With the Bologna Motor Show in full swing, Volkswagen have shown several new models, including: The Golf BiFuel has been developed to run on both LPG and conventional petrol, with the German giants promising a 39.8 mpg and emissions of 149 g/km from the 1.6 litre 98 PS engine, and when running on purely LPG the emissions are reduced by 10%. The manufacturers have performed extensive crash test and durability studies on the fuel tanks and LPG operation, and claim that the resulting Golf ... read more

Dealers are being instructed that a new marketing approach is needed to sell green cars. Dealers need a different approach to reach customers for the new environmental sub-brands that motor manufacturers are starting to apply to mainstream, motor industry consultancy Network Automotive advises. Vehicles such as Volkswagen’s Bluemotion range and Ford’s Econetic models have such a strong selling points in their environmental credentials that retailers need to make sure they make the most of ... read more

The Volkswagen Jetta TDI Clean Diesel has been honoured at the Los Angeles Motor Show by the Green Car Journal, being crowned ‘2009 Green Car of the Year’. The Jetta, which takes centre stage at the Los Angeles Show this month, is the first diesel vehicle to receive the prestigious award. A jury of nine environmental and automotive experts from North America commended the Jetta TDI for its strong performance, fuel economy and low emissions. Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car ... read more

Car sales website, FindsYou.com has discovered that demand for small Volkswagens now accounts for 32 per cent of all cars being requested through its service. Findsyou.com is a new website where buyers specify what car they are looking for rather than searching through websites looking at cars for sale. The website has seen a growth for small, reliable Volkswagens which are cheap and reliable to run The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders’ September figures showed that despite an ... read more

 The talk is over and now the winner has been announced - the Volkswagen Jetta is the green car of the year. You might have expected an innovative hybrid or electric car to scoop the honour, but the diesel-powered VW Jetta TDI was said to “epitomise what the green car of the year honour is all about” according to Ron Cogan, publisher of the Green Car Journal. It achieves excellent fuel efficiency at 31mpg in the city and 41mpg on the highway, while proving comparatively ... read more

 While many car manufacturers struggle to bring their green car concepts to life, Volkswagen has bucked the trend at the Los Angeles Auto Show by introducing three fuel cell prototypes. With one eye on the future, Volkswagen has showcased a Tiguan compact SUV, a Touran compact mini-van and the Passat Lingyu, all of which will be zero emission vehicles. Let’s take a look at each one: - Tiguan HyMotion - A fuel cell prototype, this is Volkswagen’s first fuel cell powered SUV. The ... read more

 With more motorists thinking green than ever before, the Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year award has taken on added significance in the industry - and now the 2009 contenders have been unveiled. The five finalists competing for the title of 2009 Green Car of the Year are: - The BMW 335d - Ford Fusion Hybrid - Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid - Smart Fortwo - Volkswagen Jetta TDI The five models have all attained important milestones for their manufacturers. The Volkswagen and BMW ... read more

 Regular readers at thegreencarwebsite.co.uk will know we’ve covered several stories about universities in America adopting green car club schemes. Well now, the idea has crossed the Atlantic to Buckinghamshire New University. It has launched the country’s first university based environmentally friendly car club with students able to rent one of two new low-emission Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion models which can achieve 70mpg. Under the terms of the club’s membership, the ... 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

 The green cars just keep on coming at the Paris Motor Show as Volkswagen unveiled the Passat BlueTDI, the second generation of the Passat BlueMotion and a concept Passat Variant BlueMotion II. Yes, the green cars are turning blue… So what separates these models? Here is a quick guide: - Passat BlueTDI - This model is based on a variant of VW’s 2.0 litre 103kW with a slight power boost (105kW). The vehicle consumes up to 0.3 litres less than the conventional TDI with fuel ... read more