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.