The Government has decided to forge ahead with the country’s emissions reduction roadmap which requires new autos running on gasoline to meet the Euro 4 emissions standards from January 1 this year as proposed by the Ministry of Transport.

Newly-registered autos will soon have to meet stringent emissions standards

An urgent document signed on Tuesday by Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung reiterates that ministries and agencies must follow the emissions cut roadmap for domestically-assembled and imported autos and motorcycles approved in the Prime Minister’s Decision 49/2011/QD-TTg dated September 1, 2011.

Imported and domestically-assembled autos running on diesel will have more time to meet the Euro 4 standards after December 31, 2017. 

Owners of vehicles approved by the ministry to meet emissions criteria are allowed to move on with relevant registration regulations.

Auto importing and assembly enterprises should map out plans to complete customs and registration procedures for their products, otherwise they will have to re-export vehicles which fail to meet stricter requirements set out in the emissions cut roadmap.

The Ministry of Transport is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the roadmap and telling all auto enterprises to meet Euro 4.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to instruct fuel wholesalers to map out plans to supply standardized products as sought by auto importing and assembly enterprises and in line with Decision 49. 

Infrastructure facilities should have been built in the fourth quarter of this year at the latest to pave the way for the supply of Euro 4 standard diesel from January 1, 2018.

According to the roadmap, new autos running on gasoline must meet Euro 5 standards from January 1, 2022, while new motorcycles will have to meet Euro 3 from January 1 this year.

Earlier, the Ministry of Transport was told to submit a plan to carry out the roadmap to the Prime Minister for consideration and approval by mid-March while the Government Office should work with relevant ministries and agencies over implementing the decision and the roadmap.

In January this year, the ministry requested the Government to postpone the Euro 4 deadline for passenger vehicles, pick-ups and vans running on diesel until January 1, 2018. 

The proposed deadline for other diesel-run goods transporting vehicles is January 1, 2022.  

Explaining the delay proposal, the ministry said it is expensive to meet the emissions standards of Euro 4 since only developed countries can develop compatible technology. 

Most locally-made autos are pick-ups and passenger vehicles so auto firms must import expensive technology to turn out products in accordance with the emissions standards of Euro 4 from January this year as required, thus making it hard for them to compete with imported autos.

SGT