Tuesday 3 January, 2012. The Green Piece Column.
A New Year and a new chance to cut down on excesses, right? No, I’m not talking food or drink, but excessive energy consumption. While 2011 was dubbed the ‘year of the electric car’ it looks like 2012 could be even more exciting in the world of lower emission cars.
We take a look at some of the forthcoming highlights of 2012:
2012 highlights to come
The Detroit Motor Show
Getting the year off to a stellar start will be the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), also know as the Detroit Motor Show. Returning this year, the show will open to the press next Tuesday (January 9) and run until January 22, 2012. 
While there has already been some surprising news about the show; Land Rover Jaguar will not be attending because it clashes Auto Expo in New Delhi, India (according to AutoNews.com) but the show is still expected to feature some very important new concepts including the smart for-us pick-up concept. a hybrid Mercedes E-Class and a shiny and new hybrid concept from Lexus called the LF-LC 2+2 sport coupe. One of the most exiting debuts is so juicy it gets its own listing below.
Toyota to reveal new NS4 plug-in hybrid and Prius C concept
Ah yes, Toyota is to keep green car fans happy with the grand unveiling of its NS4 plug-in hybrid concept at the Detroit show. We know very little about it as of yet, all we know is that this ‘advanced’ plug-in hybrid will appear alongside the Prius C concept, which will be making its US debut (see story). The mystery alone is enough to get us all excited!
BMW ActiveHybrid 5 to arrive in February
BMW finally introduces its first ‘alternative fuel’ car in the hybrid form of its hugely important 5 Series model. The decision to go into full production marks the start of electrification for the German car maker, with a ActiveHybrid 3, based on the 3 Series car, also set to launch by the end of the year. Then get ready for the exciting launch of the ‘i’ sub-brand from 2013. The ActiveHybrid 5 features a 3.0 litre engine with electric drive system capable of powering the car to a speed on 37mph on electricity alone.
SEAT Mii, VW UP! and Skoda Citigo arrive
The first models of Volkswagen’s new city car model, the Up!, will appear on UK roads from the spring. By the summer, sibling brands SEAT and Skoda will launch their own versions of the clever compact car, respectively called the Mii and Citigo. Using the car maker’s Bluemotion emission-lowering technologies including start-stop, the Up! and its clones will be available with emissions as low as 97g/km with a combined-cycle economy of 67.2mpg.
Geneva motor show
This year’s Geneva show opens from March 8 and runs until the 18th. Yet again, the show will be an important opportunity for the car makers to showcase their latest low emission models and with a wealth of hybrids and electrics to launch over the coming year, expect the green pavilion of the show to be very busy with those eager to show how they are taking on the war against CO2.
Renault Twizy launches
Renault’s compact city electric car arrives in the UK from March, priced from £6,690. 
Potentially the first of a new breed of two-seat tandem electric models, which sit somewhere between the function of a scooter and a city car, the Twizy could be the start of a motoring revolution, with brands such as Audi and Volkswagen also producing two-seat EV concepts.
With a top speed of 50mph and a range of 60 miles to a charge, the model is aimed at inner city commuters who want a compact and clean motoring solution.
Vauxhall Ampera appears
The Ampera will arrive in the UK sometime in early 2012, priced at just under £34,000 although the government’s £5,000 Plug-in Car Grant will bring this down to £28,995. Using a 1.4 litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor, the car is capable of driving 35 miles on electric drive alone but has a ‘extended range’ of over 300 miles.
Chevrolet Volt follows suit
Likewise the ‘identically different’ Volt-on which the Ampera is based-is also expected to launch in the UK early in the year. With the same performance credentials as the Vauxhall version; the model is expected to be rated as emitting just 40g/km CO2. Lacking the presence in the country which Vauxhall enjoys, expect the Volt to attract a lot less buyers and media interest than the Vauxhall model despite being essentially the same car.
Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 begins deliveries
We had the good fortune to test drive this car at the Ecovelocity show in London last September, and I think it is fair to say it was one of our favourite cars there. Now at last, the ‘world’s first diesel hybrid’ starts making its UK deliveries from March. Combining the naturally better economy of a diesel engine with the low emission nature of a hybrid; the 3008 HYbrid4 achieves 74mpg and emits just 99 g/km CO2. Definitely one which will find a few fleet homes as well as private ones too.
Toyota Prius Plug-in to arrive early summer
Another car we’ve being lucky enough to sample ahead of production. As Toyota prepares to expand its range of Prius-based models, the plug-in version will be effectively the fourth evolution of the Prius hatchback. Expected to be price from just £31,000 (and you can knock £5,000 off that thanks to the Plug-in Car Grants) the Pruis Plug-in is able to make greater use of electric-only drive thanks to its newly rechargeable nature and although its yet to formally confirmed, the plug-in model is expected to achieve a fuel economy rating of 134mpg and emit just 49g/km CO2. (Read our experience of the Prius Plug-in at the 2011 RAC Future Car Challenge).
Volvo V60 plug-in hybrid to arrive in UK from November
Volvo’s plug-in hybrid car is expected to begin deliveries from November, with just 150 cars coming to the UK to start with. Promoted as being ‘three cars in one’, the V60 hybrid will not only be Volvo’s first hybrid but will be the very first rechargeable diesel hybrid available on the market. Another car with strong business appeal, the car features three driving modes and utilises a five-cylinder 2.4-litre turbo diesel combined with a 11.2kWh lithium ion battery pack. It can drive in pure electric mode, hybrid mode or ‘Power’ mode where the full power of the diesel engine and electric motor work together for the strongest performance. We test drove it earlier this year, and make no mistake; this car packs a punch (read our first drive).
Citroen DS5 complete with hybrid model
Citroen’s latest in its upmarket DS range launches in the form of the new DS5 in March. It will be the first Citroen model to use the diesel hybrid technology featured on the Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4 with the hybrid variant emitting just 99g/km CO2 (read more about it here).
Could 2012 be the year of the diesel hybrid? With Volvo and Peugeot also releasing diesel hybrids this year, it might just be.
Paris Motor Show in September
The Paris Motor Show returns this year, in the industry important month of September. As the registration plate changes in the UK, sparking a flurry of new car sales, over in Paris the car makers will be revealing their plans for 2013. Although it is a long way off yet, mark September 27, 2012 in your diary now, as the show opens to the press and we find out all we can look forward to next year.
All in all, 2012 looks like it will be an exciting year, as the UK market expands its range of available electric cars and welcomes diesel hybrids, rechargeable hybrids and range-extended cars to the mix too. Bring it on!
Faye Sunderland
