UK Government wants EU to back off on CO2 regulations

It looks like the German auto industry officials aren't the only ones who want to put the brakes on proposed EU carbon dioxide emissions limits. The UK government is now urging the European Union to give car-makers more time as well. UK Transport Minister Ruth Kelly wants plans for a 125 g/km limit by 2015 scrapped in favor of a 100 g/km limit that would be enacted between 2020 and 2025. The few remaining car makers in Britain - like Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley and Rolls-Royce - would have a hard time meeting the EU rules and Kelly wants them to have more time. Since most of the car-makers affected by the rules produce low volume, high dollar machines, perhaps a better approach would be to impose the rules as they are currently proposed and let them pay hefty fines. In the grand scheme such low volume cars emitting more would probably have less impact on the environment than millions of higher volume cars. Let the market decide. If customers don't want to pay a lot more, it will provide incentive for the companies to produce more efficient vehicles.
[Source: Times of London]