Reuters reports, "As Europe's giant car makers do battle with environmentalists and lawmakers over emissions curbs, makers of classic European sports cars like the Aston Martin DB9, Ferrari F430 and Porsche 911 are struggling to be heard."  The EU is currently debating the strictest automotive emissions proposal yet considered anywhere in the world, which could go into effect as soon as 2012.  Some makers of exotic sports cars fear the rules "will make them uncompetitive around the world, leading to their eventual demise."

The International Herald Tribune adds, "Environmentalists say today's supercars, with huge engines pumping out up to three times as much carbon dioxide as the average vehicle, have no place in a world struggling to rein in climate change.  But Lamborghini and its rivals contend that theirs is a rare art that needs protecting."  They also contend that their cars are a tiny portion of the problem, arguing that "sports cars usually only leave the garage on the weekend, contributing just 0.3 percent of European Union car emissions." 

The new regulations would allow manufacturers that make less than 10,000 cars per year to negotiate their own individual emissions targets.  Niche manufacturers like Aston Martin and Lotus, then, might survive.  But many supercar manufacturers are divisions of larger automakers.  Volkswagen owns and operates Bugatti and Lamborghini, for instance, and both Ferrari and Maserati are divisions of European auto giant Fiat.  Those brands would not be allowed to negotiate an exemption.

Autoblog comments, "At the end of the day, these exotic sports cars are not the big problem, though they do make easy targets. If European Union bureaucrats ignore the former and focus on the latter, Europe's most famous automakers could be legislated right out of business." 

Another possibility, however, is that the supercar manufacturers could put their engineers to work on developing high-performance green machines.  Ferrari is reportedly working on a hybrid-powered supercar, though it isn't due out until about 2015.  Lotus has developed an eco version of its Elise track toy, complete with hemp-based body panels.  And start-ups like Britain's Lightning Motors and California-based Tesla are finding ways to get Lamborghini-like acceleration out of electric motors.  Perhaps, with the backing of their deep-pocketed parent companies, supercar manufacturers could bring us guilt-free performance. 

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