Tuesday 21 December 2010. The Green Piece.
With the end of 2010 rapidly approaching, The Green Piece takes a two part look at the key developments of the year involving all of the major car manufacturers.
Audi
The year started with a bang for German car manufacturer Audi as it introduced the exciting electric sports car, the Audi E-tron in January at the North American International Auto Show. The vehicle can race from 0-62mph in just 5.9seconds, has a top speed of 124mph and an operating range of 155miles (see article).
Its emphasis on green technology did not end there however, with the debut of the new Audi A1 in Geneva, which was smaller than ever before and featured emissions as low as 102g/km of CO2 (see article). The vehicle, which has a fuel consumption rating of 70.6mpg, went on sale in May (see article). Also introduced was a sportier, but greener, version of the Audi R8 Spyder. This eye-catching concept has a top speed of 199mph but is much more economical thanks to several aerodynamic advancements (see article).
The company also revealed several forthcoming hybrid and electric car vehicle plans. These include a Q5 Hybrid and an A8 Hybrid (see article).
BMW
We devoted an entire Green Piece Column to BMW back in July, such is its green car push (see article).
Much of its efforts are focused on the BMW MegaCity Vehicle, which has a range of 100miles and can reach a top speed of 95mph (see article). It is just the latest small car from the German car manufacturer with an emphasis on electrification however, after it also introduced the BMW MINI E (see article) which has been undergoing trials throughout the year.
Perhaps its most exciting new vehicle is the ActiveE which was first introduced at this year’s Geneva Motor Show (see article). It has a specially designed motor with a torque of 250Nm and can race from 0-60mph in 8.5seconds. It has a range of 100miles.
Citroen
Several deeply contrasting models were at the heart of Citroen’s green car efforts in 2010.
The first is the Citroen C-ZERO, a small electric car based on the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, which completed a Channel crossing in December (see article). The vehicle has top speed of 88mph and a range of 93miles on electric charge only. However, the company isn’t reliant on other manufacturers for all its green concepts, with the Citroen LaCoste emitting less than 100g/km of CO2 (see article).
Sports car fans also had reason to be impressed by the French carmaker’s efforts this year as it followed up its Revolte Concept from 2009 with the Citroen Survolt, (see article) a racing car that is powered by batteries only and can reach 161mph with a range of 124miles; while those searching for a little luxury will enjoy the Citroen Metropolis, a plug-in hybrid limousine that produces emissions of just 70g/km (see article).
Fiat
Italian automaker Fiat has concentrated much of its efforts in the US this year after taking control of the Chrysler brand. The Chrysler Group plans to introduce a replica of the Fiat 500 in 2012 after previewing the vehicle at this year’s Los Angeles Auto Show. It will include a six-speed automatic version that will be exclusive to the US market (see article).
According to statistics from JATO Dynamics released this year (see article), the company is also leading the way with the lowest volume weighted CO2 emissions among European manufacturers with an average of just 127.8g/km.
Ford
After a slow start in the green vehicle sector, with most of its emphasis placed on its flex-fuel vehicles as well as hybrid versions of the Fusion and Escape, Ford has firmly embraced electrification in 2010 with an influx of new ideas and concept announcements.
It has decided to invest $135million into introducing five new hybrid or electric car concepts by 2012 (see article) including the Ford Transit Connect, which is now available to some fleet customers (see article); the Ford Focus Electric, which will be available next year (see article); the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid which is also on sale now (see article); and a still to be announced hybrid electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicle which will be released in 2012.
However, perhaps what has really separated Ford from the pack has been its devotion to making not only the fuel we put in our vehicles green, but to making the vehicles we drive green too. For example it has introduced soy foam into the seat cushions and seat backs of the 2011 Ford Explorer (see article) and now uses more bio foam than any other vehicle manufacturer.
General Motors
2010 has certainly been a landmark year for General Motors after introducing the Chevrolet Volt range extended electric vehicle after several years’ hype (see article). However, the Volt isn’t its only venture with a firm environmental emphasis.
The American carmaker has also begun testing the Chevrolet Cruze electric car, which has a maximum speed of 102mph and can be recharged in six-eight hours (see article). The company hasn’t given up on hydrogen fuel cell technology either, having revealed that it could be ready to introduce fuel cell technology for commercial production as early as 2015 (see article).
In addition, and similar to Ford, GM has made several other green commitments including reducing its landfill waste. It is now 52 per cent landfill-free (see article) at its worldwide facilities.
Next week we will take a look back at the remaining car manufacturers and how they progressed in 2010, including the likes of Honda, Nissan, Renault and Toyota.
Faye Sunderland
