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Norwich City Council is set to
take delivery of a record 50
examples of the Volkswagen Polo
BlueMotion – the largest single
order of BlueMotion vehicles to
date.
The Polo BlueMotion is one of
the most efficient vehicles on
the road with the ability to
achieve 74.3 mpg on the combined
cycle while emitting just 99
g/km of CO2 – placing
it in Vehicle Excise Duty (VED)
band ‘A’ and exempt from road
tax.
Norwich City Council leader
Steve Morphew, commented: ‘We’re
delighted to be driving the UK’s
biggest fleet of one of the
world’s greenest cars. This
will not only save the council
in excess of £60,000 a year, but
will also save more than eight
tonnes of CO2
annually.’
The council placed the orders
for the vehicles, which will be
leased, following an extensive
evaluation process which took
into account running costs,
versatility and carbon
emissions. The Polo BlueMotion
emerged as the clear winner
through its mix of viability for
everyday use, high fuel economy
and low carbon emissions.
Anton Bull, Norwich City
Council’s head of procurement
and service improvement
commented: ‘As an authority we
are constantly looking at ways
we can reduce our environmental
impact. When we were reviewing
our fleet car contract we
explored the option of using
more environmentally friendly
cars – which led us to the
Volkswagen Polo BlueMotion.
We’re proud to be leading the
field.’
The Polo BlueMotion’s remarkable
efficiency is made possible
through a series of small but
significant changes by
Volkswagen engineers, all
intended to reduce the strain on
the vehicle’s 1.4-litre diesel
engine. These include changes
to the car’s aerodynamics – most
noticeably with a new, smoother
front grille – to allow it to
pass through the air more
efficiently, changes to the
engine and gearbox to make them
more efficient and special
wheels and tyres designed to
reduce weight and resistance.
The result is a sharp fall in
carbon emissions and a rise in
fuel economy – allowing the Polo
BlueMotion to achieve up to 740
miles on a single tank of diesel
while emitting less CO2
than nearly any other car on
sale.
The Polo BlueMotion is on sale
now with a starting price of
£12,120 for the three door
model. |
