The BMW Group has announced that a compelling new Environmental Defense report shows that its cars have improved average fuel economy by 14 percent and dramatically reduced CO2 emission by 12.3 percent - more than any other major car maker.

The next best reduction of any other automaker was 3 percent. The remaining 10 car makers increased their average emissions over the period studied, the report found.

The report praises the BMW Group’s achievement and notes that BMW did not sacrifice sales growth while improving its fleet’s fuel economy and carbon emission rates.

In fact, during the study’s period of analysis (1990 – 2005), the BMW Group enjoyed a more than fourfold increase in U.S. sales.

In its report, “Automakers’ Corporate Carbon Burdens,” Environmental Defense, a leading national nonprofit environmental protection organization comprised of more than 500,000 members, studied the impact of twelve major car makers’ product strategies on fuel efficiency and the overall level of automotive carbon emissions.

The report found that the BMW Group not only led the automotive industry in both fuel economy of its vehicles and the reduction of carbon emissions, but that the BMW Group was one of only two car makers in the study that reduced its per-vehicle CO2 emission rates.

The report’s findings underscore the BMW Group’s commitment to the environment, sustainability and EfficientDynamics.

BMW EfficientDynamics strives to enhance fuel economy with every new product while still offering the customer best in class performance. To do so, the BMW Group works tirelessly to develop and use innovative technology to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions while simultaneously enhancing a vehicle's dynamic performance.

“Independent confirmation of BMW’s leading position to reduce emissions and conserve fuel – while delivering exciting performance – corroborates BMW’s strategy to optimise its vehicles through technology and continue the ultimate driving experience,” says Tom Baloga, Vice President of Engineering for BMW of North America.

As indicated in the report, the BMW Group improved fuel economy on a number of its key models, including the 3 Series, 5 Series, 7 Series, Z4 M Coupé, M5 Sedan and X5 Sports Activity Vehicle.

Additionally, the BMW Group’s MINI Cooper accounted for almost half of BMW’s overall fuel economy improvements.

Since the conclusion of the Environmental Defense’s research for this report, the BMW Group has announced a number of additional advancements, initiatives and milestones in its ongoing quest for sustainability, including the introduction of the BMW Hydrogen 7 – the first hydrogen powered-luxury sedan, and the BMW Concept X6 ActiveHybrid, revealed at the 2007 Frankfurt Motor Show.

This latter vehicle is destined for series production by 2009, according to the Chairman of BMW Group AG, Dr Norbert Reithofer.

“It is important to discern the difference between BMW technology and other hybrids. We are combining a high-efficiency and high-performance combustion engine with two high-performance electric motors. This is truly unique. It also allows us to make use of the hybrid's efficiency advantage across a much wider speed range,” he said.

“The BMW Hybrid offers substantially higher driving dynamics. A hybrid developed by BMW will always be a car that reflects BMW sheer driving pleasure.

“The fuel consumption of the BMW Hybrid is up to 20 percent lower than that of a comparable vehicle with a combustion engine.

“This car will be available to our customers in 2009,” Dr Reithofer said.

The BMW Hydrogen 7 is not a concept car. It is a production model vehicle that has successfully completed the entire BMW Product Development Process. Running in hydrogen mode, the BMW Hydrogen 7 has extremely low emissions and emits primarily water vapour, representing another major step in reducing CO2 emissions. A number of BMW Hydrogen 7 vehicles are currently in the hands of high profile personalities in Europe and the United States.

The BMW Group has integrated sustainability as part of its corporate strategy for many years and has integrated into its design process the full product life cycle. The BMW Group aims to create a sustainable future for individual mobility independent of fossil fuels.