October 13, 2004

Fiscal 2003 Low-Emission Vehicle Shipments Posted on JAMA Web Site

The Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc. (JAMA) posted on its Web site on October 13, 2004 the figures for Japanese automakers' shipments of low-emission vehicles (LEVs) for fiscal year 2003.

In an effort to offset global warming and counteract atmospheric pollution, automakers are working to develop, and promote the diffusion of, vehicles with reduced impact on the environment.

Against a backdrop of rising concern over the issue of automotive environmental impact, JAMA and its individual member manufacturers have been posting on their Web sites comprehensive, annually updated statistics on LEV ex-factory shipments every fiscal year since FY 2000.

The JAMA Web site posts total number of (unit) shipments and total (unit) shipments by manufacturer. For details, consult the site at: http://www.jama.or.jp/eco/eco_car/shipment/index.html
JAMA member manufacturers' Web sites post total number of units shipped by individual manufacturer.

Today's posting of LEV unit shipment figures for fiscal 2003 is as follows.

Summary of FY 2003 Data:

The total number of all types of low-emission vehicles shipped was 4,017,684 units (an increase of 370,735 units over the previous fiscal year, for a 110% year-on-year increase).

The breakdown according to vehicle type shows 49 electric vehicles (a decrease of 34 units, or 59%, compared with the previous fiscal year); 42,423 hybrid vehicles (an increase of 26,909 units, or 273%, compared with the previous year); 3,852 natural gas vehicles (a decrease of 120 units, or 97%, compared with the previous year); and 3,244 diesel-alternative LPG vehicles (an increase of 1,050 units, or 148%, compared with the previous year).The total for fuel cell powered vehicles, for which statistics have been kept from FY 2003, was 14 units.

For vehicles certified in the high fuel economy/low-emissions category, implemented from FY 2003 was a system of certifying emissions compared to FY 2005 standard values (4-star <****> rating for 75% reduction and 3-star <***> rating for 50% reduction from FY 2005 regulation standards). In addition to the conventional ranking platform of "ultra-low emissions" (3-star <***> rating for 75% reduction from FY 2000 regulation standards), "excellent low-emissions" (2-star <**> rating for 50% reduction from FY 2000 standards) and "good low emissions" (1-star <*> rating for 25% reduction from FY 2000 standards), these new categories have raised the overall low-emission vehicle rating system to a 5-level ranking.

The breakdown in the high fuel-economy, low-emissions category shows 73,426 high fuel-economy, ultra-low emission vehicles (**** -see chart below); 363,089 high fuel-economy, excellent low-emission vehicles (*** Y2005); 2,521,106 high fuel-economy, ultra-low emission vehicles (*** Y2000), an increase of 881,324 units, for a 154% year-on-year rise; 598,172 high fuel-economy, excellent low-emission vehicles (**), a decrease of 605,365 units, for a 50%, compared with the previous fiscal year; and 412,309 high fuel-economy, good low-emission vehicles (*), a decrease of 369,558 units, or 53%, compared with the previous fiscal year. As the figures indicates, ultra-low emission vehicles (*** Y2000) and the above accounts mostly of the result.

Low-Emission Vehicle Shipments in FY 2003 (by unit)

		Passenger Cars		Trucks		Buses	Total
		Regular / Compact	Mini	Regular / Compact	Mini	Buses	Total
Alternative-fuel vehicles	Fuel cell powered vehicles	14	0	0	0	0	14
	Electric vehicles	7	9	0	33	0	49
	Hybrid vehicles	42,150	13	240	0	20	42,423
	Natural gas vehicles	105	11	2,713	872	151	3,852
	Methanol vehicles	0	0	0	0	0	0
	Subtotal	42,276	33	2,953	905	171	46,338
High fuel-economy, low-emission vehicles (see Notes)	Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (U-LEV) Clears year 2005 exhaust emissions standard by 75% ****	73,374	52	0	0	0	73,426
	Excellent Low-Emission Vehicle (E-LEV) Clears year 2005 exhaust emissions standard by 50% ***	252,900	90,370	11,818	8,001	0	363,089
	Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (U-LEV) Clears year 2000 exhaust emissions standard by 75% ***	1,719,832	651,637	94,411	55,226	0	2,521,106
	Excellent Low-Emission Vehicle (E-LEV) Clears year 2000 exhaust emissions standard by 50%**	109,416	165,942	252	322,562	0	598,172
	Good Low-Emission Vehicle (G-LEV) Clears year 2000 exhaust emissions standard by 25% *	312,057	90,104	0	10,148	0	412,309
	Subtotal	2,467,579	998,105	106,481	395,937	0	3,968,102
Diesel-alternative LPG vehicles		0	0	3,244	0	0	3,244
Total		2,509,855	998,138	112,678	396,842	171	4,017,684

[Notes:] This category covers vehicles that have already attained fuel economy targets as established by Japan's Energy Conservation Law, and that are certified low-emission vehicles in accordance with the low-emission vehicle certification guidelines.

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