On top of the excitement of the British International Motorshow, this week has also seen yet further recognition of both BMW and MINI’s green credentials, both from highly-respected independent sources.
The start of the week saw the release of survey findings from leading greener motoring website www.cleangreencars.co.uk that found that BMW Group's products – BMW and MINI – are the cleanest premium products on the market. Thanks to the much-talked-about EfficientDynamics technologies, BMW’s average emissions rate fell 11.34 per cent in the period between January and June 2008 while average MINI emissions fell 9.44 per cent in the same period. This means that average emissions from BMW’s model range now stands at 161.6g/km and MINI 139.6g/km – inside the all-important 140g/km target.
By comparison, BMW’s competitors – Audi, Mercedes Benz and Lexus were well off the pace, with Audi recording a 177g/km average and Mercedes 192g/km. Even Lexus with their hybrid-based model line-up could only manage a 194g/km average. Proof, surely, that you can have your cake and eat it.
And following on from this, the end of Press Day at the Motorshow saw What Car? magazines inaugural Green Awards in the Green Car Pavilion. Having had contenders in almost every category, BMW and MINI walked off with three of the 10 awards – Best Sports car for the MINI Cooper S, Best Executive car for the BMW 318d ES and a special Editors award in recognition of the range-wide benefits that EfficientDynamics technologies have brought. To underline the range-wide effects, the winner of the Green Executive Car category was a bit of a foregone conclusion – all three nominees were BMW models – the 318d ES, the 520d and the 530d!
And that’s all for a couple of weeks – holidays beckon. Why not subscribe and you’ll be notified as soon as I’m back in the chair.
