(Thu 10 Jan 08)

MINI has been praised by online magazine Clean Green Cars for a quoted 17.38% reduction in CO2 emissions between 2006 and 2007.

MINI's reported figure fell from 178.23g/km to 147.26g/km in 12 months, putting it fourth in the UK market league table, behind Fiat, Peugeot and Daihatsu, and slightly ahead of Citroen. Clean Green Cars estimates that in 2008 MINI "could well have the lowest CO2 figure of any mainstream manufacturer".

It's possible. The huge improvement is largely a result of parent company BMW's EfficientDynamics programme being applied to MINI models during 2007, and also to an extension of the range with the introduction of the Clubman model. For much of last year MINIs were sold in pre-EfficientDynamics form, and there were no Clubmans until quite late on, so with both fully on stream for the whole of 2008 there could indeed be a further improvement, though it's difficult to imagine a further 17% reduction in 2009 unless BMW has some really radical technology ready to go.

Clean Green Cars is disappointed by the "dismal" reduction in overall UK new car CO2 emissions of 1.16% to 164.39g/km (not exactly the same as, but close to, the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders' figures of a 1.4% drop to 164.9g/km). The magazine points out that although there used to be a voluntary agreement among European manufacturers to bring the industry average down to 140g/km by now, at this rate it won't happen until 2021.

More information at www.cleangreencars.co.uk.

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