Low CO2 models have up to 9 month waiting lists in UK
The increasing demand for cars with low carbon dioxide emissions in the UK has meant that they are in short supply. The Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion is a particularly extreme example with wait times of up to 9 months for factory orders. Certain trim levels of the Honda Civic Hybrid require five months of patience. Some of this is clearly due to the fact that cars that emit less than 120g/km of CO2 are exempted from London's congestion charge. The rise of gas prices to around $9/gallon has also undoubtedly played a big part in driving demand for cars that use a bare minimum of fuel. With the most in-demand models unavailable in showrooms, dealers are trying desperately to push other models that are nearly as efficient but that don't quite meet that 120g/km threshold. About the only major low CO2 model that is fairly readily available is the Prius, with wait times of only three weeks on average.
[Source: AutoExpress]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
GoodCheer 12:50PM (5/25/2008)
My inner nerd shining through:
It would be interesting to see a graph of change in demand for vehicles as a function of CO2 output. I assume there is an effect similar to this around London, where cars just OVER 120 gCO2/km are proportionately less attractive.
I wonder if there is a class of cars where buyers are so rich they just don't care, and demand is unaffected?
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