Car-makers fume over environmental ad regulations

The European Union is set to bring in new laws regarding adverts for cars.

Under the legislation car manufacturers will be forced to include large ‘health-like’ warnings in car adverts explaining the petrol consumption and carbon emissions of the vehicle being advertised.

Similar to cigarette health warnings, a proportion of the advert would be given over to give carbon emissions information.

This may include a traffic light system, with eco-friendly cars given green stars, and the biggest polluters given red stars.

Other suggestions include an A-G rating system based upon emissions.

The proposals have left the automotive industry fuming, and magazines have raised concerns that they may lose a large chunk of their advertising revenue.

Around 20% of advertising revenue is magazines is from car manufacturers.

The European Publisher’s Council has gone so far as to say that the new laws would threaten the freedom of the press, which is funded by advertising.

However, environmentalists point out that the industry can blame no-one but itself.

Almost ten years ago Brussels introduced guidelines for car adverts stating that petrol consumption should be clearly legible and ‘easily understood’ in magazine adverts.

Manufacturers have flouted these guidelines as best they can, printing the information in the smallest font possible.

The proposals are likely to take a while to thrash out, as legislators have yet to agree on how to most accurately calculate carbon emissions.

They have also come slightly too late, with rising oil prices already influencing car purchase patterns.

Last month new 4×4 registrations were down 18%, whilst small city car sales were up 12%.