subject: Global warming gets the cold shoulder from UK car customers [print this page] Global warming gets the cold shoulder from UK car customers
The Toyota Prius hybrid car may be reportedly popular in the USA with A-list celebrities such as Demi Moore, Gwyneth Paltrow, George Clooney and Renee Zellwegger, but it seems that in the UK, hybrid cars are not for your average British motorist.
Toyota announced that it had sold its 200,000th Prius on the continent in July this year, and the following month, sales of the same car in Japan topped the one million mark. Yet it appears that maybe the great British public aren't ready to get their green credentials just yet with figures from car finance specialist CarLoan4U.co.uk showing that just 1% of all their car finance applications* are for hybrid vehicles.
The same study also showed that applications for car finance for LPG cars, which can reduce carbon footprint, accounted for just 1%, as well.
And while diesel powered cars tend to burn less fuel than petrol cars over a given distance, (which means fewer Co2 emissions, lower fuel costs and, with some vehicles, less annual vehicle tax), just a third (33%) of car finance applications received were for diesel vehicles.
James Wilkinson, Director from CarLoan4U, says: "In today's cost and environmentally-conscious society, the figures are quite surprising, with petrol driven cars being the most popular choice of vehicle, despite them often burning more fuel and emitting more carbon dioxide than diesel engines."
The trend may be set to change though, as the 2010 Paris Motor Show (which is currently running until 17th October) is headlining so-called "ecomobility". It will feature the latest generation of vehicles, with zero or low CO2 emissions and green technologies, which may make for some green motoring converts.
The new Lotus Elite (expected to retail at 115,000 when it launches in Spring 2014)** will be showcased there, which offers motorists the ability to specify a hybrid petrolelectric power plant, so, says Mr Wilkinson "this could be a good advertisement that hybrid cars can be fun, sleek and sporty".
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