From the continued dominance of Japanese manufacturers to the vehicle scrappage scheme; with everything from bankruptcy to exciting new concepts in between – it’s been an enthralling year for green cars and here we look back at the key developments….
2009: A YEAR IN REVIEW FOR GREEN CARS.
From the death of Michael Jackson to a plane landing on the Hudson River, 2009 has been a typically newsworthy 12 months – but for green cars it has proven to be a breakthrough period.
This year has seen green cars go mainstream – no longer a niche topic among environmentalists, they are now widely accepted as the transport means of the future with the bulk of the leading car manufacturers attempting to find sustainable solutions for their vehicles and introducing a host of electric, hydrogen and hybrid concepts while pouring money into research.
In this Green Piece special we look back on the year and remind you of the five key stories that influenced the most important period yet for the green transformation of the motoring industry.
BANKRUPTCY, RECESSION AND A GREENER FUTURE
2009 began with the industry still reeling from the ongoing global economic crisis and green cars emerging as a serious alternative to prevent similar failings in the future.
Detroit’s big three – Ford, Chrysler and General Motors – all teetered on the edge of doom with the latter two falling into bankruptcy despite a US government bailout. Emerging from the crisis however, all three have placed a renewed emphasis on greener models. Ford will continue its line-up of energy efficient EcoNetic models such as the 70mpg barrier busting Ford Focus (see article) and continue to push its highly successful hybrid models (see article); General Motors is promising exciting new vehicles such as the range extending Chevrolet Volt (see article) and the new small car, the Chevrolet Spark (see article); while Chrysler formed a new partnership with Fiat that promises to launch vehicles such as the Fiat 500 Multi-Air with significant fuel economy savings in the North American market (see article).
JAPAN CONTINUES TO DOMINATE
While the American manufacturers scampered to play catch-up in the green car race, it was another year of dominance in the sector from Japanese giants Toyota, Honda and Nissan.
Honda launched its Honda Insight Hybrid model (see article) and briefly matched the Toyota Prius in sales; only for the world’s most popular green car to release its third generation model and once again establish a clear advantage (see article). Toyota and Honda also worked on a host of new concepts through the year including the Honda CR-Z Concept (see article), a Prius Plug-in Hybrid model (see article) and even a solar charging plant from Toyota (see article).
Nissan wasn’t to be outdone however, putting its focus firmly on electric cars thanks to its strategic alliance with Renault and Better Place that has seen it forge electric car partnerships throughout the world (see article). Perhaps its key innovation during the year however, was the announcement of the Nissan LEAF model (see article) with a range of more than 100 miles on a single charge.
SCRAPPAGE SCHEME BOOSTS INDUSTRY BUT FAILS TO GO GREEN
It would be tough to deny the success of the vehicle scrappage scheme as it boosted the auto industry during its most testing period in decades and sparked a revival in new car sales. However, for many green car enthusiasts it was a missed opportunity.
The Government’s failure to tie the scheme to cars with low emissions (effectively you could scrap your old car in favour of a new car that emits twice as much carbon dioxide) sparked anger among many environmentalist groups. We offered our own take on the situation in our very first Green Piece Column, which you can read here.
CHINESE MANUFACTURERS MAKE THEIR MARK
While the automotive industry has always been dominated by American, European and Japanese manufacturers, the effective transition to green cars opened the door for a new nation to emerge as a serious contender – China.
The Chinese government adopted a plan in April to turn the country into one of the leading manufacturers of hybrid and electric cars with significant subsidies (see article). With China proving an important playground for vehicle manufacturers thanks to its position as a rapidly developing market, home-grown companies such as BYD Auto and Chery Automobile started to produce electric cars (see article) to compete with the established players. BYD’s emergence has been among the most notable thanks to the F3DM, the world’s first mass produced plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
DRESSED FOR SUCCESS
Finally it’s been an award winning year here at TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk (see article) but it was our own awards that really grabbed the headlines as Volvo scooped both our Green Car Manufacturer of the Year and Green Car of the Year (for the Volvo C30 DRIVe) titles in our end of year honours (see article). The Volvo C30 DRIVe with stop/start offers fuel efficiency at 74.3mpg combined and class-leading emissions of 99g/km of CO2, meaning that the C30 will give you around 857 miles to a tank. Nevertheless, despite its credentials, it was still a surprise to see it storm ahead of more established vehicles in our readers’ poll – a clear sign that green car devotees are ready to embrace exciting new models.
Next week we’ll take a look at some of those mouth-watering concepts as part of our preview of 2010 – but for now, on behalf of TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk thank you for a wonderful 2009 and happy new year.
