Drivers in crowded cities should think twice before buying a big SUV， says the head of a motoring organisation.
Steve Gooding， from the RAC Foundation， said: “We should all choose the right vehicle for the right trip to cut the size of our carbon footprint.”
His comments come as research confirms most SUVs are bought by urban drivers.
It shows that large SUVs - often known as Chelsea tractors - are indeed most prevalent in places such as Chelsea.
They are typically defined by their extreme size， and off-road features such as high ground clearance and four wheel drive.
They often face complaints from other road users about their bulk and their pollution - especially during the school run.
The report from the think-tank New Weather Institute said: “The numbers stand up long-held suspicions that these vehicles ostensibly designed for off-road are actually marketed successfully to urban users where their big size and higher pollution levels are a worse problem.”
Andrew Simms， from the New Weather Institute， said: “Just as tobacco advertising was successfully ended， it's time to stop promoting polluting SUV's.”
一個機動車組織的負責人説，擁擠城市中的駕駛人在購買大型SUV之前應該三思。
RAC基金會的史蒂夫·古丁説：“我們都應該根據出行需求選擇合適的車輛，以縮小我們的碳足跡。”
他發表這番言論之際，有研究證實大多數SUV賣給了城市駕駛人。
研究顯示，通常被稱作“切爾西拖拉機”的大型SUV的確在切爾西這樣的地方最常見。
它們通常是以巨大車身以及高底盤和四輪驅動等越野特徵來定義的。
它們經常遭到其他道路使用者的抱怨，説它們體積大、污染嚴重——尤其是在接送孩子上下學的時候。
智庫“新氣象”研究所的這份報告説：“這些數據證實了長期以來的懷疑，也就是這些名義上為越野設計的車輛實際上被成功推銷給了城市用户。它們的龐大車身和更嚴重污染在城市裏是更大的問題。”
“新氣象”研究所的安德魯·西姆斯説：“就像我們成功禁止煙草廣告一樣，現在應該停止宣傳造成污染的SUV了。”
But motoring organisations said the analysis was too simplistic.
While Mr Gooding supported the principle of making appropriate choices of vehicles， he told the BBC it was wrong to protest against medium sized cars that look like SUVs but don't clog the streets and are economical to run.
“The term SUV has become so broad as to be unhelpful，” he said. “（Some） motorists might just be seeking the comfort and convenience of relatively tall but still modestly-sized cars that come with the SUV badge but are economical to run.”
“The popularity of the SUV body-style looks like it's going to be with us for some time as some auto companies have already released fully electric versions with more to come later this year.”
Edmund King， from Automobile Association， told the BBC: “Talk of banning the advertising of SUVs is a naive approach. The auto industry is developing a wide range of cleaner， greener vehicles with some of the best in SUV styles，” he said. “Not all SUVs are large. Small SUVs are among the most popular cars on sale， because they usually offer the high-set driving position， practicality， safety and looks of more traditional off-roaders， but without the high price， running costs or emissions.”
A study by the International Energy Agency said increasing demand for SUVs is the second biggest contributor to the growth in carbon emissions.
Annual emissions from SUVs rose to more than 700 megatonnes of CO2， and if SUV drivers were a country， they would be the seventh in the world for carbon emissions.
但機動車組織説，這項分析過於簡單化。
儘管古丁支持選擇合適車輛的原則，但他對英國廣播公司記者説，有些中等大小的汽車看起來像SUV，卻不會堵塞街道，開起來也省錢，抵制這些車是錯誤的。
他説：“SUV這個詞變得太寬泛了，起不到幫助作用。（有些）駕駛人或許只是追求相對高大但還算適中的汽車帶來的舒適和便利，這些汽車帶有SUV的標識，但開起來很省錢。”
“SUV車體設計很受歡迎，看起來還要陪伴我們一段時間，因為有些汽車公司已經發布了純電動車型，今年晚些時候還會發布更多。”
汽車協會的埃德蒙·金對英國廣播公司記者説：“談論封殺SUV廣告是幼稚之舉。汽車工業正在開發多種更清潔、更綠色的車型，其中最好的一些車型是SUV。並非所有SUV都是龐然大物。市場上最受歡迎的車型中就有小型SUV，因為它們通常駕駛座椅高、實用、安全，外觀像比較傳統的越野車，但價格、運行成本和排量都不高。”
國際能源署的一項研究説，對SUV不斷增長的需求是碳排放增加的第二大原因。
SUV的年排放量超過7億噸二氧化碳。如果把所有SUV駕駛人視為一個國家，他們會是世界第七大碳排放國。（卿松竹譯自4月7日英國廣播公司網站）
來源：參考消息網