New car shades of green
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MARK AUSTIN THOMAS: The world’s car industry is displaying its new models at the Geneva Motor Show this week. Stephen Beard reports from the European desk in London, the emphasis is on going green.
STEPHEN BEARD: Honda is unveiling a new coupe in Geneva this week. The company describes it as the world’s first green sports car, a “green and mean” machine.
The car is a hybrid with both a gasoline and an electric engine, but it’s fast and sporty, some might say flashy. In the words of one car company executive, “it’s aimed at the eco-conscious but hedonistic driver.”
There’s a string of other so-called eco-friendly cars on display in Geneva, but Robin Oakley of Greenpeace is unimpressed
ROBIN OAKLEY: The fact remains that the car industry is responsible for the bulk of emissions attached to transport and that’s about a third of all the emissions that contribute to climate change.
He says the car companies are cynically tapping into the new green mood among consumers without significantly reducing carbon emissions across the whole the range of their models.
In London, this is Stephen Beard for Marketplace.
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