New Zealand's Top Vehicles Named

Note: a full list of results by vehicle class is available on http://www.energywiserally.org.nz

New Zealand's top vehicles named

The EnergyWise Rally winners were announced tonight, with judging a more complicated process than merely working out who crossed the line first.

Heather Staley, Chief Executive of the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority (EECA), said the EnergyWise Rally has identified New Zealand's top performing cars for fuel economy and low CO2 emissions. "The results these cars achieved are astounding," she said.

The overall winner of the Rally, taking the EnergyWise Environment Award, was the diesel Peugeot 406 HDi. The EnergyWise Environment Award was calculated taking fuel consumption, CO2 emissions and the size of the vehicle into account. There were fuel economy winners for each vehicle class. The Peugeot 406 was also the most fuel efficient car overall consuming a mere 4.2 litres per 100 kilometres (66.9 mpg).

"Just like in a regular car rally, the EnergyWise Rally has shown that it's a combination of car and driver performance. What's behind the wheel is just as important as what's under the bonnet. New Zealanders could save 20 percent, $650 million a year, in petrol and diesel by adopting more efficient driving practices. Driving a fuel-efficient vehicle will increase those savings even more.

"The typical New Zealand car uses about 10 litres per 100 kilometres (28.2 mpg). The most economic family sized car in the Rally was also the Peugeot 406 HDi. The average distance travelled by a family car is around 14,000 kilometres per year, making the average saving $670 per year. New generation diesel cars also have lower emissions than the diesels many New Zealanders are familiar with. For many New Zealanders, a petrol car is still the vehicle of choice, and the 1.3 litre Honda Jazz CVT would be a better option when less carrying capacity is required, using only 4.7 litres per 100 kilometres (59.5 mpg).

"The most economic business sized car in the Rally, the Ford Mondeo, combined with efficient driving practices, used only 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres (42.1 mpg). The average distance travelled by a business car is around 17,000 kilometres per year, making the average saving $600 per car per year. This is a significant saving for a business, particularly the 2,500 businesses in New Zealand with a fleet of 20 or more cars.

"If fleet managers took economy buying one step further and purchased a vehicle more suited to the requirements of their business, such as a 1.6 litre, the savings would look even more impressive on the balance sheet.

"The EnergyWise Rally has shown the savings that can be made on New Zealand roads by buying and driving wisely. If new car buyers put fuel economy on their shopping list the New Zealand vehicle fleet will be markedly improved in ten years time - allowing more New Zealanders to achieve fuel economy savings," Ms Staley said.

Some new generation hybrid vehicles achieved impressive results in the EnergyWise Rally but were not eligible for awards because they are not commercially available in New Zealand.

Ms Staley said EECA is working to change the way New Zealanders think about and use energy by promoting and supporting the uptake of energy efficiency and renewable energy initiatives.

A full list of driving tips and results of the Rally can be found on www.energywiserally.org.nz

ENDS

© Scoop Media