The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a new report on obesity in the U.S.  According to the study, the U.S. witnessed a 1.1 percent increase in the number of self-reported people with obesity between 2007 and 2009. The increase amounts to 2.4 million additional Americans admitting that they have joined the category of obese individuals. In addition, the number of states reporting that at least 30 percent of its population fit into the obese category has tripled to include nine states. Rising obesity rates have led to increased medical costs and other public issues, but the automotive industry has felt the added weight as well.

According to a new report from the UK trade group Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), the average CO2 emissions of new cars sold there have continued a steady downward trend in the first half of this year. Thanks to increasing sales of cars specifically developed to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, the average for the new vehicle fleet was down to just 145.2 grams / kilometer by June.

Charging motorists for each mile they travel is 'inevitable' if future traffic gridlock is to be avoided, the RAC Foundation says today.

A 'pay-as-you-go' system could be the answer to congestion, according to a report from the foundation.

Professor Stephen Glaister, the foundation's director who drew up the report, said a fundamental shift was needed in the way England's roads were managed and paid for.

The launch of the report coincided with an Ipsos MORI study for the RAC Foundation, which showed that 58 per cent of drivers agreed that a per-mile, pay-as-you-go system on all roads would make them think about how much they drive.

Prof Glaister's report identified a series of problems facing road users and governments in the future. These included a lack of vision for the road network, a 33 per cent increase in traffic by 2025 and reduced spending on roads because of financial and political constraints.

The End of an Era - The Scrappage Scheme Ends

At the of March 2010 the UK Government announced that the UK Scrappage Scheme ends. Scrappage accounted for a fifth of cars sold after the scheme was introduced a year ago to help the recession-hit motor industry cope with falling sales.

The government estimates that 4,000 jobs with manufacturers and suppliers were supported by the scheme. 

The Chancellor announced in the Budget on 22nd April 2009, a voluntary discount scheme under which motor dealers would give motorists £2,000 or more towards a new vehicle if they traded in a car or van over 10 years old for scrap.

The scheme was launched on 18 May 2009 and lasted until the end of March 2010. It was announced on 28th September that funding was to be increased and would be available to scrap up to 400,000 vehicles, with £400m provided by Government and matched by support from vehicle manufacturers.