Information from the Mandatory Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Program carried out in October 1996 and the first semester of 1998 provides a useful emission database for Mexico City. Carbon monoxide (CO) and hydrocarbon (HC) exhaust emission levels were measured for at least a million private and public transportation vehicles. Analysis of this database leads us to conclude that this information can be used to test anti-pollutant policies, and is useful as a performance quality index for vehicle manufacturers. Some of the results of this analysis include: the finding of a typical exhaust emission distribution curve for each vehicle manufacturer, with differences for each brand and model for the same manufacturer, the fact that not all new vehicles pass the I/M test; and public transportation vehicles in Mexico City have almost useless catalytic converters. (Author/publisher).
Abstract