The Mercedes electric Smart car, the 'Econetic' Ford and the low carbon Hummer took centre stage at the British Motor Show's "green pavilion", where manufacturers have been attempting to assert their environmentally friendly credentials.
The main message from the car industry was that green cars, are really little more than at the concept stage. Cadillac's Provoq is still "15 to 20 years away", according to General Motors. Even Mercedes' electric Smart will not be in production until 2010. Some progress is already being made, however. The Ford Fiesta Econetic for example, kitted out with a 1.4 litre diesel engine emits just 98 grams of CO2 per kilometre.
There was also some more substantial policy content at the show. Speaking at the exhibition, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged car makers to use their expertise to develop new cleaner vehicles and help Britain become a lower carbon economy.
He said the Government would look at measures to develop an infrastructure for supporting electric powered cars and it would spend £90m over the next five years to reduce carbon emissions from vehicles.
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