(Tue 22 Jul 08)

Hyundai is the latest manufacturer to introduce a low-CO2 special to its range. It's called the i-Blue, and it's a version of the 1.6 turbo diesel i30 which has been modified so that it officially produces less than 120g/km of CO2, which means a drop in annual VED from £120 to £35.

Cars like this tend to emit less CO2 than normal thanks to low-friction tyres, aerodynamic changes, adjustments to the ECU and lowered suspension, but all Hyundai has done to reach its target is make the gear ratios slightly higher. This means that the car is no more expensive to build, and like the normal i30 it's priced from £13,155.

More i-Blue models will be introduced to the i30 range in due course, and the name will also be used for all i10 city cars which beat the 120g/km figure - that means all of them with manual transmission, including those using the new 77bhp 1.2-litre petrol engine which will be introduced in September.

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