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And by that I dont mean stating in on a Friday night to save a few Euros or Pounds, but eking out fuel consumption and reducing tailpipe emissions. Most European manufacturers now include eco models in their product line up, for example: Ford has ECOnetic, Peugeot BlueLion, Seat Ecomotive, Volvo DRIVe, VW Bluemotion and Skoda its GreenLine. They all take roughly similar routes to achieve the same results: the latest frugal common-rail diesel engines mated to stop-start systems that cuts the engine in traffic jams or at red lights, instantly re-starting it as you engage first and before the clutch is engaged; gear change recommendation that alerts the driver into selecting the optimum ratio for maximum fuel economy and energy recuperation that converts kinetic energy into electricity thats either stored in the battery or immediately used to power on-board electrics. Most manufacturers also include minor aerodynamic tweaks that help to reduce wind resistance, which could be as simple as lowering the suspension a few fractions of an inch, to extending rear spoilers or putting bibs ahead of the wheels to smooth airflow. Many also include low rolling resistance tyres in the package as well. It has been a successful marketing ploy, tapping into the zeitgeist for cleaner motoring and care for the environment. In 2005 just 50,000 such green cars within the 110-119 g/Kms sector were sold in the UK. That figure had rocketed to 300,000 last year and the demand for these cars shows no sign of abating. I spent today driving a selection of Skodas GreenLine products ranging from the Fabia that you could drive, in theory, from London to Prague on a single tank of fuel, a distance of nearly 800 miles. Right through to Skodas five-door flagship saloon, the Superb, which still returns over 53 (U. S. ) mpg. Admittedly if you stick to the green rule book, performance isnt scintillating but for those who dont want the quirkiness or expense of Prius then this new breed of cars has a lot to be said for it. Furthermore, I would suggest that selling these cars in the hundreds of thousands is probably at least, if not more, beneficial than selling a comparatively smaller number of hybrids.
