Green Car UK Launches Of 2011

Posted by Catherine Jones
ToyotaPlace.Com

August 6, 2011; Go green is the buzz phrase of the year. Be it food, clothes or even cars. Everybody has been bitten by the green bug and is trying to become more eco-friendly. Many of the auto majors announced at the start of the New Year, the hybrids and eco-variants they would be launching in 2011. Some of them have already hit the floor and others will be launched soon. The new launches include green variants of existing models with reduced carbon consumption and emissions.

The UK Government launched the Plug-in car grant in January, 2011 Whereby the buyer of an electric vehicle will receive up to a £5,000 discount at the point of purchase. The car buyer will not have to fill in application forms, everything will be done by the dealer who will reduce the price at the time of the sale to offer a discount of £5000. It is hoped the grant will promote popularity of the electric vehicle and act as an incentive to both auto majors to launch EV’s and the public to buy them.

So let’s unfold the curtain on some of the cars that will have an eco-friendly version in 2011:

Nissan LEAF electric

The Nissan LEAF will be the world’s first zero-emission medium-size hatchback that can comfortably seats five adults and has a range of around 100 miles. The car is powered by lithium-ion batteries, which deliver power of over 80 kW via its electric motor. The LEAF takes about 30 minutes to charge up to 80% of its full capacity and uses about 8 hours for a full charge using a standard plug. The car will cost about £27,000 once the Plug-in Car Grant has been applied.

Peugeot 3008 HYbrid4

The Peugeot 3008 Hybrid will be the world’s first diesel-electric hybrid and will be available in different formats including SUV, MPV and hatchback. The economy figures being mentioned are in the range of 75mpg and the two power sources can be operated either simultaneously or alternately. Rear wheels are powered by the electric motor while the diesel engine powers the front.

Range Rover Evoque

For SUV enthusiasts, the all-new Range Rover Evoque could become the standard choice. The Evoque will be available on both 2WD or 4WD platforms with several engine options. It uses the start-stop technology as standard.

Peugeot iOn & Citroen C-Zero

These will be battery operated cars seating 4 and are produced in partnership with Mitsubishi. The iOn and C-Zero can reach a top speed of 80mph. A full recharge takes around 7 hours and a rapid charge can be done 30 minutes. The battery range is 93 miles. Being all electric these cars qualify for the plug in car grant.

Lexus CT 200h hybrid

This will herald Lexus’ entry to the small card hybrid segment. The hatchback might just be the best in its class, with ultra-low nitrogen oxide and other harmful emissions and low carbon dioxide emissions of only 96g/km. It is based on the drive-train used in Toyota’s Prius which is highly reliable.

Honda Jazz hybrid

The current Jazz model will be tailored with the 1.3 petrol-electric IMA hybrid power-train that is also available on the Honda’s CR-Z and the Insight hybrid cars. The car will have a 4-cyclinder engine along with an electric motor that will give it a top speed of around 100mph and emissions of only 104g CO2/km. The fuel economy is expected to be around 62mpg.

Renault Clio eco-champion

Renault will add to its range of eco cars with enhancements to the range and expect the improved versions of Twingo, Clio, Megane and Laguna. The Clio will use the DCi 90PS diesel engine with special filter and the new EDC (Efficient Dual Clutch) gearbox.

Ford Focus

Ford will be launching an all-new version of their most popular UK car, the Ford Focus. The range will include new engine variants in both the petrol and diesel versions which have higher economy and low emissions

Audi A6

The new Audi A6 will be launched and it has a number of modifications to improve efficiency. Audi has reduced weight by using composite aluminium and steel construction. The new engine variants in both petrol and diesel will be economical with the manual diesel variant emitting just 129 gCO2/km

Volkswagen Jetta

Volkswagen will introduce the all-new Jetta saloon in UK. The US variant will be modified for the UK market with a choice of six turbocharged engines including four petrol and two diesel options. The BlueMotion technology will be provided in two engines – the 1.6 diesel and 1.2 petrol and this will be based on the stop-start technology. The bluemotion 1.6 variant has impressive figures for a large car of 68.9mpg and just 109gCO2/km .

Authors Bio: Catherine Jones writes for http://www.toyotaplace.com. She enjoys content and writing about the social sphere and various other topics.