Vauxhall's ecoFLEX initiative
It’s an all too common sight on British roads - the so-called banger, emitting choking exhaust fumes into the atmosphere. Everyone would like to get these older, more polluting cars off the streets, but owners of these cars will often tell you they just can’t afford anything better.
Now, as the first part of a new, Europe-wide General Motors environmental initiative called ecoFLEX, Vauxhall is introducing an incentive to help owners scrap their bangers and swap into the most fuel-efficient and lowest-polluting new Vauxhalls.
From now until the end of August, Vauxhall will offer a £1,000 bonus for anyone trading in a car which is then scrapped in exchange for the lowest emission versions of the Corsa, Meriva, Astra and Zafira.
Vauxhall believes this campaign could have a dramatic effect on emissions. According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) figures, over 15 million cars currently on UK roads are seven years old or more; nearly nine million of these have passed their ninth birthday and over four million cars are more than 12 years old.
Even if these vehicles are well maintained, many will not have the latest emission control equipment. Taking these cars off the road could have a significant effect on emissions of harmful pollutants, including the ‘greenhouse gas’, carbon dioxide.
For example, a 1995 Vauxhall Astra 1.7D was capable of an average 44.2mpg, whereas the 1.3 CDTi unit in the current Astra returns 58.9mpg. Every litre of petrol spared saves 2.4kg of CO2 and every litre of diesel saves 2.6kg, so a British driver covering 12,000 miles a year in the new Astra would save around £300 in fuel and a huge 800kg of CO2 annually.
The incentives are available on the most fuel-efficient versions of Vauxhall’s best selling small and family cars: the Corsa 1.0-litre petrol and 1.3 CDTi 75; Meriva 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3CDTi; Astra 1.4-litre petrol and 1.3CDTi and Zafira 1.6-litre petrol and 1.9CDTi 120PS.
News provided by www.greencarsite.co.uk
Tuesday June 12
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