Volvo V70 "trifuel"

Finally Volvo have announced the details around their new, and I must say very desirable, V70 offering: A V70 2,5 FT that is converted for gas/lpg (but still under the original warranty), giving it the following advantages:

• Choose between petrol, E85 or gas - whichever is cheapest or at hand!
  
• Powerful engine (231 bhp should be enough for most people).
• A reasonably roomy, yet environmentally (and wallet-) friendly estate car.
• Looks good, both exterior and interior.
  

What more can a guy ask for?

I'll tell you: If Volvo could only supply me with a V70 2,5 FT AWD with this brilliant gas conversion I would go straight out and buy one.

VW makes same mistake as Volvo

Volkswagen seem to be going down the same path as Volvo with their compact suv, Tiguan. In the interest of keeping CO2-emissions to a minimum, VW are announcing a front-wheel drive version of the Tiguan, with a Bluemotion-sticker on it... The result is, granted, a bit better than the Volvo XC60, in terms of fuel consumption and emissions, but assuming it's powered by the 110 hp diesel engine this could make for an extremely boring ride.

Also, my question still remains: Who is going to buy such a car? If you want a suv you'll probably want four-wheel drive as well. Buying a car like this with front-wheel drive is like buying a Porsche 911 with a 1,2 liter engine from Fiat.

Bizarre "eco"-propositions from Swedish government

Sweden seems to have found their own special way of solving the global warming issue. In a press release today the ministers of enterprise and energy, finance and environment presented their grand new plan:

• More taxes on diesel fuel. Of course, this makes sense, since the most energy efficient vehicles today use diesel, and new technology makes diesel cars as clean as petrol cars... Unfortunately, Sweden will continue to be an anti-diesel country.
• Higher annual tax for practically all car-owners. Today the size of your annual car tax depends on the CO2-emission (and, of course, being the anti-diesel country it is, if you own a diesel car, this is multiplied by 3,5!). Now the government wants to increase this tax, which is in no way connected to driving the actual vehicle. It can be parked in a garage all year, and you will still have to pay.
• Cars with CO2-emissions less than 120g/km will be exempt from the car tax for 5 years from the date the vehicle is registered. Wait, this actually makes sense. Did I miss anything?
  

Now, excuse me, but the two first points can hardly be seen as more than a pure fiscal tax, with no impact whatsoever on the environment. Probably, more people will find a diesel car hard to justify, and go for a petrol car instead, with higher CO2-emissions as a consequence. And raising the annual tax? Well, it's not like Ola Svensson will buy a brand new car just because his car tax increased by 1000 SEK, is it? Basically all this does is slap people in the face with a tax increase that they can do nothing about (except buying a new car, which is probably not an option for most people). Also, this tax increase will only apply to light vehicles. In fact, the real polluters out there, the big trucks, semi-trailers and buses will get a lower annual tax, to compensate for the higher diesel tax!

The only sensible suggestion in this big pile of rubbish is the suggestion to exempt the low-emissions cars from annual tax for the first 5 years. Now that's something that will make people think twice when they buy a new car. The problem is, you won't be able to sell your old car, after the increasted tax burden has made them more or less worthless...