SMMT to launch van buying guide

The Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), with the Vehicle Certification Agency (VCA) and the Department for Transport’s Act on CO2 campaign, will launch a van buying guide on Thursday 26 February 2009 at its Forbes House headquarters in London. The environmental impact of a vehicle is affected by its use and the way it is driven and the guide gives individual van buyers and drivers top tips on van choice and use to help cut costs and CO2 emissions.

The van buying guide is part of a wider DfT project looking at van CO2 emissions. It is designed to inform individual and small fleet buyers on issues that affect their van’s environmental impact. The aim is to ensure that buyers consider their usage requirements rather than simply choosing the van with the lowest published CO2 figure. It also emphasises the clear link between emissions and fuel consumption – a big part of a vehicle’s running costs.

“SMMT has been proud to demonstrate, year-on-year, the significant progress made in reducing tailpipe CO2 from new vehicles and this latest initiative is just the next stage in the industry’s continued commitment to driving down transport emissions,” said Paul Everitt, SMMT chief executive. “For some time now, businesses running large numbers of commercial vehicles have been accustomed to getting emission data from vehicle manufacturers when buying vans, but rarely does the individual or small fleet buyer know the importance of this to their bottom line. The guide gives clear, straightforward advice to van buyers, that will save them cash and cut CO2.”

Representatives from the DfT and VCA will joining Paul Everitt to explain to government officials, industry stakeholders and media, how the guide is the first step towards increasing public and government understanding of the complexities involved in calculating the environmental impact from operating light commercial vehicles. An online van database, compiled by SMMT and detailing CO2 emissions from vans by model type is to be introduced this Spring.

There will also be a display of some of the most modern vans on the market, including:

Citroën Nemo SensoDrive
Iveco Daily Agile
Mercedes-Benz Sprinter Eco-Start
Modec Zero Emission van
Vauxhall Combo Easytronic
Volkswagen Caddy EcoFuel

People from each of the van makers will be present to explain the environmental credentials of their vehicles.