The UK government is replacing Rover and Vauxhall models with environmentally friendly Jaguars and Toyotas as the cars of choice for cabinet ministers.
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According to the Sunday Times, the Rover 75 and Vauxhall (Opel) Omega favoured in recent years are no longer available, paving the way for new Jaguar XJ turbodiesels able to run on biodiesel and Toyota Prius hybrids.
Only about a quarter of the current government fleet runs on alternative fuels, but ministers will be offered the choice of environmentally friendly cars when their vehicles come up for renewal, the paper said.
Government Car and Despatch Agency chief executive Roy Burke told the paper: “All new vehicles purchased by the agency will be environmentally friendly. They will be either vehicles with diesel engines capable of running on biodiesel or hybrid vehicles.”
Jaguar spokesman Don Hume told just-auto: “We are aware that the Jaguar XJ diesel is in the running as an option, but this is subject to a government announcement.
“In nearly every country where there are home based manufacturers, the government is expected to use cars made in that country. For this reason, Jaguar would hope that the XJ would be a favourable option.”
The government car agency did not return several calls seeking comment.
Joe Ayling
