All-new Kia Rio

Kia is planning to show off its all-new Kia Rio at the forthcoming EcoVelocity Low Carbon Motor Festival which is being held at Battersea Power Station, in London, from the 8th to the 11th September.

The new Kia EcoDynamics models will be available to test drive and the Kia Rio 1.1 CDRi “1″ model offers a remarkable 85g/km of CO2 and 88.3mpg, so if you are looking for a low CO2 and fuel efficient car this is definitely one to consider. It has an extremely efficient three-cylinder diesel engine with longer gearing, a stop-start system, low rolling resistance tyres and various aerodynamic tweaks to reduce drag.

In addition to the all-new Kia Rio, Kia will also have the new Picanto city-car on show plus other low-emission versions of the c’eed family hatchback and the Sportage crossover for test drives as well. The newly launched Picanto is now available in three-door as well as five-door for the first time and with its 1.0-litre engine it emits only 99g/km of CO2. If you opt for the 1.25-litre engine combined with Kia’s “Intelligent Stop and Go” stop-start system the CO2 emissions are 100g/km.

The Kia Sportage crossover low-emission model is the 1.7-litre CRDi EcoDynamics turbodiesel which emits 135g/km of CO2 and the c’eed hatchback is the 1.6-litre CRDi turbodiesel (103g/km of CO2) which is also on display. Kia contract hire is available on the site for current models.

EcoVelocity is holding a green motoring, low carbon festival show, that will run from the 8th-11th September at Battersea Power Station and they have just released some data about the top postcodes for green motoring. According to their research, Camden, Westminster and Islington are home to the greenest motorists.

They studied vehicle registration data from the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders) and found that more than one in four cars (28%) registered in the WC postcode, have CO2 emissions of less than 100g/km or less. Portsmouth is the most environmentally friendly town outside the capital. London however has the highest number EV charging points (93) for electric cars so these results are logical and Wales for example has the least number, with only 3 charging points in the entire country.

Here is the list of top postcodes:

If you want to see an interactive map of the locations of all EV charge points across the UK then EcoVelocity show organisers have complied one. The northernmost electric charge point in the country is in the Isle of Lewis, 750 miles from the most southerly one which is in Exeter.

The EcoVelocity show is a dynamic festival of hi-tech and ultra-low carbon vehicles and some of the leading car manufacturers will be in attendance, showing off their latest green models. Citroen,Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, SEAT, Vauxhall,Volvo, Volkswagen and Mia Electric are just some of the names attending. You will find electric cars, hybrids, low-CO2 models as well as a test drive circuit to try them out and further information can be found at www.ecovelocity.com

Finding a low Co2 car to lease can also be a time consuming exercise so try our Vehicle Type Leasing Shopper as you can select the bodystyle you are looking for, i.e. hatchback, tick all manufacturers, then set the range of Co2, choose business contract hire and all models will appear by the least expensive rental.

EcoVelocity Show 2011

The EcoVelocity UK eco motor show is being held at Battersea Power Station in London from Thursday the 8th to Sunday the 11th September. There will be a number of green low-CO2 cars, electric vehicles (EVs) and hybrids on show, with manufacturers being represented including Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, SEAT, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.

EcoVelocity is going to be a fun interactive day out for all the family with the “SEAT youngs driver programme (11-16 year olds), Honda introducing motorcycling to young children, a Green Supercar paddock and also an Eco-Lab which delves into the science behind eco-motoring.

Gile Brown, Event Founder, commented,”In the absence of the British Motor Show in 2011, EcoVelocity will be the most important and definitely not to be missed motoring event of the year, showcasing the best real-world cars for real-world motorists at a single location”. If you are also thinking of leasing a low CO2 car try the Vehicle Type leasing shopper for a range of the latest models available.

Volvo DRIVe models

Volvo has now added the 1.6-litre turbo diesel engines into the new Volvo S60 and V60 now offers even greater choice for company car driver’s looking for low CO2 cars. Both the new cars are fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop technology, plus the S60 DRIVe and V60 DRIVe now produce 114g/km and 119g/km respectively. Combined mpg is also excellent at 65.7 and 62.8.

These new 1.6-litre DRIVe engines both offer less than 120g/km, which means no road tax for the first year and also under current legislation, only £30 a year thereafter. For business users, this will be built into the Volvo contract hire leasing rental calculation already and we hope to load prices on the new models soon.

New car registrations fell by 11.5% in January to 128,811 units which was in line with the SMMT (Society of Motor Manufacturer’s and Traders) expectations. Interestingly the market share for cars with a CO2 figure of less than 100g/km increased again by 65% . Average new car CO2 emissions were 141.5g/km which compares favourably to the figure in 2010, which was 144.2g/km.

Paul Everitt, SMMT Chief Executive commented,”New car registrations fell by 11.5% in January. This is in line with SMMT forecasts and marks the beginning of a challenging year for the UK motor industry. Consumer confidence is low and it is important that government uses the March budget to help relieve some of the financial pressure on motorists by freezing fuel duty,while providing stability and certainty on motoring taxes. Despite the challenging conditions, the demand for low CO2 emitting and highly fuel efficient cars continues to grow”.

