AutoblogGreen

There's a French competitor for the all-new Opel Insignia EcoFlex. Citroën has unveiled a new version of its C5 sedan, spotting the marque's Airdream ecolabel. The C5 Airdream has the proven PSA 1.6-liter 110hp engine, which seems a little small for such a hefty vehicle, but manages to reduce fuel consumption and CO₂ emission figures to keep them under 140 g/km. In France, this model qualifies for discounted taxes for businesses that use cleaner vehicles as company cars. The C5 Airdream spots electric power steering, low rolling resistance Michelin tires, more fluid transmission oil and the usual aero tweaks. Citroën also announced that the 2.0-liter HDI diesel engine is now Euro V compliant.

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

Do you enjoy watching stars on the red carpet? Well, BMW thinks that they can help make the stars' appearance a little greener than if they arrived in a stretched limo (even if it's hybrid). Last year BMW chose the event to promote its Hydrogen 7 flagship, but this year BMW has announced a full "fleet of models fitted with EfficientDynamics" to drive around movie starts and politicians. As we know, this name denotes a combination of the Bavarian marque's techniques to lower fuel consumption. According to BMW Italia's press release, when 2008 ends, BMW will have saved enough fuel to power a city like Geneva, Switzerland, for one year. Not sure how they arrived at that tidbit, but there it is.

[Source: BMW Italia]

Photo of the European Parliament published under the GNU Documentation License

A battle has been fought in the European Parliament to establish CO₂ emission limits for new cars. The contenders were, on one side, the members of the Industry and Energy Committee; on the other side, the Environmental Affairs Committee. The first wanted relaxed emission limits, the second one, stricter limits. We have covered the long list of proposals (here's one, another one, and one more) that were coming up but this is what the Environmental Affairs Committee finally voted on:

• Average CO₂ emissions under 130 g/km in 2012.
• Target CO₂ emissions under 95 g/km in 2020, although this limit is to be reviewed in 2014.
• Fines for automakers: €95 per gram per car sold for each gram an automaker surpasses the limit. For instance, if an automaker has an average of 140 g/km and sells 500,000 cars per year, the fine will be €5,000,000.

Note that this doesn't mean that this will immediately become legislation . First, it's got to be passed by the European Parliament (although MPs listen to Committees and usually approve their proposals), then the 27 European Ministers of Environmental Affairs will have their say and, finally, the European Commission will vote.

[Source: Greenpeace via Econoticias]

The EcoTour was a 7-day tour through nine European countries with 42 of the most fuel-efficient cars. The tour started 12 September in Barcelona, Spain, and finished 19 September in The Hague in the Netherlands. The target was burning the least fuel possible during the seven days. There were two winners for each day: one absolute, and one for each category, as well as a final global winner: The Seat Ibiza Ecomotive, which averaged fuel consumption of 3.80 l/100 km (61.90mpg U.S.), and was driven by F.A. van Heijningen and N.A. van Heijningen-de Kok from the Netherlands. The event offset its carbon emissions via BP's target-neutral program (€0.18 for each tank of normal gasoline, diesel or LPG and as much as €0.36 for each tank of BP Ultimate premium fuels). Follow us after the jump to see the complete results.


[Source: Seat and Eco Tour]

We usually know Piaggio for its scooters and the great MP3 three-wheeled scooter, but it also builds a "microvan" based on the Daihatsu Hijet kei-car sized van. The vehicle, which is quite common for garden services in big European cities, uses a 660 cc engine. But there's an electric version as well, which is sold for use in city centers, as well as in Israel. Now the Piaggio Porter electric is also available in the UK, left hand driver notwithstanding, where it's exempt from the Congestion Charge in Central London. The Porter use long life Lead-Gel batteries that offer a range of approximately 80 miles (depending on terrain and driving style) and recharging is either with a standard 8 hour charge through a 13 amp socket or a faster 2 hour charge using 3 phase supply. It's available in 6 body styles: Panel Van, MPV, Pick Up, Big Deck, Tipper and Chassis Cab. Across the range, payload capacities range from 440kg for the electric MPV to 560kg for the electric Big Deck.

