European carmakers greener than ever

Influential British automotive magazine What Car? has revealed the winners of its annual Green Car Awards and European car makers have scooped the pool.

According to the Green Car Awards, the inaugural 'Green Car of the Year' -- the car that makes cyclists look selfish -- is the diesel-powered Volvo S40 1.6D DRIVe sedan with stop-start functionality.

The Swedish vehicle makes use of a 1.6-litre turbo diesel engine with stop-start technology to deliver an average fuel consumption of 3.9L/100km and CO2 output of 104g/km.

The Volvo S40 1.6D DRIVe was also the winner of the 'Green Small Family Car' award and Australians will get to sample the super-efficient 1.6-litre DRIVe diesel engine in September, when it ships under the bonnet of the C30 hatchback model.

Upon receiving the award, Stuart Kerr, Volvo's European chief said: "The recent launch of the DRIVe range enables Volvo to offer mid-sized cars with the same fuel consumption and CO2 emissions as competitor's small cars.

"This highly important award is recognition of Volvo's desire to build the most fuel efficient cars possible," added Kerr.

Other winners at the 2009 Green Car Awards included a pair of BMWs, whose Efficient Dynamics project aims to reduce the CO2 emissions of its entire range. The BMW 318d was awarded top billing in the 'Green Executive Car' category, while the BMW-owned MINI Cooper S won the 'Green Sports Car' category (for the second year in a row).

Powered by a 1.6-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, the fast but frugal Mini Cooper S emits just 149 grams of CO2 per kilometre travelled yet can complete the zero to 100km/h dash in 7.1 seconds.
 
Steve Fowler, Editor-in-Chief at What Car? said: "The MINI Cooper S is a home-grown hot hatch that's big on performance and style, yet treads far lighter than rivals because of its smaller carbon footprint."

Another European 'greenie' was the Citroën C4 Picasso, which took out the 'Green People Mover' award at the 2009 What Car? Green Car Awards.

Like the Mini Cooper S, the C4 Picasso took out its category for the second year running.

The Citroën C4 Picasso is powered by a 1.6-litre HDi turbodiesel engine which is not offered in Australia as yet; the local specification C4 Picasso is powered by a 2.0-litre version of the turbodiesel.

Steve Fowler of What Car? commented: "The C4 Picasso is fully deserving of this award for the second year in a row. It's affordable to buy and own, practical, well-equipped, good to drive and emits far less CO2 than most rivals, a terrific achievement."

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