The UK's Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced on Thursday 10th November new measures to make transport fuels 'greener' by requiring 5% of all UK fuel sold on UK forecourts (service stations) to come from a renewable source by 2010.

The move - known as a Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation - was announced at the Environmentally Friendly Vehicles Conference in Birmingham, where representatives from international Governments and industry met to discuss ways to promote 'greener' vehicles.

Alistair Darling said:

"Taking action to tackle climate change is essential. The Renewable Transport Fuels Obligation I am proposing today is predicted to save around 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions in 2010 - the equivalent of taking 1 million cars off the road. Carbon savings could also increase in future years. This will help reduce the impact of transport on climate change, and bring environmental benefits for us all."

"I am determined that transport should play its part in addressing the threat of climate change. Making vehicles more efficient and investing in public transport are important aspects of our strategy, but renewable fuels are equally important. This Obligation is vital in continuing to promote a shift towards cleaner, low carbon road transport."

Drivers filling up at petrol stations will see very little difference, as biofuels do not change the performance of cars.

The Government also published the results of a feasibility study yesterday, setting out how the obligation will work. It will require the major oil companies and importers to ensure that a growing proportion of their fuel sales are from a renewable source. By 2010, that proportion must be 5%, which will mean a 20 fold increase in biofuels sales over today's levels.

Today most biofuels come from crops like oilseed rape and wheat, which can be mixed with petrol and diesel and run in ordinary cars. In the future we could see more advanced biofuels made from waste and possibly even renewable hydrogen.

To ensure that biofuels are sourced sustainably, the UK Government proposes to develop a carbon and sustainability assurance scheme as part of the obligation. Obligated companies would be required to report on the level of carbon savings achieved and on the sustainability of their supplies.

The UK Government will consult on the detail of how the Obligation will work in due course. This will cover issues like what level the obligation should be set at in future years and how long each obligation period will last.

Alistair Darling also highlighted the UK Government's intention to investigate further the potential for hydrogen fuel in the UK. He said:

"In the longer term, we need to look seriously at the fuels we are using to power our transport - which is why we are piloting the development of hydrogen fuelled transport.

"A lot of work is being done in this field, for example, the hydrogen highway in California.

"As a next step, we need to have a hard look here in the UK at the practical steps we would need to take to build a hydrogen infrastructure."

Ford Drives UK Transport Secretary
13th November, 2005
The Ford Focus Flex Fuel Vehicle was the UK's Transport Secretary's chosen car to travel to the Environment Friendly Vehicle Conference, ..... more

UK Crackdown On The Uninsured
11th November, 2005
In the UK, tough new enforcement action to crackdown on uninsured drivers has been unveiled. From yesterday, police forces across the UK can use automatic number plate recognition cameras to spot and ultimately seize and destroy cars being driven without insurance ..... more

Audi: Sweaty Overalls Off, Italian Fashion On
11th November, 2005
Following a gruelling season of the German Touring Car Masters series (DTM), Audi drivers swapped their sweaty racing overalls for renowned Italian fashion label, René Lezard ..... more

Duke of York Visits Bentley Motors
11th November, 2005
Bentley Motors welcomed HRH Duke of York to their factory yesterday, in his capacity as Special Representative for UK Trade and Investment ..... more

Mitsubishi Upgrades Outlander & Pajero
11th November, 2005
Two of Mitsubishi’s popular models – Outlander and Pajero – have received upgrades to enhance their popularity ..... more

Europe's VW Touareg W12 Sport Edition
10th November, 2005
A sporting look and dynamic performance with outstanding comfort. The Touareg W12 Sport Edition with an extensive package of equipment is available now in Europe ..... more

Mazda Roadster Wins Japan Car of The Year
9th November, 2005
Mazda announced today that the Mazda Roadster, known as the MX-5 in overseas markets, has won the Japan Car of the Year Award for 2005-2006 ..... more

Twenty Four Million Golfs
9th November, 2005
The world’s 24 millionth Golf was produced yesterday at Volkswagen in Wolfsburg. The anniversary model is a 2.0 litre TDI, 103 kW Golf Comfortline in tornado red ..... more

Fiat and Ford Sign Small Cars Agreement
8th November, 2005
Fiat and Ford announced yesterday that they have signed a definitive agreement to cooperate on the joint development and production of vehicles in the European small car (sub-B) segment ..... more

