F&I Management & Training

General Motors has offered Prime Minister Gordon Brown a deal to support the sale of its low emission hybrid car in Europe and the company will build the vehicles in the UK. Mr Brown visited the British International Motor Show on Tuesday (July 22) and at the event, which is being held at London's ExCel until August 3, held talks with motor industry bosses and representatives of electricity generating companies. During his visit he set out the Government's plans to kick-start a motoring revolution by driving the shift to low-carbon and electric cars in the the UK. He particularly wants to see barriers in the planning system to be removed to enable an electric charging network to be set up as quickly as possible. At the meeting Carl-Peter Forster, the president of General Motors Europe, called on the Prime Minister to support production of the company's Flexstream hybrid and the manufacturer would ensure it rolled off the production line at Vauxhall's Ellesmere Port plant. The electric vehicle revolution could see up to 30,000 models produced by 2012 rising to around 220,000 by 2015 as demand increases making the Uk the electric car capital of Europe. The car uses a main rechargeable lithium-ion battery with a small biofuel motor to charge the battery. GM wants the Government to support its plan for a 'super credit' for the 'greenest' vehicles which could be earned in return for meeting new European emission and fuel consumption targets. The plug-in hybrid is expected to go on sale in Europe in 2011 and cost around £20,000.

DATED: 25.07.08

FEED: AW