Britain’s drivers are unlikely to change their car-buying habits as a result of the Government’s latest tax hikes in the 2008 Budget. In an exclusive survey of more than 1000 motorists, 76% said that even the highest £950 first-year charge for the worst-polluting cars would not stop them buying high-CO2 cars.

The survey produced surprising results. It showed that if new road tax increases are introduced, only a fifth of motorists would never buy another gas guzzler again. Compare this to the staggering 76% who said that if they can afford a new car, the tax involved would not stop them from buying it – as it’s ‘just a financial drop in the ocean’ over the life of the car.

Chancellor Alistair Darling announced a shake-up of the UK’s motoring taxes in the March 2008 Budget, with a new sliding scale that penalises gas guzzlers pumping out high levels of CO2. Worst hit are cars emitting more than 255g/km of CO2 – they fall in the new M tax band and will incur a £950 first-year tax.

‘Our research suggests that the Budget changes are futile – just a fifth of UK drivers say the £950 first-year tax is enough to dissuade them from buying a so-called gas guzzler, so whether Gordon Brown raises tax or makes a U-turn, our survey results identify that it won’t make much of a difference to people’s car-buying habits,’ said Tim Pollard, CAR Magazine’s associate editor.

‘Most motorists believe that if they can afford to buy an expensive car, a £950 bill is a minor inconvenience. That suggests this is a revenue raising scam by the Government, rather than an exercise to change motorists’ behaviour.’

The results of this survey will add fuel to the debate surrounding the motives for the proposed road tax hikes, and will be a blow to the Government’s claims that its main objective is to encourage people to move to green motoring. It also further supports recent concerns that higher taxes are more likely to hit those with less money, while those who are currently driving the larger, less eco-friendly models will continue to do so, simply because they can afford it.

This is one of the most important cars of the year – rising fuel prices and CO2 emission based road tax have made “green cars” popular in the business and private sector. The Ford Focus ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi diesel claims to return 65.6mpg, in real life it averaged around the 60mpg mark – the CO2 emissions are only 115g/km. The ECOnetic is great fun and makes good economic sense.

Ford Focus ECOnetic 1.6 TDCi diesel road test

The ECOnetic: Ford’s flagship green cars

The Green Party wants the Government to scrap road tax for a tax on car usage.
The party claims that charging the most polluting vehicles with a flat tax will do nothing but enrage motorists and discredit the aim of green taxes, which is to change behaviour by actively rewarding more environmentally friendly behaviour
Green Party Principal Speaker Caroline Lucas MEP today urged the Government to reward responsible motorists by abolishing the Road Tax, and shift the responsibility onto gas-guzzlers through the fuel duty.
Dr Lucas said “Gordon Brown and Alistair Darling clearly don’t understand the uses and mechanisms of green taxation. Charging the most polluting vehicles with a flat tax will do nothing but enrage motorists and discredit the aim of green taxes. The flat road tax on vehicle ownership takes no account of road usage, and provides no incentive or reward for making less polluting travel choices. A far fairer alternative would be to scrap it altogether and move the responsibility solely onto fuel tax, so that those who choose to drive cars with large engines and are heavy road users will pay considerably more than those who choose to drive smaller, more energy efficient cars and use public transport more often.”
From research conducted for the Green Party, the total cost of motoring fell by 4 per cent since 2005.
Dr Lucas continued: “The answer is to remove the argument about road tax increases in one swipe, and introduce a scheme that rewards those who use less fuel.
Does Alasdair Darling have the foresight to scrap the road tax altogether and introduce the fairer and more equitable fuel duty?”
Simon McBride

 When companies want your business they very often offer incentives to ‘sweeten’ the deal. However, a developer at the Trilogy Central Coast development in Nipomo, California, has gone one step further – because if you buy a green home, you get a green car free.

Eco-friendly homes have been built in an effort to attract homeowners as the property market slumps in America – home sales are at their lowest levels in more than 15 years.

However, this sales tactic has gone beyond what anyone would expect.

“Not only are you purchasing a green home, but it comes with a green car,” said Trilogy Central Coast General Manager Preston Holdner.

