Daily Globe British Values, Global Perspective
Consumers are getting used to making greener choices for the home, with 80 per cent of the British public saying that they factor in “greenness” when weighing up brands. However, the nation’s car buying habits are distinctly lacking when it comes to more eco-conscious cars.
One online reverse auction website, where the car dealers bid to supply customers with their specified vehicle at the lowest price, is hoping to tempt environment-conscious Britons into a greener choice of car. AutoeBid.com is offering to offset three tonnes of carbon dioxide for every car bought through the greener motoring section of its website, at no extra cost.
The offer marks the launch of the website’s new search facility, which allows car hunters to view and sort cars by their environment-friendliness rating. They can then create a shortlist purely on the basis of CO2 emissions, finding the greenest car for their needs.
The search facility allows users to selected their choice of brand new UK-supplied green car and configure it to their exact specification before receiving a price, often discounted by thousands of pounds.
AutoeBid managing director Amin Saleem says, “The government is struggling to influence car buyers’ habits and road transport CO2 emissions are expected to grow by eight per cent between 2000 and 2010, despite substantial increases in fuel efficiency over the past decade.
“AutoeBid’s greener motoring section gives buyers the opportunity to search for new cars on the basis of their environmental impact while offering huge savings through UK main dealers. And we’ll pay to neutralise their emissions at the same time.”
A new survey in June’s Motor Trade Barometer revealed that less than a quarter of dealerships had considered stocking greener cars in the past year, though 71 per cent were aware of the green impact to their business over the next two years.
The Society of Motoring Manufacturers and Traders has revealed that while only 13 per cent of new car buyers rate emissions as the most important factor when buying a new car, this equates to around 299,000 of new car sales in the UK in a year. This figure may be the signal to the motoring industry to embrace a greener stance on car sales and emissions.
Saleem adds, “Buying a greener car is just one thing that people can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Buyers now have the added bonus of offsetting three tonnes of CO2 emissions on each purchase. Now there’s no excuse for buyers not to do their bit for the environment.”
Visit www.autoebid.com for more information.
