And according to Transport & Environment's latest cars and CO2 report the carmaker has also been the best performer in driving fuel efficiency since EU CO2 limits were proposed in 2008, cutting CO2 by an average of 5.5% annually.

The T&E report, in its 10th edition, tracks the annual progress made by vehicle manufacturers to reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions of new cars.

The research found that Nissan’s drop in CO2 from 131g/km to 115g/km in 2014 – by far the largest gain made by any major manufacturer in recent years – is mainly the result of improved efficiency in combustion engines and not the increase in sales of its electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf. Last year’s upgrade of the Qashqai, its biggest seller, brought a range of new engines that were on average 20g/km more efficient – highlighting the untapped potential of fuel efficiency technology to meet more ambitious CO2 targets. 

Nissan is also joined by four other carmakers – Peugeot Citroën, Volvo, Toyota and Daimler – that are ahead of schedule to achieve the 95g/km target by 2021, based on past progress. Renault, Ford and Volkswagen are also broadly on schedule to meet their 2021 target.

The report also found that four carmakers – Fiat, GM, Honda and Hyundai – need to significantly accelerate progress to achieve the 2021 target, while the last three have yet to meet their 2015 targets. Overall, the Asian and US companies are making less progress towards their goals than most European-headquartered companies. 

Greg Archer, clean vehicles manager at T&E, said: “Regulations to improve car fuel economy are working with carmakers that claim three-quarters of sales in Europe on track to meet their 2021 target. The Commission must now propose a new target for 2025 to maintain momentum.”​

The report comes as the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association’s (ACEA) calls on Europe to ‘rebalance’ CO2 policy, saying it’s in the interest of jobs and growth.

Speaking at the AGM of the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association’s (ACEA) ahead of this week’s EU conference on EU action to decarbonise the road transport sector, president Carlos Ghosn, who is also CEO of Renault, said: “No other industry sector has done as much as automotive to drive down CO2 emissions in recent years. EU political leaders should ensure equivalent conditions and targets for all industrial sectors in the future, taking actions where the greatest effects can be achieved at the lowest costs.”