Blue moves

Just as "Black" series cars are supposed to bring a sense of the dark and the sinister to attract buyers so inclined, the auto industry's most recent colour fixation sees blue as the shade conveying all that is atmospherically friendly.

The result is a proliferation of blue-badged models from car-makers everywhere, all boasting -- at worst -- admirably low emission readings or, at best, none at all.

Blue cars not only point to cleaner air; they also aim at reducing the use of fuel and, consequently, lowering running costs.

Volkswagen, which is among the many car-makers introducing blue to the environmental colour palette, sees its BlueMotion concept this way: "Blue is the corporate colour of Volkswagen and stands for the elements to be protected such as water and air; Motion embodies the aspect of forward, future-directed mobility with the goal to protect the earth's resources for future generations." Worthy aspirations.

So far, Volkswagen's BlueMotion philosophy is only available on its Golf and Passat CC models in Australia, but the effects are clear. The recently introduced BlueMotion Golf – which was unveiled as a concept in September 2009 – has a super-efficient 1.6-litre turbodiesel (shared with Audi's A3 Sportback) that performs briskly with 77kW/250Nm, yet limbos beneath the 100g/km benchmark with a figure of 99g/km while sipping fuel at the rate of 3.8L/100km in the combined cycle.

Making the most of the engine's inherently clean-running behaviour are things like stop-start technology and low rolling resistance tyres – as well as a six-speed, manual-only transmission.

Not quite as miserly or clean, the even more recent BlueMotion Passat CC is based on the DSG auto 2.0-litre turbodiesel 125TDi model and also adds stop-start technology, along with regenerative braking, to bring consumption down from 6.3L/100km to 5.7L/100km, while reducing CO2 emissions to 150g/km.

The theme was also evident when Volkswagen also introduced its rakish, light-weight Concept BlueSport at the Detroit motor show to drive home a message that blue doesn't have the same connotations it has in music.

The 132kW/350Nm turbodiesel concept convertible is said to be capable of 225/km/h yet has a claimed fuel consumption of 4.3L/100km and a CO2 figure of just 113g/km.

Then there is Mercedes-Benz, with its BlueEfficiency and BlueTec tags. The former now applies to an increasing number of Benz models available in Australia and the latter was introduced on the diesel version of the utilitarian G-Class off-roader in late 2010.

Benz BlueEfficiency refers to a suite of efficiency-enhancing technologies aimed at achieving a CO2 average across the entire Benz range of 140g/km or less by next year and is available in both petrol and diesel engines.

An example of how it works is well illustrated by the BlueEfficiency E-Class that offers the technology on four-cylinder and V6 turbodiesels, as well as a four-cylinder turbo petrol.

With economy claims as low as an almost-ridiculous 5.9L/100km and outputs as high as 170kW, the E-Class BlueEfficiency range employs elements such as improved aerodynamics, lighter engines and lighter overall weights as well as low rolling resistance tyres to squeeze the most out of every drop of fuel, while also significantly cutting back CO2 emissions. Even the thirstiest BlueEfficiency E-Class, the 150kW/310Nm 1.8-litre petrol E250 CGI, consumes just 7.6L/100km, which is 0.6 of a litre more than the 170kW/540Nm 3.0-litre turbodiesel V6.

At Hyundai, there's Blue Drive which, of course, relates to a growing range of environmentally friendly vehicles and was introduced at the 2009 Frankfurt motor show.

Hyundai's blue push started with the 1.0-litre petrol i10 Blue, followed by a turbodiesel lineup including the 1.4-litre i20 Blue and i30 Blue concept, and the 1.7-litre ix35 Blue. These in turn were followed in 2010 by the 1.4-litre ix20 Blue and 1.7-litre ix35 hybrid. CO2 emissions for the ix20 Blue SUV are just 114g/km, while the "mild hybrid" ix35 turbodiesel-electric hybrid outputs 117g/km.

Hyundai also showed its Blue-Will plug-in hybrid concept at the 2010 Australian International Motor Show in Sydney. Blue-Will is a test bed for future environmental technologies including roof-mounted solar cells, drive-by-wire steering, lithium polymer batteries and thermal energy conversion from the exhaust system.

Blue-Will is claimed to have an all-electric range of as much as 64km and a fuel consumption figure of 2.22L/100km.

Then there's Hyundai's BlueOn electric vehicle based on the i10 model and using an advanced lithium-ion polymer battery pack powering a 61kW/210Nm electric motor. The new generation batteries are said to be around 30 per cent lighter and 40 per cent smaller than regular nickel-metal hydride batteries. The result is a top speed of 130km/h and a range of up to 140km.

Hyundai plans to begin manufacture of the BlueOn EV at the rate of 2500 cars a year by 2012.

Other than describing blue as a corporate colour as in the case of Volkswagen, the motivations behind other car-makers daubing their cars similarly are practically identical. Others are doing more or less the same, except they don't apply the blue tag: BMW has EfficientDynamics, Audi has Modular Efficiency and Holden has Ecoline, all targeted at reducing emissions with minimal or, ideally, no compromises in performance and driveability.

And while Toyota did not exactly include blue in the naming of its Camry hybrid, the colour was used strategically around the concept car that did the motor show rounds before its introduction here in 2010.

Does blue mean a greener future, or is it just a feel-good ploy aimed at relaxing consumers around the world who are concerned about their personal contributions to greenhouse gases? Let's hope that corporate integrity is the real driving force behind it all.

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