2023 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 15:44
The Toyota Prius tops the top ten on the 20th VCD environmental list. Three German models are also represented in the top ten.
By Thomas Flehmer
The new third generation Toyota Prius has won the 20th edition of the VCD Auto Environment List. In the ranking of the German Transport Club presented on Tuesday in Berlin, the hybrid model, which has only just appeared on the market, relegated its brand colleague iQ to second place. Another representative with an electric drive and a combustion engine took the last podium place with the Honda Insight Hybrid.
Four evaluation categories
The four categories of CO2 emissions were assessed with a share of 60 percent of the overall rating, noise pollution (20 percent), pollution (15 percent) and pollution of nature (five percent). "The VCD environmental list is like an all-around event at the World Championships in Athletics," said VCD's transport policy spokesman Gerd Lottsiepen, "a car cannot afford an outlier in any category." Last year's winner, the second-generation Toyota Prius, would only have come in fifth this year.
Lottsiepen praised the automotive industry for having more environmentally friendly models this year than in previous years. “But you can't rest on that. It is important that the environmental technology is incorporated in all models."
Clap for German manufacturers
Overall, however, Lottsiepen was not satisfied with the development, in particular the German car manufacturers were once again criticized. As early as 1999, Mercedes had an A-Class on the market with CO2 emissions of 119 grams, ten years later the best A-Class emitted one gram less.
And of course Lottsiepen came back to the three-liter Lupo. "It must never happen again that such good technology is scrapped." With the Prius one is now back on the way to the three-liter car, so Lottsiepen, who unpacked the next gossip for the Germans. While the hybrid drive could determine the future for Lottsiepen, the German manufacturers slept through the hybrid drive and were therefore on the wrong track. Mercedes, BMW or VW / Porsche would come with hybrid models, but they would be packed in racing machines and swallow at least nine liters.
Premiere for the diesel smart
Lottsiepen was all the more pleased about the Diesel Smart, which is on the list for the first time after it had not been considered in previous years because it did not have a closed soot particle filter system. With CO2 emissions of 88 grams per kilometer, the two-seater also ranks first among the best in the climate with the lowest CO2 emissions, ahead of the Prius (89 grams) and the VW Polo 1.6 TDI Bluemotion, which blows 96 grams per kilometer into pleasure.
The Polo is also represented as tenth in the overall ranking of the top ten. There is in front of the Diesel Smart, which takes eighth place, with the Fortwo Coupé 45 kW, another car from German production. Otherwise the Japanese models dominate. Fourth place is shared by the identical Nissan Pixo and Suzuki Alto, sixth was the Honda Civic Hybrid, and ninth place is the Daihatsu Cuore 1.0.
Natural gas cars in the front for seven-seaters
In the “The best of the compact class” category, the Insight took first place ahead of the Civic Hybrid and the VW Golf 1.6 TDI BlueMotion, while the Prius triumphed in the family cars ahead of the VW Golf Variant 1.6 TDI Bluemotion and the natural gas Touran, which took the category the best seven-seater won ahead of the natural gas models of the Opel Zafira. For Lottsiepen, especially with the large models, it is clear that family cars can now also be bought from an environmental perspective.
Lottsiepen was a bit more cautious about the electro hype. "In the next ten to 20 years, electric cars will not dominate the streets." That is why the “National Electromobility Development Plan” that the Federal Cabinet intends to adopt on Wednesday should also be reconsidered. Not only Lottsiepen is counting on one million electric vehicles for the year 2020. «Of the around 50 million vehicles in Germany, most of them will drive around with combustion engines. That is why the VCD rejects funding of 5000 euros for the purchase of electric cars. " More important is a subsidy for all cars, the consumption of which has been significantly reduced. France is currently promoting the purchase of cars that use less than 60 grams of CO2 per kilometer with 5000 euros.
