Why you should think twice before buying an SUV
In Bangladesh, there is an increasing demand for high-end four-wheelers – the second largest global CO2 emitters. Amid climate change and local traffic congestion, how is this even compatible with ensuring a ‘smart’ Dhaka?
Many of them bear flag stands on the left front. Even if not, people assume that the passenger is someone 'important.' To the locals, they are simply 'Jeepgari's.
They hustle like angry jacked wrestlers - blowing hooters and pipe horns through the eardrums. Their huge heavy engines roar as if every inch of its body seems to be screaming "Back off, back off!"
The formal name is sports utility vehicle: SUVs.
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They encompass a broad range of vehicles – heavy-duty off-roaders like the Toyota Land Cruiser, midsize wagons with engine capacity between 2.0 to 3.0 L (Toyota Rav4, Mitsubishi Pajero Sport) and crossovers (say, the new Corolla Cross).
Everything is big in an SUV. They are expensive. They ride on huge tires. The engines are big. The seats are huge, the storage is massive. Their bonnets are likely to be at the level of an average person's height – and the shiny chrome fronts are cleaned every other hour throughout the day so one would be able to see themselves.
"SUVs alone (light and other vehicles not included) were the second largest contributor (about 700 Megatonnes growth between 2010-2021) in the global CO2 emission for the last decade, surpassing widely known sources such as heavy industries and aviation with ease, according to the International Energy Agency, IEA. To put it into context – that would be equivalent to the combined total emissions of the United Kingdom and Germany in 2022."
SUVs may produce a mixed feeling of angst, fear and reverence – partly due to the fact they are not quite accessible to the broader public, especially in Bangladesh. There are studies that SUVs are often deemed as symbols of social status – worse, toxic masculinity.
Clearly, SUVs 'may be' anything but 'normal' vehicles. But when global warming is concerned, SUVs are surely anything but 'normal' vehicles.
Monster polluter
SUVs alone (light and other vehicles not included) were the second largest contributor (about 700 Megatonnes growth between 2010-2021) in the global CO2 emission for the last decade, surpassing widely known sources such as heavy industries and aviation with ease, according to the International Energy Agency, IEA.
To put it into context – that would be equivalent to the combined total emissions of the United Kingdom and Germany in 2022.
The current trends do not paint many positives either – motor giants like Toyota, Hyundai and BMW all recently declared that they are increasing SUV production due to the unprecedented rise of SUV sales.
Here, one may wonder, with many new small cars now hybrids, the burdens of petrol/diesel-run big off-roaders would surely be mitigated is it not?
Not really, suggests a European Union study - the apparent 'greenness' of hybrids and electric vehicles (EVs) heavily depends on how they use electricity (such as a motor) and the fuel that generates the main electricity. If the electricity stems from a "green" source such as wind or nuclear plants – only then a vehicle may be deemed as 'green'.
Otherwise, when the CO2 emitted by a petrol-run vehicle equivalent per kilometre is 125 g, a hybrid vehicle with non-green electricity sources emits 82-102 g CO2 – slightly lesser, yet comparable.
To that, add factors such as the unconvincing worldwide sale of hybrids and EVs compared to fossil fuel burners. Data from the IEA, which is a global energy research institution based in Paris, suggest that between 2015 to 2022, conventional SUV sales alone were consistent between 12 to 16 million a year, whereas EVs (cars and SUVs included) only recently saw an increased sales of 1.5 to 4 million.
SUV sales on the rise in Bangladesh
In Bangladesh, the scenario is not promising either.
SUV sales here shot to a record high in 2022 – defying sharp austerity in public welfare projects and very high inflation in recent years. In 2022, more than 10,200 SUV units were sold, an over 300% increase compared to 2013. This was worryingly close to the 16,700 units of Sedans sold that same year.
And although 2023 saw an overall reduction in automobile sales (7765 units of SUVs against 10784 passenger cars), the ratio of SUV sales to passenger cars actually increased from 0.6 in 2022 to 0.7 in 2023.
Per Statista, the SUV sale in Bangladesh is predicted to double by 2028.
Something that can be correlated to this is the staggering 300% rise in luxury brand sales (such as the BMW, Audi, Mercedes and Range Rover) in FY23 – many of which are luxury SUVs.
Moreover, local assembly of SUVs is becoming a norm lately. Fair Technology, for example, which is the authorised dealer in Bangladesh launched the local assembly of Hyundai Creta, the popular petrol/diesel-run SUV, at Kaliakair, Gazipur.
The riders and why they ride
Nevertheless, crossovers are yet to dominate the share of total units sold, which was 10,200 units last year. Rather, the heavy- and mid sizes, like Toyota Land Cruiser (every 3 out of 5), and Mitsubishi Pajero (1 out of 5) dominate the share.
