Under growing pressure from EU regulators to increase its efforts to cut carbon emissions, the UK car industry today released figures demonstrating " significant and sustained" progress in the reduction of carbon emissions from its vehicles.

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) report claimed that average CO2 emissions from new cars have fallen 13 per cent since 1997 as a result of new technologies, shifting buying habits and the growing popularity of more efficient diesel vehicles.

According to the report, average carbon emissions from new cars were 164.9g/km last year, down from 189.8 in 1997, while total CO2 emissions fell 4.8 per cent over the decade from 72.2 to 68.7 million tonnes.

The SMMT also found that almost 40 per cent of new cars bought last year boasted emissions of less than 140g/km compared with just 3.9 per cent in 1997, while the proportion of diesel vehicles sold climbed from 26.5 per cent 10 years ago to over 40 per cent last year.

SMMT chief executive Paul Everitt said the findings underlined the progress the industry had made in recent years, but warned that greater co-operation between car manufacturers, customers, government and fuel suppliers would be required to deliver lower carbon motoring.

Writing in the report he explained that this means "ensuring that vehicle technology improvements are complemented by better roads, improved fuel supply and incentives for our customers", adding that "without this joined-up approach the motor industry's investments in new technology will not deliver the more significant reductions that society rightly demands".

Under planned EU legislation, manufacturers will soon face a legal target to ensure average emissions from new cars fall to 130g/km by 2012. The UK government is also hoping that these standards will be followed by more demanding targets that will require manufacturers to cut emissions to 100g/km by 2020.

Everitt said that the industry will work closely with government to help shape the regulations, "emphasising the need for appropriate lead-times, fines that are closely aligned to the market price of carbon and with suitable incentives for innovation".

He added that the SMMT would also be lobbying the government "to ensure that the diversity of the market and car manufacturing bases in the UK are protected ".