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Most of the car shows that I've been to have been vast affairs housed in huge exhibition centres, temples to the gods of greed and speed. The Sexy Green Car Show, housed in what amounts to a glorified tent in the grounds of the Eden Project in Cornwall, is a little different. It opened, appropriately enough, on the day the news came through that the UK's carbon dioxide emissions are at a 10-year high.

[T]he purpose of this event is to persuade us, gently, that green can be sexy. There are ways in which we can moderate our lifestyle without giving up too much in the way of comfort or joy.

http://motoring.independent.co.uk/features/article2413396.ece

The eco-friendly showroom

VW POLO BLUEMOTION 102g of CO2 produced per km

CITROEN C1 109g of CO2 produced per km

VAUXHALL CORSA 1.3CDTI 124g of CO2 produced per km

VAUXHALL TIGRA 1.3CDT 16V SPORT

124g of CO2 produced per km

CITROEN C3 1.4I 16V STOP AND START 135g of CO2 produced per km

SAAB 9-5 ESTATE BIOPOWER 214g of CO2 produced per km(reduced by 50-70% if run on E85 bioethanol)

SMART EV Zero if run on renewable electricity

FORD FOCUS FLEXI-FUEL 167g of CO2 produced per km (reduced by 50-70% if run on E85 bioethanol)

SAAB 9-3 CONVERTIBLE BIOPOWER 203g of CO2 produced per km (reduced by 50-70% if run on E85 bioethanol)

TOYOTA PRIUS 1.5 VVT-I HYBRID 104g of CO2 produced per km

LEXUS GS450H 186g of CO2 produced per km

If there is a problem with the Sexy Green Car Show, it's that some transnational companies aren't there. There is no official presence, for example, from Toyota or Honda or BMW, and it's a pity that we can't see all of the makers' green creations in one spot, including the latest hybrid production models. Honda could have shown its hydrogen fuel cell cars, for example, and BMW its Hydrogen 7 - a 7-series limo in which the gas replaces petrol.

And, sorry, no fastcoolcars.com girls ;)

The carshow website:
http://www.edenproject.com/2538.html

We need those in this country.
We also need mpg challenges and rallies, sponsored by the major manufacturers.

OK, maybe without fastcoolcarsgirls but maybe with overamplified bands and food vendors and T-shirts?

Smart EV

This straightforward plug-in electric car should be better than most of the breed, with a 50-mile range, a top speed of 70mph, and a proper safety kit. Sadly, it is still undergoing trial at the moment with selected corporate users, and if it ever did make production it would be much more expensive than the standard petrol- or diesel-powered Smarts.Ohh... now that is something I'd like to see. Would be kinda funny if Smart turns out to be the first car maker to have an EV-50 available (again) in the states (gemcar excluded).

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