Some other interesting facts;

• In terms of market sector, Private Registrations were down by 20.8% to 51,570, Fleet (25+fleets) is down by 3.1% to 70,448 and the Business sector (under 25 fleets) fell by 11.1% to  6,793.
• Diesel new car registrations continued to grow with 65,079 vehicles registered, an increase of 8.3% year on year.
• Petrol cars fell by 25.9% (61,932 units) and AFVs (alternatively fuelled vehicles) by 2.4% (1,800 vehicles).
• The top selling car in the UK was the Ford Focus, followed by the Ford Fiesta and then the Vauxhall Astra.
• Demand for the mini and supermini segments fell (following the loss of the Scrappage Incentive Scheme) however demand for executive, luxury, MPV and dual purpose segments cars recovered strongly.

Further details can be found at the SMMT website.

The Society of Motor manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) has reported that average new car CO2 emissions were down 4.7% in the first half of 2010, to 145.2 g/km, compared with the same period in 2009. The rate of improvement has cooled since the withdrawal of the Car Scrappage Scheme, which favoured smaller eco-friendly cars. The SMMT also found that registrations of alternatively fuelled cars doubled over this period as well.

Interestingly, registrations for “signposted eco-models” (Volkswagen BlueMotion, Vauxhall Ecoflex and Mercedes-Benz BlueEFFICIENCY) have risen by 141.4% in the first half of 2010, to almost 74,000 units and by almost 850% when comparing to the first half of 2008.

Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive said,”Continued vehicle manufacturer efforts to improve fuel efficiency and cut emissions has further reduced average CO2 output during a better than anticipated first half of 2010. The remainder of the year is set to be challenging, especially post scrappage scheme. All manufacturers are committed to offering ever more efficient product through the introduction of increasingly efficient engines and alternative technologies”.

If you are looking for a low CO2 car with great fuel economy, The Contract Hire Super Shopper is an excellent way of selecting your next vehicle. Choose your type of car (saloon, estate etc),your favourite car manufacturers (or all) and then your preferred CO2 and combined mpg ranges and the cars that fit your criteria will be displayed.

Volkswagen Polo at 91g/km CO2 is a low CO2 car

Clean Green Cars has found that in the second quarter of 2010, average CO2 emitted by new cars was 145.1g/km, compared to 145.6g/km of CO2 in the first quarter. In May and June the actual figures edged back and up and the end of the car scrappage scheme has probably caused the blip.

The mandatory manufacturer CO2 target by the EU is an average of 130g/km by 2012 and Clean Green Cars thinks there could be significant problems ahead for the car industry. Jay Nagley, Publisher of Clean Green Cars said,”Car manufacturers are swimming against the tide now that the scrappage scheme has ended.They are going to have to redouble their efforts to meet what is a reasonable target overall”.

There are three car manufacturers below the overall EU target (four seat models) as follows;

1. Toyota at 124.49 g/km
2. Fiat at 125.05 g/km
3. MINI at 129.33 g/km

Hyundai and Citroen are close to the target as well with both these manufacturers below 132g/km of CO2 and if you want to see the full table you can find it at the Clean Green Cars website. Alternatively if you are searching for a low CO2 car on contract hire then try the Super Shopper. You can choose a body style, then all manufacturers (or a selection), your contract hire budget range and then set the CO2 level to below 130g/km for example.

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.

The BVRLA (British Vehicle Rental and Leasing Association) has commented that many business fleets are focussing their efforts on reducing their fuel costs and CO2 emissions. The BVRLA’s members operate around 1.6 million cars and they have found that the average CO2 emissions of vehicles, brought on fleet in 2009,  fell to 144g/km. The trend is clearly towards driving low CO2 cars and fuel efficient vehicles.

The reduction on business car fleets outstrips those seen across all new car registrations, as reported by the SMMT, which recently published an average figure of 149.5g/km. John Lewis, BVRLA chief executive said,”Our members continue to lead the way in lowering road transport emissions and disproving the myth that company cars are gas guzzlers. The government’s emission based-tax regime has given fleets and their drivers a great incentive to drive cleaner cars and the message is clearly getting through”.

Vehicle Leasing companies also reported a 2% drop in the average contract mileage for cars added to fleets in 2009, down to 19,183 from the 19,617 seen in 2008.

The green motoring website, cleangreencars.co.uk, has reported that the average CO2 of all new cars, registered in 2009, fell by 5.6% to 149.8g/km. This is a record 8.9g/km less than a year ago and continues the trend of falling CO2 emissions year on year.

There are now two manufacturers (whose range includes four seat models and not just two seat city cars) who have now met the EU 2012 target of producing all cars with an average CO2 of 130g/km. Both Toyota and (127.9g/km) and Fiat (129.7g/km) are leading the way with MINI in third at 131.7g/km. Hyundai also gets a mention in fourth place and Ford saved over 30,000 tonnes of CO2 in 2009.

Finding all available new production low CO2 cars at one source is always a chore, however try the Super Shopper where you can choose all manufacturers and set the CO2 ranges you are looking for. All models currently available will then be shown. 

The full report from cleangreencars.co.uk can be found at;

www.cleangreencars.co.uk/jsp/cgcmain.jsp?lnk=370