Mitsubishi 380 ‘On Track’
7th November, 2005
Mitsubishi’s all-new 380 sedan is ‘on track’ after its release at Sydney's Motor Show. Although it was only a couple of weeks since the car’s release 2,186 cars have been wholesaled in that time ..... more

Holden Barina Ushers in New Era
7th November, 2005
Holden is set to shift the balance in Australia ’s light car market with a new Barina starting below $13,000 with air conditioning as standard ..... more

Volkswagen California and California 4MOTION
7th November, 2005
The Volkswagen California has been synonymous with freedom and leisure since the late fifties. Many other car manufacturers have tried to copy the original, but none have succeeded in capturing the true essence of the ‘VW Bus’, nor its derivative, the all inclusive, kitchen sink as standard, Volkswagen Camper ..... more

Volkswagen Kombi Beach
7th November, 2005
Volkswagen’s new Kombi Beach will strike a familiar note with Volkswagen enthusiasts. This four-seater, based on Volkswagen’s T5 Multivan, quickly converts to a day-trip or overnight camper ..... more

Volkswagen Caddy Life + Weekender Package
7th November, 2005
Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles is presenting a new concept in leisure travel - the Weekender Package ..... more

Industry Gears Up For End Of Year Sales Push
6th November, 2005
Australian motor vehicle sales dropped slightly in October, interrupting a run of record monthly results that have pushed the market to new heights this year ..... more

Peugeot’s Carbon Sink in the Amazon Forest
5th November, 2005
The CEO of PSA and the Director of France’s Office National des Forêts (ONF), traveled to the São Nicolau tree farm in Brazil for a review of their experimental carbon sink project ..... more

The Last Rover
5th November, 2005
The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust has discovered the mystery surrounding the very last car built at the MG Rover Longbridge plant in Birmingham ..... more

China Will Be World's No.1
5th November, 2005
Dr. Feng Fei, an economist at the Development Research Centre of China’s State Council, has forecast that China will become the world's largest vehicle manufacturer by 2020 ..... more

Volkswagen At SEMA 2005
4th November, 2005
Volkswagen of America Inc. has hosted its first display in the 42-year history of the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s (SEMA) annual exhibition ..... more

Mitsubishi 380 Most Secure Local Car
3rd November, 2005
Mitsubishi’s all-new large car, the 380, has been announced as the most secure locally manufactured car by NRMA Insurance in its 2005 Car Theft Ratings just released ..... more

Range Rover Sport At SEMA
3rd November, 2005
Land Rover North America is presenting the first Range Rover Sport to appear at the annual Specialty Equipment Manufacturer’s Association (SEMA) show, in Las Vegas, USA ..... more

Sales of Daewoo-Sourced Vehicles Rise 41%
2nd November, 2005
GM Daewoo Auto & Technology (GM Daewoo) announced yesterday that 112,631 of the Incheon-based car maker's vehicles were sold globally in October ..... more

Hummer To Sponsor Team Dakar USA
2nd November, 2005
Hummer and Robby Gordon Motorsports have joined together to take on the Dakar Rally, widely considered to be the most grueling off-road race in the world ..... more

GM'S 2005 SEMA Showcase
2nd November, 2005
GM will make a big impact at this year's Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) show, proving that with the right combination of technology, great products and accessories, it's possible to pack performance, style and fuel economy into one exciting package ..... more

Ford GTX1 Roadster At SEMA
2nd November, 2005
With the 1966 Sebring-winning Ford GTX1 roadster as inspiration, Ford SVT's Kip Ewing unveiled his take on that legendary racer at the Specialty Equipment Market Association show in Las Vegas ..... more

Europe's New SEAT Leon 2.0 TFSI
1st November, 2005
SEAT is bolstering its reputation for offering attainable performance cars with the European launch of the new Leon 2.0 TFSI ..... more

Bentley Celebrates The Blue Train Race
1st November, 2005
Some 75 years since the adventurer and Le Mans winner Woolf Barnato raced and beat the famous Blue Train on its journey across France ..... more

New Sparkle for 2006 Fiesta
31st October, 2005
Ford's small car range, Fiesta, is set to receive a distinctive new look ..... more