[Source: Piaggio UK]

Volvo is introducing a new array of engines next year. Volvo claims that these engines, called EEV (Enhanced Environmental friendly Vehicle), exceed the requirements for Euro V antipollution norms by means of reducing emitted particles and smoke. Not only that, but the new set of EEV engines also reduce fuel consumption. The first engine of the series is the D13 (pictured), which powers the FH (trailer) and FM (heavy) truck series. The D13 is a 12.8-liter I6 engine with power ranging from 400 to 520hp. This engine is the one that the Swedish motor company will use to develop its future Euro VI-compliant engines. Full release after the jump.

Are you an American that has been lusting for some European vehicle models lately? Because of the traditionally high fuel prices in Europe, cars there are traditionally more compact and sip less fuel than their American counterparts (the BMW M3 is another story, though). Some of these models belong to American automakers Ford and GM. We already know some European GM models are sold stateside, but what about Ford?

According to Automotive News, Ford is calling its young dealers to improve operations and prepare for a wave of new small vehicles coming to Ford's lineup within three years. Those cars most likely will be the new European Focus four-door, five-door and coupé-convertible (pictured); the new Fiesta (old new); and the C-Max minivan and Kuga crossover. Compact in size and, at least in my opinion, featuring really good design, these Euro models could provide Ford with a sales boost. In fact, Ford is expecting to sell 700,000 or 800,000 of them per year in the U.S., but probably not all of them at $25,000, though.

[Source: Automotive News (subs. req'd)]

The S4, both in sedan and Avant (SW) version, is the top of the range for the Audi S A4 models. Until now, this beast was powered by a V8 engine, but now it's been replaced by a massaged 3.0-liter V6 TFSI engine. TFSI means that the engine combines single turbo charging with FSI direct injection. Although, for this version, it uses forced induction by means of compact superchargers for increased performance. Performance lovers won't miss power, because the engine has 333hp and reaches a maximum torque of 440Nm (325 lb-ft) at 2,500 rpm, with 0 to 100 km/h (60mph) possible in 5.1 seconds. On the green side of life there's good news too: On average, the sedan uses 9.7 l/100 km (24.25 U.S. mpg), while the Avant burns 9.9 l/ 100 km (23.76 U.S. mpg) – an improvement of 3.4 liters (26 percent) compared with its predecessor and with the Quattro AWD. The car comes with a 6-speed manual as standard, but 7-speed S-Tronic transmission will be available as an option. Full press release after the jump.

Gallery: Audi S4

[Source: Audi]

We have seen a lot of lucky personalities get a hold of the BMW Hydrogen 7 for a test drive. We don't know who you need to be to get on that celebrity list, but we know that it's still a big honkin' car. Therefore, it comes as a pleasant surprise that Peugeot is sharing a 308, a clever-sized compact car, to the French minister of Environmental affairs, Jean-Louis Borloo - and this 308 is a hybrid HDI. Yes, that means it pairs Peugeot's efficient HDI diesel engines to a hybrid transmission. Because the Peugeot 308 and the Citroën C4 have a lot in common, this configuration could be also available on the C4, but the last news we heard about this was that PSA was going upscale with hybrids. Nevertheless, the 308 Hybride improves the standard 1.6-liter HDI consumption figures by 40 percent and emits only 90 grams of CO₂ per km. Plans call for the French Minister of Industry to get a hybrid 308 HDI, and for the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, to drive an all-electric 5-door Peugeot 106 (with chauffeur!).

[Source: Le Blog Auto]

The multinational consulting company Accenture has launched a new report on the future of biofuels. This time, it has a more optimistic tone than last time we heard from them. According to their conclusions, 10 to 15 percent of our fuel needs from 2020 to 2030 will be satisfied with biofuels. Nevertheless, the future won't be as easy as it was once thought: recent trouble in markets, as well as challenges in production, transport and distribution will slow the development of biofuels. When it comes to the food vs. biofuel debate, Accenture states that using food crops for fuel is one big factor against biofuel development, and that public powers have to regulate and control the sustainability of biofuel feedstocks to erase all concerns. There will be always demand for biofuels, since they offer flexibility in the energy market.

Unsurprisingly, Accenture's report also tells us to keep an eye on upcoming second-generation biofuels, which could make bio-based fuel more attractive to just about everyone. They also warn us to watch out for "competing technologies" such as EVs or hybrids, which are about to become mainstream.

[Source: Europa Press]