DaimlerChrysler has come top in an assessment of the sustainability policies of ten large car manufacturers.
The study, carried out by the SustainAbility consultancy, gave DaimlerChrysler a score that was 50 per cent of the maximum attainable against various benchmarks.
Companies were judged by their performance on issues such as climate change, life cycle management, and policies on contributing to the economies of developing countries.
BMW and Volkswagen came joint second with scores of 45 per cent, while Fiat was the worst performer, scoring 15 per cent.
The average score for all companies – 34 per cent – was described by SustainAbility as ‘a poor overall showing that reveals the lack of commitment to, and in many cases understanding of, the key sustainable mobility issues’.
The other companies surveyed were Ford, General Motors, Honda, Peugeot, Renault and Toyota. Together, those surveyed account for more than 80 per cent of the global automotive market.
SustainAbility has offices in London and New York.