With the latest announcements on £5,000 incentives for buying electric cars due to kick in 2011 and the, much anticipated, car scrappage scheme seemingly days away from being given the green (pardon the pun) light, it will come as no shock that many dealers will be vying for the title of top of the eco-pops.
The frenzy for all car makers to prove their green credentials will unfortunately lead to many dealers being unable to resist stretching the truth in an attempt to sell their product on the back of the green ticket.
Sure enough hot off the press is a Volvo dealer from Sunderland, which is part of a group of northeast Volvo dealers, claiming that their DRIVe models were ”kind” to the environment in a local TV advert. Of course it can at best only be regarded as “less bad”, which inevitably led to claims of the advert misleading customers. Subsequently the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) said the company must not use the misleading claim again and the company themselves admitted they should have used the word “kinder” instead. Kinder than what though? A Lamborghini Murcielago? Certainly, walking? Perhaps not.
Car dealers over-playing the green credentials of their product comes as no surprise and it will pay for customers to find out for themselves just how friendly a potential car is to the environment and sadly not just take the word of the car dealer for it.
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