Study brands eco car manufacturers as CO2 liars
by Stevie Smith - May 19 2008, 11:37
Auto Express road test delivers CO2 gut punch to supposedly eco-conscious car manufacturers. Image: Roger Wo/Flickr.
Ecologically-conscious car drivers intent on pinning their colours to the mast of CO2 reduction via the purchase of a low-emission vehicle are likely to be left choking on exhaust fumes upon learning of a new report that casts an extremely negative light on so-called ‘eco cars.’
More pointedly, car magazine Auto Express has recently revealed some rather surprising road test results that leave a trio of supposedly eco-friendly cars labelled as little more than cash-making gimmicks when measured against the environmental claims made by their manufacturers.
According to the results, Honda’s much-touted Civic Hybrid was the worst test subject, producing a significant 171 grams of CO2 per 100 kilometres, which is a massive 56 percent more than the 109 grams per 100 kilometres that the Japanese carmaker boasts.
Testers concluded that the Civic Hybrid’s accompanying electric motor was “not strong enough to propel the oddball four-door Civic on its own” and that overall the vehicle “failed to match the firm’s economy claims.”
Leaping to the defence of its Civic Hybrid, Honda insisted its eco-car was anything but a gimmick, outlining that the vehicle’s CO2 emissions are much less than other comparative four-door cars in its class.
“The [official] quoted figures are generated from standard Government tests so that customers have a benchmark to compare one car with another,” said a company spokesman. “They are done in laboratory conditions and do not necessarily reflect driving conditions.”
The other two notably poor green performers in the Auto Express emissions test were the Lexus GS450h and the Skoda Fabia Greenline.
A further five supposedly eco-friendly cars also failed to fully match the performance claims of their respective manufacturers during the Auto Express road test, but did manage to emerge with their green credentials relatively undamaged thanks to notable CO2 cuts when measured against non-green vehicles.
Those five models just about holding on to their green status are the Mini Cooper Clubman D, VW Polo BlueMotion, Seat Ibiza ECOmotive, Toyota Prius, and the Ford Focus ECOnetic.
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