Hey look, one more course to learn tips for savvy driving! Toyota has announced plans for an EcoDriving course with Global Action Plan International that will promote smart driving courses for 12,000 Europeans in Spain, Belgium, Iceland, Norway, and the UK. The program, which costs €300,000, is expected to reach 10 additional countries in 2010. According to Toyota, the course can help drivers to reduce their fuel consumptions by 10 percent without purchasing "costly devices or modify their vehicles" just "by making simple changes to every-day driving behaviors, every driver, no matter what kind of vehicle they own." Toyota estimates that knowledge from this course could mean savings of 50 million tons (metric) of CO₂ per year, which translates into €20 billion in fuel savings. No, not per family.

The program started in Belgium last year with 5,000 drivers and its estimated impact was calculated in savings of around 415,000 liters of fuel, and over 1,000 tons of CO₂ in one year. This is what 71,000 trees (based on the CO2 intake of a Japanese cedar) capture in one year.



[Source: Toyota]

Toyota had an ad in Belgium that included the words "Zero emissions low." While the Prius is a model with very low CO₂ emissions, they're certainly not zero and the claim has been considered misleading. The advertisement did not contain any CO₂ emission or fuel consumption data, as is obliged under Belgian law, and thus violated European labeling directive 1999/94/EC. Friends of the Earth Europe's car efficiency campaigner, Jeroen Verhoeven, filed the complaint. "Car manufacturers are using 'greenwash' advertising to confuse consumers whilst at the same time blocking EU proposals for a target of 120g CO2/km by 2012. If Toyota is serious about reaching 'zero emissions' anytime soon then why are they blocking a 2012 target?", he said in a statement sent to AutoblogGreen.

This is not the first time Toyota has been into trouble for exaggerating the "greenness" of its products. Lexus, too, has had its problems. But as the big marketing motto for automakers is being shifted from security to ecology, they all make mistakes. Could this lead to banning green advertisements for cars, like in Norway?

[Source: EUBusiness, h/t to Jeroen]

Audi has just announced a multimillion investment to adapt the VAG group's plant in Forest, near Brussels, Belgium to produce the A1. The Brussels plant will be producing a single model for the first time in its history. The site previously played a supporting role for the Volkswagen Group.

After the initial €100 million investment, the Ingolstadt firm is adding a similar quantity to finish equipping the body shop, paint shop and assembly plant. One notable aspect is that plant workers are being specifically trained in electronics. Audi states that the A1 "with its next-generation electronics represents a challenge" for the plant. Is this a hint at a hybrid version? We don't know, but what is certain is that Audi will use the latest iteration of its TFSI (gasoline) and TDI (diesel) engines in the A1. Audi expects more than 100,000 A1s to roll off the assembly lines in 2010. Full press release after the jump.

The first European hydrogen station installed along a highway is now open. The oil giant Total has opened the fuel kiosk along the Ruisbroek-Brussels highway in Belgium, and it is the first hydrogen dispensing station that is located in a place like "regular" ones. It's also the first hydrogen fuel station built outside Germany. Although owned by Total, the station was also sponsored by BMW, which must be glad to announce that lucky drivers of the BMW Hydrogen 7-series had another place to fill up with H₂. Brussels is not one of Europe's largest capital cities, but it is one of the most important ones thanks to the number of EU institution that it hosts.

[Source: BMW Belgium-Luxembourg and Total]

With the arrival of Spring in Belgium comes news from Liege of progress in the development of a "PowerHybrid" that's aiming to resurrect the Imperia brand. We haven't heard too much from the folks building the Imperia GP roadster since we first told you about them in February. Their inclusion in our Top 20 most exciting green cars we wish we could buy today post reminded us to check out their website again.

We were greeted there by this curious picture of the underside of a Ford Escort Mk1. This other piece of automotive history, which was sold in Europe from 1968 to 1975, has had its Kent Crossflow engine replaced with the roadster-destined mechanicals required to do some all-weather testing. According to the site, reliability, performance and range were the focus of the trials with the results to be released soon. We'll be paying closer attention to this project and keep you posted.


[Source: Imperia]

Reviving long-forgotten automotive brands seems to be all the rage of late, with Zap brining back Detroit Electric and now a Belgian company called Green Propulsion calling up the Imperia marque. Imperia was another Belgian brand that operated in the first half of the last century. The company is working a concept for a new car with styling that harkens back to the original Imperia models. Under the skin, though, this machine is all new. The new Imperia GP is equipped with 174hp 2.0L V-4 combined with a 130hp electric motor. Electrical energy is stored in a 8.2kWh lithium polymer battery. The retro-styled coupe has plug-in capability and can supposedly deliver CO₂ emissions of only 87g/km in combined driving. Running on batteries alone, the coupe can accelerate from 0-62mph in 7.1 sec. With both the electric motor and engine running that drops to 4.8 sec. It's not known at this point when a running vehicle will be available or how much it will cost but it surely won't come cheap. There's a CGI video after the jump.

[Source: Imperia Auto]

This video shows a group called 4x4info Action (4x4 is what SUVs are called in French) took 11 activists dressed as football (ok, soccer) referees and pulled out red cards at passing by SUVs drivers in the center of Brussels, Belgium. This non-violent action was so publicised that it eclipsed for a while Belgium's national problems. In the video you can see how festive the action was.

The slogan at the beginning is "Le 4x4, ça pue, ça tue et ça pollue" (SUVs stink, kill and pollute). The SUV driver is not really capable of mentioning a reason for driving an SUV downtown (la sécurité... safety). Even the kid at the end says "C'est trop gros... il foit avoir une petite voiture" (It's too big... you should have a small car).

What did the activists want to express? Here's their list:

• Despite the fact that heavy cars emit more CO₂, car manufacturers continue to flood cities with them.
• Car manufacturers break the rules by not informing consumers on the CO₂ emissions of the cars they sell, and advert mainly heavy and powerful cars instead of fuel-efficient vehicles.
• Consequently, car manufacturers fail to meet the CO₂ reduction emission targets, but paradoxically blame consumers for it.
• Governments should show strong leadership and force car manufacturers to make CO₂ reduction a top priority.

[Thanks to J. Verhoeven for the information]

The Greaseball Challenge charity car rally is kicking off this week with a launch party on Thursday and to celebrate Emily Horgan and her team have launched the official Greaseball website and blog. Four teams are leaving from Washington, D.C. in two Mercedes, a VW Rabbit and a van while a fifth team departs from Denver, Colorado in a pick-up. Grease for fuel is being supplied this week by the World Bank and the Hard Rock cafe.

One of the entries, Team ZERO, manufactures hydrogen cars in Norway while other nationalities represented in the rally include the U.S., U.K., Belgium, Sweden, and South Africa.

Analysis: It should be a lot of fun to keep up with the Greaseballers' adventures on their way down through Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica.

Related:

• Greaseball Challenge charity rally takes biofuel message to Central America
• Interview with Emily Horgan, Director of the Greaseball Challenge

[Source: Greaseball Challenge]