These brands are popular choices among government officials, politicians, and local business magnets.
How sustainable is the Land Cruiser? Doug de Muro, an American Youtuber expert in automotive industries, reviewed various Land Cruiser models (all of which can frequently be seen in Dhaka). Despite their amazing luxury features and legendary off-road abilities – de Muro did not rate them very high largely due to the very poor fuel economy (hardly six kilometres a litre of petrol/diesel).
The same can be said for the Pajero Sport, a midsize truck that only goes eight to nine kilometres a litre of fuel. But in a traffic-clogged city like Dhaka, that "okay" mileage significantly reduces.
Meanwhile, midsize pickups like the Toyota Hilux or Mitsubishi L-200, the lion's share of which are used under various government-led projects, do not show any impressive mileage either. So then, why are they so frequently visible on city streets?
A former Additional Secretary, requesting anonymity, led numerous government projects funded by international donors and shed some light on why and how purchasing SUVs became commonplace in the secretariat.
"Sometimes SUVs are needed. For many projects, it is essential that the people involved travel to project sites frequently. Many of these sites are in suburban or rural areas, where small cars are inconvenient."
"Often pickups [which are generally bought for government projects] are used for not only carrying passengers, but the large cargo spaces are utilised for transporting goods" he added.
The official, however, emphasised that purchasing SUVs for use at the project headquarters, in almost all cases in Dhaka, is "totally unnecessary." The official pointed out that the Dhaka-based SUVs are exploited for "personal and family matters."
Moreover, they added, these SUVs contribute to the "awful traffic on the narrow city streets," and cost "valuable public [taxpayers'] money due to fuel and maintenance."
Asked if the trend has been recent, he pointed out, "Well even 15 years ago, officials – even the ministers – used to ride passenger cars. Now, even the not-very-high-ranked officials misuse SUVs for their personal needs. The same can be said about businessmen."
This is "nothing but an unpleasant show-off of power and authority," he suggested.
Are there avenues to avoid the purchase, or, better, alternatives to be sought for? The official added, "The donors do not require purchasing SUVs when they endow money for government projects. That is entirely decided by the project authorities.
SUVs like pickups may be necessary at rural project sites, but their use must be limited to the sites only. For official use in the city, purchasing should be strictly banned or, if absolutely necessary, restricted to only small passenger cars."
Grim CO2 scenario in Bangladesh
Bangladesh is amongst the countries most vulnerable to climate change impacts – despite contributing by only 0.09% to the net global CO2 emission.
According to government reports, Bangladesh's total CO2 emission has risen by 40% between 2013 and 2019 and is estimated to rise to a whopping 300% by 2030 – until the trend is reversed. Of this, 15% of the emission was due to transport, which is expected to increase in the coming years.
It is the trend that may worry stakeholders on whether Bangladesh is on the right track, or is turning totally backwards, in reducing her CO2 emission.
For instance, the government's own automobile company, The Pragoti Industries, continues assembling petrol/diesel-run midsize SUVs and pickup trucks. Meanwhile, the demand for crossovers is ever-increasing.
These are contrary to what the government pledged at the COP26 that it would cut about 90 million tonnes of CO2 emission (22% reduction) by 2030 – which means major energy cuts would need to be implemented on power, transport and agriculture.
Narrow roads, husky SUVs
Equally concerning is how the ever-increasing SUVs would be accommodated on the narrow streets of the capital. The GIS mapping in the Detailed Area Plan (DAP) of Dhaka suggested more than 50% of the roads are less than 20 feet wide.
Keep in mind - a big chunk of the roads are taken by the pedestrian walkways already – which contain more than 60% of the total road users every day.
Furthermore, roads in Dhaka cover only 9% of its total area, whereas for proper traffic maintenance, this should have been about 25%.
And to make it worse, ridiculous traffic and unlawful roadside parking severely hamper the proper utilisation of the marginal roads that the city has.
Amidst such peril, promoting space-efficient vehicles and discouraging the less-efficient ones should be key to 'smart' utilisation of limited road space, suggested Dr Md. Shamsul Hoque, professor of Civil Engineering at BUET.
"That not only ensures multifaceted benefits for stakeholders but reflects the government's action to building a 'smart' nation," said Professor Hoque.
"Dhaka is among the most polluted cities. As one of the COP signatories, Bangladesh was supposed to limit high carbon footprint, which is not possible until access to single-use vehicles of high engine capacities has been restricted.
The government must think about trade-offs between promoting luxury automobile businesses and enhancing Dhaka's livability index."
When asked about sustainable solutions or alternatives, Dr Hoque heavily emphasised "affordable and clean public transport," for which, he adds, "the government is solely responsible to impose policies on easy access to public transport, and ensures everybody sticks to them."