Each person that purchases a green home will also be given a Toyota Prius – the fastest-selling green car in the world. The giveaway runs from May 17-June 15.

Holdner continued: “It is a push to sell homes, of course. That’s the business that we’re in. But beyond that, we’ve had the best three-month stretch of home sales that we’ve had since the inception of the community.”

Clearly the Toyota Prius offer will entice many homeowners with gas prices continuing to rise in America and teetering close to $4 a gallon. The housing market in the US may be overloaded, but this offer may turn the heads of more than just environmentalists.

Ford launched the Ford Focus ECOnetic at the Sexy Green Car Show at the Eden Project. But what is the thinking behind this latest green machine?
Andrew Fraser, Manager of gasoline power development at Ford of Europe said: “The aim was to make available green technology on a standard Ford Focus. Customers have been clamouring for a good looking green car so we thought why not develop one of our most popular car and see if it takes off. Getting it right meant keeping the CO2 emissions low so that the Focus would come in at an attractive VED band. The car has been lowered by 8-10mm and a spoiler has been added – this is all for enhance aerodynamics at motorway speeds while we have also covered the alloys to minimise drag. The tyre we use on the Focus Econetic is a Michelin Energy – it has a high rolling resistance and long life which should help to keep emissions low and improve fuel economy.”
Simon McBride

Forget Congestion Charge-dodging Londoners – a canny car buyer from a remote Scottish island has snapped up one of the first UK examples of the ultra-green SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive.

James Monro collected his shiny new Ibiza from Inverness dealer Bannerman and shipped it to his home on North Uist within hours of the new model’s launch. The fuel-sipping Ecomotive is one of the cleanest, most environmentally-efficient cars on the road today with super-low emissions of just 99 g/km CO2, making the diesel one of only two conventional-engined cars to entirely avoid road tax.

But it’s the car’s remarkable fuel returns of up to 88.3 mpg (extra urban) which persuaded Mr Monro to splash out on one for his Outer Hebridean home. Fuel prices on the island – which measures just 13 miles by 18 miles and has a population of around 1,200 – are regularly among the highest in the country.  Recently diesel hit a whopping £1.36 per litre, or a wallet-withering £6.17 a gallon.

But after just a few days behind the wheel of the new model, which costs from just £11,000 RRP, the electrician is already delighted with its performance. He is averaging an impressive 66.6mpg – even on North Uist’s winding roads which require constant changing up and down the gears.

A delighted Mr Monro said: ‘As you can imagine, I’ve not done many miles in the Ecomotive yet, but I’ve been really impressed with the way it’s performed. ‘To get more than 66 miles to a gallon on the island’s roads is quite an achievement, and the car doesn’t feel any different to drive.  In fact, it’s a lot quicker and more responsive than my old diesel.

‘People at the filling station have asked me about the car and can’t believe how many miles it can do and that it’s exempt from road tax.  Who knows, maybe Bannerman will sell more cars to the islands.’

Mike Stephen, Dealer Principal at Bannerman SEAT in Harbour Road, Inverness, said: ‘We always knew the Ecomotive was going to be popular but, to be honest, we were surprised to have made one of the very first sales in the UK.

‘The car will be most in demand in London where it will allow drivers to save a small fortune on the revised Congestion Charge, but people everywhere are concerned with their impact on the environment and rising fuel prices are a particular concern for folk in the Highlands and Islands.’

New software is added to the characterful three cylinder powerplant’s ECU, while particulate emissions are further reduced thanks to the addition of a state-of-the-art Diesel Particulate Filter (DPF).  Ratios in the Ecomotive’s slick five-speed manual gearbox are lengthened, too, making for both more relaxed cruising and improved economy.

This Ibiza is also more slippery through the air, with a Cd (coefficient of drag) figure of 0.30, compared with Cd 0.315 for the standard 1.4 TDI model.  And special low rolling resistance 14″ tyres from Dunlop help reduce road friction.

However, the model’s exceptional performance has been achieved without compromising the sporty driving experience for which SEAT is famed.

