A Renault advert for one of its electric cars has been banned in the UK after the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) found it was "likely to mislead".

The advert said the Renault Fluence Z.E. would produce 90 per cent less emissions than a diesel model, but it used French electricity figures.

One reader complained to the ASA, noting that the French electricity generation mix emitted less C02 than that produced in the UK.

Despite the car manufacturer rejecting the claim, the ASA upheld the complaint and has now banned the advert from appearing in its current form in this country, though it can still appear in France.

"Because the figure was not representative of CO2 savings typically available in the UK, we concluded that the ad was likely to mislead," the ASA said.

Renault said the Fluence Z.E. is a statement of its intention to produce a ranger of zero-emission vehicles that meet needs of all types of customer.

Rising petrol costs are not hampering the market for luxury used cars, according to Glass’s.

Despite prices recently exceeding the previous record of 120p for a litre of unleaded petrol, the sales of luxury car, prestige SUVs and supercars have not been negatively impacted.

Those vehicles require more fuel than many other cars on the road, meaning the cost to run them has risen more sharply but that doesn’t seem to be putting buyers off.

"Given the series of fuel price increases, it is perhaps surprising that there has not been any kind of backlash in the premium sectors this time around," said Adrian Rushmore, managing editor of Glass’s, a used car specialist.

"In fact, the sector that could be described as the most fuel inefficient appears to be thriving, namely the prestige 4×4 sector that has recorded price resilience not seen in any other area of the market."

In March, petrol prices rose to an average price of 119.9p, breaking the all-time high set in 2008.

Sustainable mobility remains a strong priority for Volvo, according to the car manufacturer’s Sustainability Report.

It has introduced seven DRIVe models, diesel cars with enhanced fuel efficiency and lower CO2 emissions than normal, while it also plans to start series production of a plug-in hybrid model by 2010.

The Volvo XC60, an eco-friendly SUV compact, has enjoyed continued success as the Swedish firm’s best-selling model in 2009, receiving several international awards along the way.

"Our commitment goes beyond the tailpipe emissions of our cars – we believe that our responsibility starts with our supplier chain, through production, use and recycling, encompassing a holistic environmental approach," said Stephen Odell, the company’s president and chief executive officer.

The company recently announced all its new models would include pollen filters to ease the suffering of Volvo drivers with hay fever.

Earlier this year, the Volvo S80 executive saloon and V70 premium estate models were modified to produce CO2 emissions as low as 119g/km.

The European Union’s (EU’s) move towards an eco-friendly motoring industry has taken a step forward with the publication of the Communication on Clean and Energy Efficient Vehicles.

Published yesterday (April 28th) by the European Commission in Brussels, the document outlines the key framework conditions for a viable transition to sustainable mobility in the EU.

Ivan Hodac, secretary general of ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, said: "We support the Commission in its goal to facilitate a rapid deployment of clean and energy efficient vehicles by embedding the innovative force of the European automobile industry in a smart police framework."

Manufacturers are increasingly looking to electric-powered and hybrid cars to cater to the eco-market, which has been boosted by government incentives and tax breaks for the owners of such vehicles.

Figures from Clean Green Cars revealed Toyota as the most environmentally-friendly car manufacturers, emitting significantly less than the target figure set by the EU.

Cost is the number one concern for motorists when buying a car, with environmental issues way down the list, according to the findings of a survey by Carmony.co.uk.

A massive 84 per cent of respondents said price was a key factor in choosing their next vehicle, while just 21 per cent said they looked for an environmentally-friendly model.

The used car comparison site found that 72 per cent of buyers took the age of a car into account, making it the third on the list of criteria.

Making up the rest of the top five was the age of a car (72 per cent) and the reliability of the brand (59 per cent), but the mechanical state of the car was not far behind, with 55 per cent admitting they took it into consideration before buying.

Just over half said that cost of running was an important issue, while the reliability of the model, how the car runs and its colour were also taken into account more than the eco-friendliness of the car.

Many European Union countries are trying to incentivise drivers to go green by offering tax breaks and cash payments for buying electric-powered vehicles, or cars which emit less CO2.

