Emissions

[Kevin MacBride]

Heres a new consideration... We just had a Budget here in Ireland. From next July on all new cars there will be a new carbon tax ON TOP of the road tax. This wil range from 50 Euro at the lowest rate to 2000 Euro at the top level. Cars will be rated in classes for emissions. Will this bode well for Lancia models.

[Kevin MacBride]

Edit that, only the carbon tax will apply from July 1st. Cars registered before that will pay road tax depending on engine size..

[fensaddler]

Don't know the situation in Ireland Kevin, but road tax in the UK is now banded according to emissions, and has been for some years - the lowest emission cars pay nothing at all, whilst the high output luxury cars and 4x4s are getting increasingly penalised.  The effect is to make both buyers and manufacturers more and more aware of improving efficiency and emissions across their range, across Europe.  Since I'm seeing no appreciable loss of performance, safety or comfort, but I am seeing better fuel consumption and emissions, this seems to be an entirely enlightened way of using tax to change public and corporate behaviour - though I daresay I might feel differently if I owned a large 4x4.  I will be watching Lancia's emissions and comparing them with competitors, since as a company car driver, they will have a direct bearing on my tax bill, as well as on my fuel costs - they will need to be competitive, and improve, for example, on the emissions of the current generation of Alfas, which are not particularly good when compared with their direct market peers.