A new petrol tax could be introduced to help tackle climate change, but the country's peak motoring body wants a different approach.
The Rudd government's Green Paper on climate change will be released next week, providing another blueprint to address the problem and where petrol should fit in.
Climate change minister Penny Wong says motorists will know where they stand by Wednesday.
"The Green Paper will make clear the direction the government is taking on climate issues."
In the meantime the NRMA thinks fuel consumption has become the problem.
NRMA President Alan Evans says Australia could save $10 billion a year if Australian car manufacturers did more to meet the emission standards being set overseas.
"The Rudd government should make it compulsory from now on that cars meet compulsory Fuel consumption standards and emission standards.
"They're manufacturing the engines in Europe, Japan and the US to meet the compulsory standards there.
"So the technology's available, the equipment's available, it's just in Australia they've been allowed to slip by.
"The standards in Australia are such that not they're not green enough to even sell in China."
