Executive View: The issue is that we're battling a rational consumer

The Government's aims for zero carbon motoring will need to do more to convince a general public which is happy to be greener if it doesn't cost them more money or time, notes AM's regular columnist Professor Jim Saker, president of the Institute of the Motor Industry.

Almost 20 years ago, before Governments and politicians got involved with focussing on the car industry and the environment, we undertook some research at Loughborough University with a local franchised dealer over the concept of the ‘green dealership.’ We asked their customer base whether they wanted the dealership to be greener and more environmentally friendly.

The result was a resounding yes, this was something that they wanted and even came up with some suggestions on how it could be done.