Tiff Needell to launch The Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show on May 22

MAY 20, 2008

Tiff Needell, presenter of Channel 5’s Fifth Gear and former Le Mans and Formula 1 racing driver, is due to open the world’s premier eco-friendly motor show at the Eden Project in Cornwall on Thursday (May 22).
This is the second Co-operative Insurance Eden Sexy Green Car Show and will feature a wide range of the greenest cars on the planet.

• Eden is delighted to be working again with sponsor The Co-operative Insurance after a very successful collaboration at last year’s high-profile show.
  
  
  
• The most eco-friendly version of Ford's best-selling Focus is to have its UK launch at the show. With a 1.6-litre diesel engine, the Focus ECOnetic produces 115g of CO2 per kilometre and boasts fuel economy of almost 66 miles per gallon. The environmental impact of the car's production is also reduced as its engine is assembled at Ford's wind-powered Dagenham Diesel Centre.
  
  
• Lotus, one of the most famous names in the car industry, is bringing its Exige 270E Tri-Fuel for its UK debut. This car of the future is proof that motors can be both green and sexy. It has a top speed of 158 mph and does 0-60 mph in 3.88 seconds, yet runs on petrol, bioethanol or methanol.
  
  
• British company Axon Automotive will be showcasing their yet-to-be-named eco-friendly hatchback in the shadow of Eden’s world-famous Biomes. Axon Automotive, based in Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, aims to be the most sustainable car manufacturer in Europe and launched the company at last year’s Sexy Green Car Show. They claim their new eco-friendly hatchback will be capable of delivering 100 miles per gallon with sub-80g per kilometre CO2 emissions.
  
  
• Classic British manufacturer Morgan’s futuristic LIFECar is to make its UK debut at the show. The LIFECar concept was the brainchild of Morgan and Hugo Spowers of RiverSimple, a specialist company investigating new ideas in environmentally sound transport. Morgan and Spowers say it has an energy consumption equivalent to 150 miles per gallon on petrol, can reach 0-60 miles per hour in just seven seconds, has a top speed of up to 85 miles per hour and has an average range of 250 miles.
  
  
• Citroën’s most eco-friendly model, the C1, will also be one of the stars of the show. Eden recently produced an exciting new mini-movie in which the classic car chase from The Italian Job meets the Eden Project, starring three Citroëns, a grand staircase, one stunned gardener and more than a million plants (to view, visit www.edenproject.com/sexygreencarshow).
  
  
• On May 22, Eden will play host to Future Perfect? Here, Now!, a series of talks from major industry players on the future of green motoring. Including Kelvin Collins, Head of Brand at The Co-operative Financial Services, Paul Buckett of Volkswagen on driverless cars, Lee Jeffcoat of Lotus on their vision of the next generation supercar, Hugo Spowers on the Morgan LIFEcar, Steve Skill of Plymouth Marine Laboratory on whether algae save the world as well as representatives from Saab, Ford, Honda and Liberty Electric Cars. Dick Strawbridge, eco-engineer and TV presenter, will then be summing up and conducting a question and answer session.