Ireland:The fleet of State cars laid on for Irish Government ministers are all high-performance executive cars that perform relatively poorly in terms of CO2 emissions.
All 15 cars are significantly higher in terms of emissions than the target that will be set in the coming months by the EU for manufacturers. The EU target will be 120-130g of CO2 per kilometre. This is below the normal emissions of a standard family petrol car, which is in the region of 150g-160g.
Traditionally the Mercedes E-class has been the transport of choice for most ministers and seven ministers still have these cars, which produce just under 240g per kilometre. The Taoiseach changed his car last year and it was updated to the even more luxurious S-Class Mercedes, which produces up to 250g. A new addition to the ministerial fleet has been the part petrol/part electric hybrid Lexus. It produces fewer emissions than similar high performance luxury cars, but they are still high at 185g.
It is understood that the hybrid Toyota Prius, a family car that is one of the most fuel-efficient on the market, had been examined as a possibility, but was rejected as being insufficient for the needs of a minister.