It's definitely becoming increasingly difficult to measure the amount of success a company is having in their efforts to reduce carbon emissions. There are so many ways to lighten one's carbon footprint, from using different materials to reducing waste to planting trees to offset carbon production - and so many automakers are taking major steps to help preserve our environment for future generations. But, there is one reliable way to know the impact companies are making: simply calculate the amount they've reduced the carbon emissions of their vehicles.

The European Federation for Transport and Environment (T&E) is using this exact method to determine who the leaders in the auto industry are. And, McLaughlin Volvo is pleased to share with Moline area drivers, that Volvo rose to the top of green car makers this year.

The report is in its sixth year, and T&E measured auto manufacturers abilities to cut carbon emissions and fuel consumption in their new model lineup. Volvo boasted an unbelievable nine-percent reduction, beating out competitors with an average of about four-percent. This is in thanks to the green initiative, "DRIVe towards zero," with an ultimate goal of creating zero-emission vehicles across the board. You can be sure that nine-percent isn't the cap for reduction, either, with fuel-alternatives, electric vehicles and highly-efficient engines on Volvo's radar.

According to Peter Mertens, Senior VP of Research and Development, Volvo, "The aim is to come down to an average of 95 grams of carbon dioxide per kilometer across our total car sales in 2020." Current models, like the Volvo V70 DRIVe puts out about 119 g/km, and the V50 Drive hovers around 99 g/km. So it might seem like quite a reach, but Mertens went on to explain that "In theory that is entirely feasible, but a lot depends on developments in legislation, incentives, energy availability and of course customer demands."¹

If you're interested in shrinking your carbon footprint, McLaughin Volvo invites you to stop into our showroom at 4103 41st Street Moline, IL 61265 to view all of the fuel-efficient vehicles in the new Volvo lineup. In the meantime, if you have questions about this or any other Volvo news, don't hesitate to contact us online at any time.

Source: ¹http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2011/10/19/011456-volvo-car-corporation-reduced-co2-emissions-most-europe.html