There’s also no shortage of equipment on board with air conditioning, electric front windows, steering wheel-mounted audio controls for the MP3-compatible single-disc CD/radio and speed-sensitive electro hydraulic power steering all coming as standard.

 When the environment sent out an SOS it seems that Swedes were listening, as their message to green car manufacturers since the turn of the year has been: “gimme, gimme, gimme!”

The environmentally conscious Swedes have been flocking to hybrid and electric cars as sales of green cars hit a record high in the country during the first quarter of 2008. According to a survey by BIL Sweden, Stockholm is the hotspot for green cars, with Vasterbotten topping the list for diesel cars.

The little known Trolhatten council in the west of the country has its own claim to fame however, with the highest percentage of environmentally friendly cars in the country – a whopping 52.3 per cent of newly registered cars are waving the green flag. Stockholm isn’t doing too badly either with 40.7 per cent, Gothenburg has 40.3 per cent and Malmo 25.3 per cent.

So why is Sweden so far ahead of the UK in terms of its demand for green cars?

Sweden has a strong environmental history with its Ministry of the Environment and Energy being established in 1987. In an effort to phase out the dependency on nuclear power and fossil fuels, a multi-billion dollar programme was launched to promote energy efficiency and renewable energy resources and the country hopes to be the world’s first oil-free economy.

The demand also coincides with a strong push towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions by both the Swedish government and the European Union.

Ecover has launched its Ecological Car Wash and Wax to help you clean your car in an environmentally friendly way. The product comes in 100ml bottle and all you need to do is use three squirts in a bucket of cold water and then apply with a sponge. Wash you car normally and then use a chamois or microfibe cloth to bring your car up shining.
According to the maker it will leave a protective plant based wax coating – it is also said to have complete biodegradability.
For more information on the product go to www.ecover.com
Simon McBride

 As lorry drivers staged a slow-moving protest through London against rising fuel prices, Gordon Brown faced further rebellion with several Labour MPs demanding the repeal of a £200 increase in vehicle excise duty on cars with high emission levels that have been purchased in the last seven years.

More than 30 Labour MPs signed a Commons motion demanding that the tax hike, due to come into effect next year, be repealed.

Rob Marris, parliamentary private secretary to the Northern Ireland secretary, is one of those who will ask Chancellor Alistair Darling to rethink his proposals.

“It will hit a vehicle which produces 180g of CO2 per km by a 50 per cent increase,” he said. “That is for a car which has already been in the fleet for up to seven years. In that sense it is retrospective taxation. That is undesirable.

“Millions of people could be affected. Medium sized family cars, depending on what sort of engine and CO2 emissions they have got, could be hit very hard.”

With fuel for the average articulated lorry costing around £1,000 a week, Mike Preisnell, of Transaction 2007, who helped organise the protest, said: “Foreign hauliers are entering the UK with cheaper fuel purchased abroad. They contribute nothing to our economy.

“We are paying the highest rate of fuel duty in the UK. All we are asking for is that the Government introduces an essential user rebate so that we can compete on a level playing field with continental hauliers.”

However, while ministers look at postponing these measures, the idea of rewarding motorists who drive green cars retains the support of Greenpeace.

Robin Oakley, head of the group’s climate team, said: “Rewarding drivers who choose more efficient vehicles makes sense. The cost of motoring now is lower than for years.”

What do you think of the tax proposals? Do they go too far? Or is it right to reward drivers of green cars and punish those that are less efficient? Let us know your thoughts.

German maker Audi has confirmed that consumers will have to wait a little longer for the new green A3.
Audi’s low-CO2 model the A3 1.9 TDIe is in such demand, orders placed now, are not expected to be delivered until Christmas.
A spokesman for the maker said: “Availability is better for the three-door version than the Sportback model, and Audi is appealing to its factory for more cars.”
The 1.9 TDIe has proved the most popular model in the A3 range with fleet buyers, but the recent facelift is expected to ease the availability issue.
There are no problems with availability of the new 2.0 diesel and deliveries of the facelifted version are expected to arrive on the forecourts in time for autumn.
Simon McBride