IMI Magazine

News: Bulletin Board

On target for emissions cuts

Average European new car CO2 emissions are falling at a faster rate than ever before and are on course to meet 2015 EU targets, according to automotive information company Jato Dynamics.

Last year saw the greatest single-year decline in average tailpipe emissions, prompted in large part by CO2 taxes and scrappage schemes, which favoured the purchase of smaller, cleaner cars. Other contributory factors range from more efficient petrol and diesel engines to regenerative charging systems.

The volume-weighted European new car average is now 145.9 g/km, almost 20 g/km less than 2003 when Jato began collating emissions data. 

"The pace of improvement is remarkable and shows just how rapidly the industry has reacted to environmental demands," said David Di Girolamo, head of Jato Consult.

Postcode baffler for kids on the school run

It may save time, but the school run carried out by thousands of busy parents is having a detrimental effect on a child's local geographical knowledge.

That's according to a survey carried out among 2,000 primary schoolchildren by Kia Motors to determine the level of 'local awareness' of those living in London compared with other parts of the country.

Among the key findings were:

More than three-quarters (76%) of children in London walk to school each day. London children are the most savvy when it comes to their surroundings; 86% know their home address and 61% know their postcode.

In comparison, 57% of Welsh children are driven to school. In Wales, less than two-thirds (61%) of school children know their home address and 75% don't know their postcode.  Over one in five (22%) of Welsh school kids do not know the route from their home to the school gates. In London, 89% of children recognise their route to and from school.

And it's not just in Wales that children lack the awareness factor in being driven to and from school.  Three-quarters of kids in the South East cannot relate their postcode and a fifth don't know their home address.

Kia carried out the survey to help promote Walk to School Week, which took place last month. Steve Kitson, the company's communications director, said: "Just like a proper breakfast, walking to school is a great way for children to start the day. Not only are they more alert when they arrive at school, it's good exercise and improves children's awareness of their local area."

Demand healthy, despite end of scrappage

Despite the end of scrappage and the introduction of a 'showroom tax', there's still a healthy demand for new cars, according to a reader poll carried out by car review website RoadTestReports.co.uk

More than 40 per cent of the site's visitors said they were on the look-out for a new vehicle, while only 10 per cent reported that they were thinking of buying used because of the withdrawal of the scrappage incentive and the cost premium of first year vehicle excise duty.

RoadTestReports spokesperson Faye Sunderland said: "Not everyone who wants a new car could make use of the scrappage scheme when it was available. The end of the scheme presents new car buyers with a greater array of offers, providing more choice and in many cases a better deal too."

White supplants grey in colour choice

British car buyers are becoming more adventurous in their choice of colours, but still fight shy of anything too 'way out'. While the dominant colours remain silver, black or grey, dealer group Perrys says this is down to the more conservative tastes of fleet buyers.

 "Our retail sales so far this year have reflected more bespoke colours," said Martin Kerry, Perrys' aftersales director. While dealers have historically warned people that exotic colours could harm trade-in values, Kerry added: "The bottom line is that if you keep the car in good condition, there will always be someone in the market for a different colour."

 Perrys reports that the appeal of more unusual colours was more prevalent in the spring. "Shades of blue have been popular this spring, and this theme seems to be coming from the trend in new interior colour too." 

 Meanwhile, the latest Colour Trend Report from paint suppliers Standox conforms that silver is still firmly entrenched as the top selling colour worldwide. It accounts for 25 per cent of colour choice, followed by black with a 22 per cent market share. But after a series of 'false dawns', white is at last posing a serious challenge, replacing grey as the third colour of choice. Shades of brown/beige score only 4 per cent.

Notable exceptions to the colour trend are Russia, where green is second choice, and India, where red ranks third, followed by blue, yellow/gold and black. Biggest supporters of white are consumers in the US and Japan.