The green future is upon us, with many car manufacturers now offering 'green' vehicles in their range, like the Honda Insight, Fiesta Econetic, Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion, and the upcoming Nissan Leaf and Mitsubishi i-MiEV.
Honda Insight
Honda Insight is a hybrid electric vehicle, which uses a small 1.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine as the primary source of power, but is assisted by a small electric motor with battery, which contributes close enough to 10 kW of power and 78 Nm of torque to the car’s overall performance.Priced at close to $10,000 less than the Toyota Prius, you can expect to see plenty of these hybrids on the roads in the near future.
Fiesta Econetic
This 1.6L turbo diesel hatch is Ford's greenest car ever with outstanding fuel economy of just 3.7L/100km and low CO2 emissions, yet is technologically advanced and affordable. Featuring mod-cons such as Bluetooth with voice control, iPod connectivity, cruise control and USB MP3 compatibility, this hatch has the best of both worlds.
Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion
The new Golf BlueMotion is one of Australia's most fuel efficient vehicles, travelling over 1,400km on a single tank. To achieve this feat, Volkswagen have developed several BlueMotion Technologies, such as optimised rolling resistance wheels, start/stop technology, aerodynamic styling, brake energy recuperation system, optimised fuel ratios and gear recommendation. Visit Kloster Volkswagen today to test out the Golf BlueMotion for yourself.
Nissan Leaf
The Nissan Leaf is a car that runs on 100% electricity using an energy source that can be made locally, cheaply and ecologically. A car that charges while you sleep, while you shop and while you work. A car that embraces recycled materials. A car so vastly original, it will change the way we build, drive and think about cars for years to come. Nissan are yet to set a release date for the Leaf in Australia.
Mitsubishi i-MiEV
The i-MiEV, which stands for Mitsubishi Innovative Electric Vehicle, is the first volume produced electric vehicle to be available for sale on the Australian market. Last year, 110 were leased to local, state and federal governments and selected innovative organisations. The MiEV is due to go on slae in Australia later in 2011, so stay tuned.
