but, when it comes to reducing carbon footprint, they seem to be a major spoiler, according to the Ministry of Environment.
The ministry issued a report Wednesday vetting foreign and domestic cars being marketed as eco-friendly.
Lamborghini's Murcielago LP670-4 was found to emit 558 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer, topping the list among 131 domestic and 216 imported vehicles.
The emissions were far higher than the average ― 254g/km for imported cars.
Ferrari's 612 Scagliett, marked 512 grams, the second highest.
Ssangyong's ChairmanW 5.0 Sedan marked the highest among domestic vehicles, with 320.3 grams.
The ministry said that these vehicles won't meet new regulations, when permissible emissions are tightened to less than 140g/km in 2015. Only 1.4 percent of the current imported cars and 5.3 percent of domestic ones meet those stricter standards.
The report also showed that diesel engines emit the most greenhouse gases, while hybrid cars are the most environmentally friendly.
Kia's Forte 1.6 LPI Hybrid emitted 101.3g/km, the lowest among domestic cars, while Hyundai's Avante 1.6 LPI Hybrid (CVT) closely followed at 104.8 g/km. Toyota's Prius emitted 83 grams, the lowest of any car.
Ministry official Kim Jong-min admitted that the reason for the difference in emissions was easy to determine. "The larger cars with big engines are bound to emit more. However, there are various ways to reduce emissions. We assume they can be cut by 20 percent without any major changes," he said.
Kim said the report was aimed at encouraging the production of environmentally friendly vehicles.
Lamborghini said, "The model is a limited edition, not specifically targeting the green consumers." Park Yoo-jin, spokeswoman for Lamborghini's official importer, added, "However, the company has upgraded some of the equipment in other models, which greatly cuts emissions."
Kim Ji-eun, spokeswoman for Ferrari's Korean importer, said the Italian carmaker already presented several more eco-friendly models at the Frankfurt Motor Show last year and received positive responses.
Cho Mi-sun, promoter for Mercedes Benz's ML63 AMG, which ranked fourth on the list with 440 grams, said, "Mercedes has more than 15 models distributed in Korea.
The company has more environmentally-friendly ones on the Korean market. Also, we are seeking to upgrade our models that have problems."
bjs@koreatimes.co.kr
|
무디스, 스페인·伊·포르투갈 신용등급 강등