Vauxhall’s first foray into the electric car market reached an important milestone last Friday (April 23nd), when the first of its Ampera models rolled off the pre-production line.

It means the car manufacturer is on course to bring the eco-friendly vehicle, which can travel 40 miles purely on battery power, to the European market by 2012.

"We’re right on target for producing the Ampera for European markets later next year," said Andrew Farah, vehicle chief engineer for Ampera. "There’s still work to be done, but being able to drive an Ampera off our pre-production line is a great accomplishment for the teams here and in Europe."

In the coming months, more pre-production vehicles will undergo testing before the final, fine-tuned version goes into production.

ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association, revealed in its latest annual tax guide that an increasing number of European Union member states are now offering incentives to owners and buyers of electric vehicles.

A UK company is claiming to have launched the world’s first road-legal golf buggy, reports the Manchester Evening News.

Oldham firm ePower Trucks revealed its Emerge model, "a low-cost and environmentally-friendly alternative for anyone looking for a second car", the news provider said.

It is available with either two or four seats, and was designed by a company in Augusta, Georgia, the venue for the US Open.

Jerry Hanss, ePower Trucks’ managing director, stated that the buggy had been modified in order to conform with European road safety laws.

"These buggies were originally created for gated communities in places like California or Florida, where they drive straight to the golf club," said Mr Hanss.

Costing just 4p a mile to run, the vehicle also qualifies for a free tax disk and comes with its own on-board charger, which plugs directly into the mains, the newspaper added.

Toyota Motor Europe’s managing director, Graham Smith, said recently that hybrid cars, which can run on electric power or petrol, should be the future of motoring, according to TheGreenCarWebsite.co.uk.

An increasing number of European Union (EU) member states are turning to CO2-based taxation or incentives for electric vehicles, according to ACEA, the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Assocation.

The ACEA’s annual tax guide reveals that 17 EU member states are presently levying CO2-related taxes on passenger cars, while 15 governments provide tax incentives for electirc and ultra-low carbon vehicles.

Incentives for electically chargeable vehicles are now applied in all western European countries, with the exceptions of Italy and Luxembourg.

Motorists who own such vehicles see receive benefits in the form of tax reductions and exemptions, as well as bonus payments and savings on the cost of buying the cars in the first place.

In a statement, the association said: "Tax measures are an important tool in shaping consumer demand towards fuel-efficient cars and help create a market for breakthrough technologies."

The Energy Technologies Institute launched a £4.5 million research programme in March to identify the economic, technical and cultural barriers that the electric car industry could face.

London is the fourth most congested city in Europe and one of four UK cities in the top 59, according to research by TomTom.

The satnav manufacturer’s findings are based on years of research tracking road speeds, with more than 1.8 trillion speed measurements to date.

Sheffield, Leeds, Glasgow and Edinburgh also featured in the list, with the latter coming in fifth place.

The Belgian city of Brussels was deemed the worst for traffic, and Poland did not fare too well either, with two of its cities making up the rest of the top five.

A city’s traffic is defined as congested if drivers can only travel at 70 per cent or less of the posted speed limit, and only cities with more than 500,000 inhabitants were included.

Over winter, the UK’s longest cold snap for 30 years caused chaos on the roads, with a 50 mile queue building up on one road on January 6th.

Audi is set to unveil a stretched version of its saloon model at the Beijing Motor Show later this month (April 27th – May 2nd).

An extra 130 millimetres will be added to the body length of the revamped Audi A8 L, which is scheduled to be available for UK order in late July for the princely sum of £58,000.

In addition, it will feature a twelve cylinder W12 engine which means it can go hit a speed of 62mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Along with the boost in power, improvements have also been made to the car’s efficiency, with an eight-speed tiptronic automatic transmission, allowing for smooth gear shifting and enhanced performance.

The extra space will accommodate wider rear passenger doors, while the new model will also include an upgraded climate control system and an integrated satnav.

Audi recently announced changes to its Q7 range, with the improved models available in June.