Do buyers of new cars think about being environmentally friendly when they’re choosing the car they intend to buy?
Probably not according to a recent survey conducted by CAA South Central Ontario and Pollution Probe of new car buyers in Canada. For Canadian car buyers saving money is more important than the environment and it’s probably just as well that car manufacturers are producing more environmentally friendly vehicles that are fuel efficient and therefor cheap to run otherwise motorists wouldn’t be buying them.
The survey also found that many drivers believe that engine and vehicle size are the factors that make the most difference in whether or not a vehicle is fuel efficient … something that’s not always true. For example the Toyota Camry is rated at 8.8L/100km for the automatic while the latest 3-door Prado has a combined city/country fuel economy rating of 8.3L/100km.
So are motorists really motivated by climate change or by price point to save the environment?