The institute has certified that the VW Eco up, Toyota Yaris Hybrid, Lexus CT 200h, Toyota Prius Liftback, VW Passat 1.4 TSI EcoFuel, BMW 730d Blue Performance, Mercedes-Benz B 200 Natural Gas Drive, Opel Zafira Tourer 1.6 CNG, BMW X1 sDrive 20d EDE, Mercedes-Benz ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC, Mini Cooper D Cabrio and Honda CR-Z are the most eco- friendly cars in their class.

The independent German research institute “ÖkoTrend” has been analysing and evaluating products according to ecological criteria and in terms of the social and environmental responsibility of their manufacturers since 1995.

The environmental car ranking, published annually, is always awaited with great interest. The environmental credentials of a broad range of cars are thoroughly assessed by the institute in twelve different categories on the basis of extensive data accumulated by the Institute.

Categories include fuel consumption, pollutant emissions, manufacturing, logistics, recycling and the environmental management system operated by the manufacturer.

For the second consecutive time, the top spot among the SUVs has been taken by the Mercedes-Benz ML 250 BlueTEC 4MATIC; the German manufacturer also won the compact MPV class with the B 200 Natural Gas Drive.

Toyota is also in the winners’ circle with the Yaris Hybrid in the subcompact class, the Lexus CT200h in the compact class and the Prius Liftback in the intermediate class.

BMW also took three spots with the BMW 730d Blue Performance, BMW X1 sDrive 20d EDE and the Mini Cooper D Cabrio.

Only a select few of the winning products are offered in North America, showing how our continent is missing out on some of the greenest technologies.

Full listing and categories can be found on the “ÖkoTrend” Web site, in its auto section (German only)
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