Volvo, Dacia, Nissan and Kia were among the brands announcing new CO2-reduction plans and more ‘eco-friendly’ brands at the Paris show.
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Along with three previously-announced fuel-efficient ‘DRIVe’-branded cars with CO2 emissions below 120 g/km1, Volvo Cars announced what it called “an aggressive roadmap” for cutting CO2 emissions.
The aim is to have DRIVe models with emissions of about 100 g/km within a few years, while an innovative micro-hybrid will be introduced in 2011, followed a year later by a diesel hybrid.
“Environmental focus is naturally a high priority. Along with work on a diesel hybrid, we are conducting intensive research to cut CO2 emissions throughout the driveline range. Within a couple of years we will have cars with emissions below 100 g/km,” said new CEO and president Stephen Odell.
Measures to reach this goal include optimising drivelines and components on the car to improve aerodynamics and reduce rolling resistance.
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By GlobalData“All these measures offer huge potential and we will achieve significant results during the coming three-year period,” Odell said.
Volvo wants the DRIVe versions of its C30, S40 and V50 to “touch the 100g/km target within a few years”. In 2011, customers should be able to buy an S60 with CO2 emissions below 120g/km, a sub-130g S80 and an XC60 emitting under 140g – all diesel powered.
Early 2011 will also see micro-hybrid models with a start-stop function that goes beyond just switching off the combustion engine when the vehicle stops.
Unlike rivals’ systems, Volvo’s micro-hybrid can be used with both manual and automatic transmissions and the gear lever doesn’t need to be in neutral as the technology monitors the car whilst driving and identifies when the engine can be switched off.
It also provides the additional flexibility to restart the engine immediately, even if the car has not yet come to a complete halt, by pressing the accelerator. This situation could occur when approaching and joining a roundabout (rotary) where power is required instantly to take advantage of a gap in the traffic.
“A micro-hybrid gives fuel savings of 4-5% in a mixed driving cycle. However, the actual effect is considerably greater when driving in the city with its frequent stop-go traffic. Our system also has the benefit of being able to be adapted to most of our drivelines,” said R&D chief Magnus Jonsson.
Next year, the automaker will introduce a new generation of four-cylinder turbocharged engines with direct injection, a technology known as GTDi (Gas Turbo Direct injection).
“GTDi technology makes it possible to step down one engine size from five to four cylinders with unaffected performance, but with 20-30% lower fuel consumption and CO2 emissions,” said Jonsson.
Volvo is also developing a diesel hybrid where the front wheels are driven by a further-developed variant of Volvo’s five-cylinder D5 turbodiesel, while the rear wheels get a separate electric motor – this is similar to PSA’s concept diesel-hybrids on display in Paris.
As with the PSA models, Volvo said cooperation between the two power sources and the distribution of power between the two pairs of wheels is electronically controlled to provide both what is effectively four-wheel drive, and the lowest possible fuel consumption. The diesel engine also has a start-stop function.
“The diesel hybrid is a highly interesting solution since it is based on a sophisticated combination of the already energy-efficient diesel and electronics. Unlike a petrol hybrid, our solution will offer considerable environmental benefits both in city driving and when out on the open road,” Odell claimed.
When launched in 2012, the diesel hybrid is expected to cut what will by then already be a lower fuel consumption figure by an additional 10-15%.
Volvo also plans a plug-in hybrid “after 2012”. The battery pack will be recharged overnight from a household socket and give the car an operating range of about 100 km (62 miles) on electric power alone. If needed, the car’s combustion engine can recharge the batteries while driving.
Meanwhile, Nissan will introduce ‘Pure Drive’ branding for vehicles which produce the lowest emissions in each model line from early next year in Europe and Japan. This follows recent changes to several models to reduce emissions and consumption.
Pure Drive badges will distinguish European models which emit less than 140g/km of CO2: two Micras, two notes and two Qashqais so far. From next month, two Qashqai and two X-Trail models with CVT transmission will be badged ‘Xtronic CVT’. Nissan said this was because CVTs provides the convenience of an automatic transmission with lower fuel consumption and emissions.
It will continue to develop moe Pure Drive models.
“In today’s environment, many customers are interested in buying the most efficient cars. By introducing the Pure Drive badge, Nissan has made it easy for our customers to identify which cars in our range consume and emit the least CO2. In addition, by including the CVT equipped models in the Qashqai and X-TRAIL line-ups, we may present them with options they wouldn’t have otherwise considered,” said product planning head Pierre Loing.
The Pure Drive label will also be introduced in Japan, where Nissan is pioneering the introduction of clean diesel in a market which traditionally dominated by petrol engines.
Even Renault’s budget brand Dacia is getting in on the act, following its parent with new ‘eco²’ branding,
“[This move is] proof that marketing affordable cars that are respectful of the environment is achievable,” Dacia said.
Over half the models sold in western and central Europe during the first half of 2008 would qualify for the eco² low-CO2 badge.
As with Renault eco² vehicles, CO2 emissions must be equal to or less than 140g/km, they must be manufactured in an ISO 14001-certified factory, must be 95% recoverable by weight, while at least 5% of the plastics they contain must be sourced from recycling. The new Sandero hatchback contains 5kg of recycled plastic.
The company has already developed a concept with CO2 emissions of just 71g/km.
Its 1.6 MPI 90hp E85 engine due for release in 2009 in the Sandero and Logan uses E85 bioethanol to reduces ‘well to wheel’ CO2 emissions by up to 70% compared with 100% petrol use.
CO2 emissions are 130g/km using an E85 wheat/beet-based blend produced in France, or 60 g/km using an E85 sugar cane-based blend available in Sweden.
A 1.4 MPI 75hp LPG engine already available for the Sandero in Italy will soon be launched in other markets.
The eco² branding will be introduced at dealers from the start of 2009.
Finally, Hyundai Motors affiliate Kia said in Paris that, though it has no immediate plans to bring hybrids to the UK, stop-go technology is on its way to showrooms here next year.
Managing director Paul Philpott said: “We will introduce ‘idle stop & go’ (ISG) on the cee’d from early next year and clearly this will be a very important model for us.
“There is already a lot of interest in our current cee’d 1.6-litre diesel which falls below 120g/km and the ISG model will be lower.”
Kia’s ISG system, introduced at the Paris show, automatically switches the engine off when the car is stopped and restarts it on demand, cutting fuel consumption and emissions by up to 15% in city driving.
Regarding hybrids (parent Hyundai unveiled a hybrid Santa FE SUV at the show), Philpott said: “Vehicles are being tested with utilities in South Korea but you have to look at benefits to the consumer and, at the moment, the technology is still very expensive.
“Hybrids will work best initially on larger vehicles but what you will see is something along the lines of the ECO cee’d concept which had emissions of just 104g/km and the cost is considerably less than a hybrid.”
Kia’s Paris display featured a ‘green zone’ which included the cee’d ISG, Soul and cee’d hybrids and Sportage fuel cell electric vehicle. Kia said it will progressively introduce eco-friendly technologies across its model range from 2009.
The Soul hybrid has the automaker’s Gamma 1.6-litre petrol engine and a synchronised electric motor, Kia’s own CVT, ISG and regenerative braking to re-charge the batteries. The prototype is designed to achieve a fuel consumption of 57.6 mpg and CO2 emissions of 117g/km.
The cee’d hybrid was developed for ‘real-world’ tests in Europe and has a similar powertrain to the Soul with 15kW electric motor. Environmental performance targets are 58.9mpg and 114g/km.
