Renault gets slapped with a "green award" for its first SUV
Renault decided to enter the SUV (or SAV or Crossover, one can't be so sure about labels anymore) market this year with the Koleos. Co-developed and produced at Samsung Motors in South Korea, the Koleos is a not-too-distant relative of the Nissan Rogue.
French automakers are quite fond of being the champions of low-CO2 motoring in Europe (along with Fiat) and they market their vehicles accordingly. Marketing and reality don't always meet, and so four environmental organisations (Agir pour l'environnement, Réseau action climat, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth) headed by French congressman Yves Cochet of the Green Party gave Renault a "Green Award" for selling such a polluting vehicle, referring to the 2.0 dCi AWD version of the Koleos, which produces 209 g/km of CO2. Marc Grimaldi from Renault accepted the "award," while defending Renault's point of view, in the most sporting manner.
[Source: Rue89 via Leblogauto]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Sillycon Valley 12:42PM (5/29/2008)
Mr. Writer,
I love low emissions vehicles as much as the next guy on this site, but Xavier I think you need to chill out. This is one of the smallest and most lightweight SUVs on the market. In fact its a heck of a lot lighter and gets better fuel economy than many mid-size sedans, but there arent too many "greenie" articles decrying the evil of the mid-size sedan. So, I understand that the word "SUV" might evoke a gut reaction in some, but I suggest you give Renault credit. Theyve made into a lightweight and efficient packagea vehicle that offers the cabin layout desired by many drivers.
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