Green cars: latest news

Tanfield receives offer on Smith Electric Vehicles

Faye Sunderland — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:33:13 +0000

The Tanfield Group PLC has received a provisional offer on its electric vehicle division, Smith Electric Vehicles. The offer is worth £37 million, equivalent to 50 pence per existing share plus a £33.3 million contingent credit fund prior to September 2015. The non-binding, conditional offer comes from Smith Electric Vehicles US (SERVUS) which wishes to buy [...]

Prius model doubles February sales despite US troubles

Faye Sunderland — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:19:01 +0000

As Toyota hear fresh reports of incidences of runaway Prius models, the carmaker is quick to remind the public of how many satisfied hybrid owners it has. According to the troubled carmaker, February car sales for its Prius model doubled on its previous best performance for the month, back in February 2008. A total of [...]

EC faces lawsuit over secret biofuel reports

Faye Sunderland — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:30:32 +0000

The European Commission (EC) is being taken to court over its refusal to release information that could show that biofuels do more harm than good. Britain is required by European law to use renewable sources in transport fuel to meet 10 per cent usage target by 2020 – a target which will be met in [...]

Ford reveals new engine range

Paul Lucas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:11:43 +0000

Ford’s European engine product range has been revamped with the emphasis placed clearly on offering more efficient petrol and diesel engines. At the top of the list is the introduction of two four-cylinder Ford EcoBoost petrol units that combine high pressure direct injection with advanced turbocharging and twin variable valve timing. This maximises combustion efficiency and [...]

Daimler says goodbye to Tata Motors

Paul Lucas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:08:30 +0000

With the share price of Indian company Tata Motors having sky-rocketed over the last year, Daimler has decided to sell all 5.34 per cent of its ordinary shares in the car manufacturer. The German carmaker will pick up a cash inflow of around €300million thanks to its sale of the shares. According to Daimler, the decision [...]

BMW sets the record straight about ActiveE trial

Paul Lucas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:05:43 +0000

Following incorrect reports that BMW’s ActiveE trial would be limited to 200 vehicles, the BMW Group has issued a statement in response. According to BMW, the exact size of the fleet has not yet been determined but it will be at least as large as the MINI E fleet that consists of 450 MINI Es on [...]

Customers want more than fuel savings from green cars

Paul Lucas — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:01:12 +0000

Is the prospect of saving on fuel expenses enough to tempt you to buy a hybrid or electric car? A new survey would suggest not. Accenture polled 1,800 customers across Germany, France, Italy, Canada and the US and found that while interest in both hybrid cars and electric cars is growing, consumers want more than just [...]

Take LowCVP’s car buying survey and win £250

Faye Sunderland — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:51:22 +0000

A new national car buying survey has been launched on behalf of the Low Carbon Vehicle Partnership (www.lowcvp.org.uk) to identify what information consumers find most useful when buying a new or nearly new car. Conducted by environmental transport consultancy firm, Ecolane, the new survey aims to attract 1,000 car buyers to complete the survey by [...]

Fiat leads race to slash emissions

Faye Sunderland — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:04:40 +0000

While new car’s are slashing emissions across the board, Fiat is leading the way, the latest industry analysis reveals. According to data from automotive research experts, JATO Dynamics, the Fiat brand and Fiat Group posted Europe’s lowest volume weighted CO2 emissions in 2009. The carmaker logged a CO2 average of just 127.8 g/km, compared with [...]

New car emissions fall to all-time low

Faye Sunderland — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 10:36:43 +0000

New car emissions fell by their biggest margin yet last year, the latest report from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) reveals. Helped by the recession and the scrappage scheme, new car sold in the UK in 2009 emitted just 149.5g/km of CO2, down 5.4 per cent on the 2008 figure and 21.2 [...]