Green with envy

BRITISH motorists want more efficient and less polluting cars but will not purchase them at the expense of driving dynamics, according to BMW-commissioned research released last weekend.

Conducted by pollster YouGov, the ‘Driving Change’ survey was conducted online during August and involved 2068 adult respondents. Of those, 20 per cent said they look at CO2 levels when purchasing a new car, while 75 per cent said they would purchase a lower-emissions car only if it saved them money.

The majority (61 per cent) said cost was the most important consideration when buying a more environmentally friendly car.

Asked to nominate the reasons why people choose to drive a more environmentally friendly car, 59 per cent of respondents identified lower bills being the main reason, while only 13 per cent cited reduced emissions as the key motive.

The results have led BMW to conclude that “car owners are focusing on economic rather than environmental factors when choosing to drive low-emission vehicles, while maintaining their high expectations of performance and driving enjoyment”.

The company claims that drivers of demand a high level of performance from their green vehicles, although only 14 per cent of respondents cited driving experience as the most important factor when choosing a car – more so than cost, image or carbon footprint.

Some 19 per cent said they were most worried about a perceived compromise in performance with an environmentally friendly car.

“It’s all very well to offer more efficient products, but unless the quality and performance also progress, they simply won’t sell,” said BMW UK marketing director Richard Hudson.