Tuesday, June 3, 2008
If you want a fuel efficient and low-emission car, prepared for a huge wait. 1 VW dealer said it had no Polo BlueMotions in stock and that we would be lucky to see a car within 36 weeks of placing an order. But a VW spokeswoman claimed: “The national average is closer to 27 weeks, and there are 124 in stock in the UK for immediate delivery.” A Honda garage said that while base ES-spec Civic IMA models were readily available, there was a 20-week delay for the in-demand EX.
One Skoda dealer said the standard Fabia with a 1.4-litre TDI, which was in stock would be a better choice as a supermini than the new Green-Line model, as it didn’t have a power-reducing diesel particulate filter.
Thanks to Toyota, the Prius hybrid can’t be specified with options and delivery takes around three weeks at present.
Waiting list:
Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion - 36 weeks/Passat 2.0 TDI 12 weeks
Honda Civic IMA Hybrid EX - 20 weeks/Legend 3.5 V6 EX - 2 weeks
Skoda Fabia 1.4 TDI GreenLine - 12 weeks/Octavia 2.0 TDI - 6 weeks
Toyota Prius T4 1.5 VVT-i - 3 weeks/RAV4 2.2 D-4D XT4 - 5 weeks