VW Touareg Tow Ball Down Weight Now 350kg
31st October, 2005
Volkswagen has now increased the tow ball down weight of the Touareg from 140 kilogrammes to 350 kilogrammes ..... more

Smart Signs Up For Mitsubishi Engine
30th October, 2005
Mitsubishi and Smart have signed an agreement on engine supply ..... more

Volkswagen EcoRacer Concept Car
28th October, 2005
Its basic data: average fuel consumption of 3.4 litres per 100 km, a top speed of 230 km/h. Its name: EcoRacer ..... more

Thailand Important For Ford's Growth
28th October, 2005
Ford Chairman, Bill Ford shared the company’s global vision on Innovation when he visited the Ford Jor Charoen Prachuabkirikhan dealership in Hua Hin, Thailand yesterday ..... more

Škoda Sales Success
28th October, 2005
Škoda continues its positive sales trend. A total of 369,652 customers bought Škoda Fabia, Octavia and Superb cars over the first nine months of 2005 ..... more

GM's Global Growth Continues
27th October, 2005
General Motors reported calendar year-to-date sales (January - September) of 7,066,774 vehicles around the world – a 3.7 percent increase over 2004 ..... more

4MOTION For New Volkswagen Passat
27th October, 2005
The new generation Passat can now be ordered with permanent 4MOTION four-wheel drive in Europe ..... more

Bill Ford Hosts Debut Of Ford Fiesta In India
26th October, 2005
Ford Motor Company took another step forward in the important and growing Indian automotive market ..... more

GM Opens Russian R&D Science Office
26th October, 2005
General Motors will open a new R&D science office in Moscow in order to leverage Russian science institutes and universities on a broad array of technologies ..... more

Volkswagen Multivan Business
26th October, 2005
The Volkswagen Multivan Business, now available to order, made its Australian debut at Sydney's 2005 Australian International Motor Show ..... more

Caterham Dominates Monte Carlo 2005
26th October, 2005
One of the ultimate tests of endurance and reliability, the Monte Carlo Sports Car Challenge, has been dominated by the legendary Caterham Seven ..... more

Scottish Sports Car Of The Year
24th October, 2005
The Association of Scottish Motoring Writers has voted the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX as Sports Car of the Year 2005 ..... more

Volkswagen's Latest Hot Hatch
21st October, 2005
Volkswagen Group Australia introduces the latest "Hot Hatch" to the Volkswagen range and confirms that Australia will be the first country in the world to sell the new Polo GTI ..... more

New Volkswagen Polo
21st October, 2005
The new generation Volkswagen Polo has received a fresh and dynamic re-design, reflecting a more modern appearance and building upon the Polo’s vivacious and unique shape ..... more

Volkswagen Wins Grand Challenge 2005
20th October, 2005
Volkswagen won the American Grand Challenge 2005 with a Touareg TDI ..... more

Toyota Infringement Of Antonov Patents Update
19th October, 2005
Update: The case received its preliminary hearing on 22nd September 2005 having previously been postponed by the company to allow further negotiations with Toyota ..... more

Avanti Takes A Big Step With New V-6
18th October, 2005
Georgia (USA) based independent car maker, Avanti Motor Corporation, is introducing the first Avanti built with a 210 horsepower V-6 engine ..... more

FPV Shifts into Top Gear with New BF Range
18th October, 2005
Ford Performance Vehicles unveiled its bold new range of high-performance vehicles at Sydney's 2005 Australian International Motor Show ..... more

New VW Jetta Visits Sydney's Motor Show
17th October, 2005
The new Volkswagen Jetta has just been launched in Europe. Jetta is a sporty but elegant compact sedan and will be a great value proposition, suiting the Australian market ..... more

New Focus XR5 Turbo to Join Ford Line Up
17th October, 2005
Ford has revealed its latest performance vehicle – the five cylinder Focus XR5 Turbo, equipped with a six-speed manual gearbox ..... more

S3X From Daewoo For Holden
16th October, 2005
Holden is showing the striking S3X concept SUV at Sydney's Australian International Motor Show, as the preview for a Daewoo-sourced seven-seater Holden destined for Australia next year ..... more

New Peugeot 307 Debuts In Sydney
14th October, 2005
A new look and new features for the new Peugeot 307, which has been launched at the 2005 Australian International Motor Show ..... more