A CO2 rating of 140g/km...

A CO2 rating of 140g/km puts the Mondeo ECOnetic in tax Band C тЂ“ the regular 2.0-litre TDCi is in Band F

Green by another name – that was the theme of this year’s Frankfurt Motor Show. Various manufacturers revealed new low-emission vehicles under special eco-friendly branding, but one of the biggest surprises was an ECOnetic version of the Ford Mondeo.

It follows on from the Focus version and has a 113bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine. This is fitted with an exhaust particulate filter and is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with specially selected ratios and low viscosity oil.

Dropped suspension, reduced rolling resistance tyres and a range of aerodynamic tweaks all help to cut drag, while a recalibrated engine control unit fine-tunes the fuelling. The result is a CO2 rating of 140g/km – that’s enough to put the car into Band C for road tax. The normal 2.0-litre TDCi Mondeo is rated in Band F.

Ford also revealed that there will be an ECOnetic version of the Fiesta replacement – due next year – which will emit less than 100g/km of CO2, and therefore be tax exempt.

Kia also played the green card in Frankfurt with the Eco_cee’d concept. Based on the three-door Pro_cee’d compact family hatchback, it is fitted with a frugal 113bhp 1.6-litre diesel engine and comes with a range of economy-boosting features, including stop-start technology, regenerative braking and revised gearing. It also has a raft of aerodynamic improvements, such as redesigned alloy wheels and a flat underbody.

Inside there’s a gearshift indicator light on the dashboard which tells the driver when to change up to minimise fuel consumption. As a result, the Eco_cee’d can return 62mpg on the combined cycle and has CO2 emissions of only 104g/km.