The SUV (sport utility vehicle) boom cheered on by German carmakers BMW, Daimler and VW is about to turn into a heavy liability for the industry as EU fines for excessive emissions loom from 2020, reports a team of seven journalists in the business daily Handelsblatt. “BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen risk fines worth billions if they don’t rapidly change their model offerings,” according to the article entitled “The SUV madness – High profits, disastrous environmental impact.” The article says that SUVs currently translate into handsome profits for the industry, according to Clean Energy Wire quoting Handelsblatt.

“But in the medium term, they are headed into a dead end […] the climate killers turn into profit killers.” Top range SUV models could trigger fines in excess of 10,000 euros for each vehicle sold from next year, according to the article.