Car Leasing News

SMMT

The SMMT has reported that new car average CO2 emissions fell by their biggest ever margin last year with the impact of the recession and the Scrappage Incentive Scheme.

The average new car sold in the UK in 2009 emitted just 149.5g/km CO2 and was down 5.4% on the 2008 figure and 21.2% better than the 1997 base level.

In addition, 27.6% of the cars registered in 2009 emitted less than 130g/km of CO2 which is the target set in the European CO2 regulation for 2015. The full New Car CO2 Report 2010 is available off the SMMT website.

Toyota Prius

The Toyota Prius recorded sales of 538 units in February and this has more than doubled the previous best for the month which was 237. This is further proof that UK motorists have faith in Toyota quality and reliability and in the Hybrid Synergy Drive system.

The Toyota Prius has been ranked highest in customer satisfaction surveys across the world and is shortlisted for the World Car of the Year 2010. More than 1.6 million cars have been sold since the first generation was launched in 1997 and Toyota car leasing prices are available now.

Volkswagen TSI engine

Volkswagen has received an environmental commendation certified by TUV Nord for their economical and efficient TSI engines. The commendation confirmed that the new TSI engines have significantly improved their environmental performance compared to their predecessors throughout their life cycle. They have also reduced fuel consumption and CO2 emissions with higher driving dynamics.

Peugeot 308

The Peugeot ECO CUP was designed to see if four different standard Peugeot HDi diesel models, in the hands of everyday drivers, could better the official government fuel economy figures for the vehicles. The cars were driven over 600 miles of French and Swiss roads in heavy wintery conditions.

The average fuel consumption achieved by the winning drivers is as follows;

1. Peugeot 308 HDi FAP 110 – 89.95 mpg
2. Peugeot 207 HDi 90 - 87.10 mpg
3. Peugeot 5008  HDi FAP 110 – 84.77 mpg
4. Peugeot 3008 HDi FAP 110 – 79.10 mpg

Jon Goodman, Managing Director of Peugeot UK said,”This project has proven two things; that there are a lot of people out there interested in doing their bit for the planet by stretching fuel economy to the max; and that this can be achieved in standard Peugeot diesel cars, with our new 5008 7-seater MPV nearly cracking 85mpg and our 308 5-door family hatch pushing 90 mpg”. Peugeot contract hire prices are available now and you can also search by combined mpg using the Super Shopper.

Renault Z.E.

Europcar and Renault have moved forward on an agreement reached at the Frankfurt International Motor Show last year. Europcar has pre-ordered 500 electric Renault Z.E. (zero emissions)vehicles and is set to offer the range to its customers by 2011, for the European short-term rental market.

Rafael Girona, Chief Operating Officer of Europcar Groupe said,”Europcar reaches a decisive point in bringing electric vehicles into the rental market; they will join the eco-friendly fleet that already features on our websites. The interaction between our network and Renault’s technology will genuinely pave the way for a major advance in mobility solutions”.

Audi 1 e-tron

Audi has launched their A1 e-tron at the Geneva Motor Show. This innovative Mega City Vehicle (MCV) has an electric drive system with a range of more than 31 miles in city traffic and with a peak output of 102PS is also fun to drive.

The transverse electric motor takes the car from 0-62mph in only 10 seconds and onto a top speed of 80mph and being electric, does this with zero emissions. At the rear a small single-rotor Wankel engine is also used to increase the range of the car in exceptional circumstances.

This “range extender” is used to re-charge the battery and increases the range to 124 miles. This represents a fuel consumption of 148.7mpg and a CO2 equivalent of 45g/km and with its 18-inch alloy wheels certainly looks the part with its sporty appearance.

Flextreme GT/E

Vauxhall has released the official pictures of their extended-range vehicle (E-REV technology), the Flextreme GT/E. This car is 4.7 metres long yet is still capable of a top speed of 125mph and a 0-62mph time in less than nine seconds.

Flextreme GT/E

The sculpted looks and aerodynamic style of this electric vehicle give the car a coupe appeal and with 21-inch alloy wheels is designed to reduce wind resistance all round. The Flextreme GT/E has a battery powered driving range of 40 miles with zero tailpipe emissions and a total range of 300 miles, offering you a staggering average 175 miles to the gallon. Unlike a normal hybrid car the Flextreme GT/E uses a small petrol engine/generator to provide electricty whenever the battery is depleted and when in this mode CO2 emissions rise to circa 40g/km.

Toyota Auris HSD

Toyota is launching a new production ready Full Hybrid Auris HSD at the Geneva Motor Show. This car is designed exclusively for the European market and incorporates Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) to deliver class leading CO2 emissions.

The Auris HSD will be available in two versions, the 89g/km and 92g/km models offering extremely low CO2 emissions for this C-segment car. The Auris HSD has the new exterior styling that has recently been adopted across the whole Auris range, with aerodynamic efficiencies helping to reduce drag across the car.

Auris HSD

Inside the car there are a number of modifications including a revised instrument binnacle in which the tachometer has been replaced by an Eco Drive Assist Monitor, to help further reduce CO2 emissions. The Auris HSD can operate in petrol or electric modes alone and is powered using a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine and a powerful electric motor (60kW).

JATO Dynamics, a leading vehicle information provider, has revealed how small cars are driving down CO2 emissions across Europe. Volume weighted average CO2 emissions across all models and segments fell by 7.9g/km last year, with the three lowest bands increasing market share.

In particular, car manufacturers producing vehicles in the 101-120g/km segment experienced a market share increase of 8.9%, moving from 16.7% to 25.6%. This market trend has been guided by the popularity of small cars in the various car scrappage schemes operated by many European countries.

The most improved brand for reducing CO2 emissions is Ferrari, reducing volume weighted CO2 emissions by 53.6g/km with Porsche coming in at second reducing by 27.5g/km (mainly due to the Cayenne Diesel).

However Fiat remains top of the lowest overall brand for CO2 topping the league with an average 127.8k/km. In second place is Toyota at 130.1g/km with Peugeot in third place at 133.6g/km.

Interestingly in the volume weighted average CO2 emissons league table, Audi is a new entrant at ninth, mainly due to the strong sales of the Audi A3 and reducing CO2 emissions across the range particularly on the high volume A4 2.0-litre TDI. The full league table is below and if you are looking for a low CO2 car try the Super Shopper where you can select by manufacturers and CO2 ranges.

Lexus CT 200h

Lexus will be unveiling their new premium compact model the Lexus CT 200h at the Geneva Motor Show. Powered with a Lexus Hybrid Drive powertrain using a 1.8-litre VVT-i petrol engine and powerful yet compact electric motor, this car is expected to offer class leasing emissions.

Lexus CT 200h

It should enter production in late 2010 and takes its visual looks from the LF-Ch concept car that was shown at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. Drivers will have a choice of four selectable drive models, ECO and NORMAL, plus SPORT mode which focusses on a dynamic performance.

The CT 200h also has an EV (electric motor) mode that allows for ultra-quiet running on the electric motor alone and offers you zero emissions.