Greenest Smart ever

For those looking for the ultimate green credentials, here they are: 88g/km of CO₂ and 83.1mpg!

Those are the hugely impressive eco statistics of the new-to-the-UK Smart cdi - the two-seat city car that's officially the lowest CO₂ emitter of any production car. It means owners will pay exactly zero in road tax.

Set to go on sale in March, the car is powered by the world's smallest common rail diesel engine at 799cc, boosted to produce 45bhp at 3,800rpm. It's been on sale in Europe since the launch of the second generation model, but it's only now that Smart has seen fit to bring it here.

And Smart is one of the few brands enjoying showroom success at the moment - with a surprising 43.3 percent sales improvement compared to 2007. It mimics a more general shift towards smaller cars as people watch their emissions and fuel prices fluctuate.

There's no official word on pricing as yet, but expect the Smart cdi to retail at a shade under £8,000 come March.

Mark Nichol