For those that thought a vehicle running on compressed natural gas (CNG) could never be mainstream, perhaps it’s time to think again as GM Opel will unveil its first CNG compact van at the Bologna motor show. The Opel Zafira CNG Turbo 1.6 litre model has been designed to run on natural gas, bio-methane or any combination of the two. Its statistics are impressive with a maximum torque of 210Nm and fuel consumption at 5.3kg of natural gas per 100km with 144g/km of carbon dioxide (CO2). ... read more

The UK new car market fell in October at its fastest rate since 1991, industry data shows. New car registrations fell 23 per cent in October to 128,352 units, according to figures released by Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) today. It is the sixth consecutive month the motor industry has seen a downturn. Overall car sales this year are down 8.8 per cent compared with the same time last year. However the rising popularity of diesel cars continued. With many of the greenest, ... read more

Consumer publication, Which? has published a Guide to Greener Driving, suggesting that greener cars are not just good for the environment but can save you money too. Which? put green cars through tough tests, more stringent than EU official inspections, to find best cars for fuel economy. The top ten were: Fiat Panda 1.3 Multijet, Toyota Yaris 1.4 D-4D, VW Polo BlueMotion  all acheived 60.1 mpg Mini Clubman 1.6D Cooper achieved 58.8mpg Audi A3 1.9 TDIe, Mazda2 1.4D, VW Golf BlueMotion all ... read more

• Astra Estate, Sports Hatch and 5-door models join popular ecoFLEX range • New Astra 1.7 CDTi ecoFLEX models fall into lowest diesel emissions tax band • Available from £16,340 on the road As the credit crunch bites, and fuel bills hit record highs, environmental concerns and cost efficiency have become more important to fleet decision makers and drivers than ever.  With this in mind, Vauxhall are helping customers reduce their carbon footprint by adding more ecoFLEX models to ... read more

• CO2 emissions of 119g/km mean lowest tax band for company car drivers • Power output increase over current Astra 1.7 CDTi • Most economical Astra in range Vauxhall has launched its first Astra ecoFLEX with a 1.7 turbo-diesel engine producing CO2 emissions of just 119g/km and fuel consumption of 62.8mpg on the combined cycle. The new model, which is available in Hatch, Sport Hatch and estate guises, falls into the lowest BIK tax band for company car drivers, while private buyers ... read more

 The motoring industry may be feeling the pinch from the credit crunch, but sales of green cars are on the rise according to new figures from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. According to its statistics, only 153,420 new vehicles were registered in July - down 13 per cent compared to last year’s figures, and the third successive month to show falling sales. However, despite the overall slump at dealerships across the UK, sales of alternatively fuelled vehicles actually ... read more

EcoFLEX is a Europe-wide environmental initiative run by General Motors (Vauxhall, Chevrolet and Saab) with the aim of removing older, higher polluting cars from the streets. Vauxhall is introducing an initiative to enable owners to scrap their old cars and then get behind the wheel of a fuel-efficient, low CO2 emission Vauxhall. A £1,000 bonus is available to any driver trading in their old banger and replacing it with the low CO2 versions of the Vauxhall Corsa, Meriva, Astra and ... read more

The Toyota Yaris has been named Green Car of the Year 2008 by the Environmental Transport Association. The least green car is the Dodge SRT-10 sports car. The announcements come ahead of the start of Green Transport Week (14th - 22nd June) The Environmental Transport Association has looked at over 1300 models of car currently on sale in Britain and examined their power, emissions, fuel efficiency and even the amount of noise they produce to create the definitive guide to buying the greenest ... read more

According to sources within Vauxhall the new Insignia will have a low CO2 Ecoflex version to do battle with the Mondeo Econetic and the Bluemotion VW Passat. The Vectra replacement goes on sale in November. But according to Vauxhall sources the news is that the new model will have its eco-friendly model available from launch. The first Ecoflex car has just been already been launched in the guise of the Corsa, it produces 119g/km. Vauxhall is gearing up to rival VW’s ultra-popular Bluemotion ... read more