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No modern motor show is complete without its green stars. At Geneva, they were out in force — and looking more viable than ever. The motor industry may be under pressure, but this isn’t stopping car makers from ensuring its future will be sustainable as well as planet-friendly, too. Here are our picks for the best of the bunch.

Opel Vauxhall Ampera
We now know what the car that’s going to save GM looks like. The Vauxhall Ampera will go on sale in 2012, pitched between the Vauxhall Astra and Insignia. Probably, at first, it will be costlier than both — but what remarkable economy it’s capable of. How does 176 mpg grab you, with CO2 emissions of a mere 40 g/km? The best Vauxhall Corsa, by way of comparison, emits 109 g/km. Plus, the Ampera is a full-sized model, with a 300-mile range. It can do 40 miles on electric power alone, meaning most drivers may never see the engine start. More than that, there’s a gasoline-powered “range extender” to take you farther. Ingenious!
Volvo DRIVe
Volvo doesn’t sell a hybrid model. It doesn’t need to. With the new C30 1.6D DRIVe, it already offers a regular turbodiesel that can match the emissions of today’s Toyota Prius. Even the new Honda Insight hybrid can knock only 3 g/km off the C30’s 104 g/km CO2 figure. And neither the Insight nor Prius can match the C30’s affordability. That’s not all. There’s a V70 emitting less than 130 g/km, and an exceedingly economical XC60 that can do 47 mpg – indeed, all seven new DRIVe variants unveiled here in Geneva have best-in-class CO2 and fuel economy. “No rival can match this offer,” says Volvo President Stephen Odell.
Volkswagen Polo Bluemotion II
The new Volkswagen Polo sprung no new surprises. Even the 1.6 TDI Bluemotion version isn’t that dramatic — yes, it emits 96 g/km of CO2 and has a fuel-efficiency rating of 74 mpg, but that’s not so much different than a SEAT Ibiza Ecomotive. No, the really exciting one comes next year — for Volkswagen really has cause jaws to drop here at Geneva. The 2010 Bluemotion II Polo will cost but $700 more than a standard diesel (or, many thousands less than a Toyota Prius), and emit just 87 g/km of CO2 and average 85 mpg. Amazing! Both stats beat the Prius, courtesy of an all-new 75 horsepower 1.2 TDI. It’s so significant that it’s going to take up to 10 percent of Polo sales.
Toyota Prius
It’s an obvious choice, but still worthy of acknowledgement. The all-new Prius emits 89 g/km of CO2 and can average 72 mpg. That’s way better than Honda’s Insight, and ensures that the Prius is still one of the most economical cars you can buy. Despite being a bit pricey (yet relatively affordable), sales are booming, which is proof that the hybrid vehicle is quickly becoming mainstream. As a response, the company has improved out-of-town fuel economy, too. That means real-world economy should be better, too. Hybrid, in short, is here.
Bentley Continental Supersports
We know what you are thinking: Bentley’s fastest, most powerful road car ever, and its green? No, we haven’t taken leave of our senses. The Supersports can run on E85 bioethanol, which means “well to wheel” emissions are 70 percent lower than a standard car. Instead of cutting CO2, it is effectively recycling what’s already in the atmosphere. Bentley has taken this route not to reduce its impact on the world – this is already infinitesimal, like a thimble of CO2 in a swimming pool full, said a spokesman. It’s to highlight that truly green cars look at much more than just tailpipe emissions. This Bentley looks at the whole shooting match, hopefully setting trends in the process.
Mitsubishi i-MIEV
Mitsu showed several concepts of the i-MiEV, its all-electric 5-door that we drove recently here at MSN Autos U.K. They showcased various different body styles, and all hinted at a ramping up of production. So, why is it here? Well, it’s suddenly become even more significant with the announcement that Peugeot is to market a version of i-MiEV, too. In as little as 12 months, we could have a Peugeot bespoke, fully electric version of this car, selling up to 10,000 a year. The old electric 106 was already the best-selling electric car, so Peugeot has loads of market experience here. With this new electric solution, it’s in a strong position to really help establish electric cars – fast.
Magna Steyr Mila EV Concept
Here’s a completely electric car that a big maker can buy into, and have on sale within two years. The Magna mila is a potential off-the-shelf zero-emission EV that can take any look the maker wishes. Magna can develop it, build it and put it through crash tests — the whole lot, right to showroom readiness. It’s thus in our top 10 because any car maker that really wants to sell 20,000 electric cars a year can potentially have one very quickly. It has a 100-mile range, while the recharging methodology springs no surprises, and the drive is so far down the line it’s immaterial. Question is who will take it up?
Renault Z.E. Concept
We first saw this model at the Paris Auto Show. What we didn’t fully understand was the significance of it. Here is, perhaps, the most viable electric car ever. Renault is not only bringing this all-electric model to market in 2011, it is also developing the infrastructure behind it. That’s recharging it, renting the batteries, even swapping them over halfway through a long journey, as you would a disposable battery in a consumer electrical. That’s because customers will rent batteries, on a contract like a mobile phone’s SIM card. It’s a totally new approach, potentially revolutionary – but under way as we speak. Renault is there: We’ll be hearing a lot more of this.
Citroen C3 Picasso
We’ve seen the C3 Picasso. Driven it. Liked it. Why is it so green? According to Citroen’s eco chief, it’s indicative of the future: “Customers must switch from wanting more, to wanting better.” The best way to accomplish this is to reduce the size of cars. Do so, and you have less weight, need less fuel and, thus, emit less out the exhaust. But, longer term, it goes further. Citroen hopes for legislation that will forbid cars going any faster than 93 mph. This means they need less OTT engineering, making them smaller, simpler, cheaper, greener and more pure. “It’s a change in philosophy,” says Citroen — but one that’s already under way, with the C3 Picasso.
EDAG Light Car
This is the German automaker you’ve never heard of. It’s significant, because it does a lot of engineering work for Volkswagen — including more of the new Scirocco than you’d ever think. It’s invented a new type of lightweight construction, slashing weight. Similar to Citroen’s thinking, this means combustion engines pump less out, and electric systems go farther on a charge. Innovatively though, like software development, it’s “open source.” Edag is inviting technology companies to offer their solutions to making it greener — particularly those not already represented in the car business. It’s effectively a mobile test bed, with the best solutions returning here on a car next year. We can’t wait!