20 MAY 2008
Tiff Needell, presenter of Channel 5’s Fifth Gear and former Le Mans and Formula 1 racing driver, is due to open the world’s premier eco-friendly motor show at the Eden Project in Cornwall on Thursday (May 22).
This is the second Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show and will feature a wide range of the greenest cars on the planet. Eden is delighted to be working again with sponsor The Co-operative Insurance after a very successful collaboration at last year’s high-profile show.
The most eco-friendly version of Ford's best-selling Focus is to have its UK launch at the show. With a 1.6-litre diesel engine, the Focus ECOnetic produces 115g of CO2 per kilometre and boasts fuel economy of almost 66 miles per gallon.
The environmental impact of the car's production is also reduced as its engine is assembled at Ford's wind-powered Dagenham Diesel Centre. Lotus, one of the most famous names in the car industry, is bringing its Exige 270E Tri-Fuel for its UK debut. This car of the future is proof that motors can be both green and sexy. It has a top speed of 158 mph and does 0-60 mph in 3.88 seconds, yet runs on petrol, bioethanol or methanol.
British company Axon Automotive will be showcasing their yet-to-be-named eco-friendly hatchback in the shadow of Eden’s world-famous Biomes. Axon Automotive, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, aims to be the most sustainable car manufacturer in Europe and launched the company at last year’s Sexy Green Car Show. They claim their new eco-friendly hatchback will be capable of delivering 100 miles per gallon with sub-80g per kilometre CO2 emissions.
Classic British manufacturer Morgan’s futuristic LIFECar is to make its UK debut at the show. The LIFECar concept was the brainchild of Morgan and Hugo Spowers of RiverSimple, a specialist company investigating new ideas in environmentally sound transport. Morgan and Spowers say it has an energy consumption equivalent to 150 miles per gallon on petrol, can reach 0-60 miles per hour in just seven seconds, has a top speed of up to 85 miles per hour and has an average range of 250 miles. Citroën’s most eco-friendly model, the C1, will also be one of the stars of the show.
Eden recently produced an exciting new mini-movie in which the classic car chase from The Italian Job meets the Eden Project, starring three Citroëns, a grand staircase, one stunned gardener and more than a million plants (to view, visit www.edenproject.com/sexygreencarshow).
On May 22, Eden will play host to Future Perfect? Here, Now!, a series of talks from major industry players on the future of green motoring. Including Kelvin Collins, Head of Brand at The Co-operative Financial Services, Paul Buckett of Volkswagen on driverless cars, Lee Jeffcoat of Lotus on their vision of the next generation supercar, Hugo Spowers on the Morgan LIFEcar, Steve Skill of Plymouth Marine Laboratory on whether algae save the world as well as representatives from Saab, Ford, Honda and Liberty Electric Cars. Dick Strawbridge, eco-engineer and TV presenter, will then be summing up and conducting a question and answer session.
ENDS
May 16, 2008
Notes to editors:
- Eden Project Limited is owned by the Eden Trust, which is a fully registered UK Charity (No. 1093070).
- Eden is home to the two biggest greenhouses in the world – the Rainforest Biome and Mediterranean Biome.
- Around 1.2 million visitors come to Eden per year and it has generated £800 million for the local economy.
- So far capital funding of £135 million to develop Eden has been raised from a combination of £58 million from the Millennium Commission Lottery Fund, £50 million in regional grants from the South West Regional Development Agency and Objective One European Regional Development Fund, and £27 million in the form of loans, lease finance and Eden's own revenue generation.
- Immediate information may be obtained from our website: www.edenproject.com.
- The main operating subsidiary of Group Lotus plc is Lotus Cars Ltd, which has two operating divisions - Lotus Engineering and Lotus Cars. Lotus Engineering is an internationally recognised automotive engineering consultancy based in Norfolk, UK. Global facilities include those in Michigan (USA), Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), China and offices in Germany and Japan, with rapid expansion in new territories such as South East Asia and the Gulf States.
- Lotus Engineering provides comprehensive and versatile consultancy services to many of the world's OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers, offering a full engineering service from initial concept and project design through development and integration of the complete vehicle to meet all worldwide markets and customers to full production. This includes third party 'niche vehicle' engineering and manufacture worldwide.
- Lotus Cars builds world class, prestige, high performance sports cars for sale in 37 countries. These include the iconic Lotus Elise, and the Exige and Europa. Lotus is a global high-tech company, expanding rapidly and committed to driving forward technology for both Lotus Cars and its Engineering clients, spearheading research into such areas as hybrids, electric vehicles and renewable fuels.
For more information, please contact:
David Rowe
Head of Media Relations
The Eden Project
01726 811901
mobile: 0781 304 1923
email: drowe@edenproject.com
Duncan Bowker
Public Relations Manager
The Co-operative Financial Services
0161 827 5617
mobile: 07810 756 137
e-mail: duncan.bowker@co-operative.co.uk
