You see many manufacturers these days churning out all sorts of pollution for the sake of earning a few extra pounds at the expense of the environment. The onus for saving the environment seems to have fallen on the average person who uses a car to get to work or puts out too much rubbish for the landfill and not enough for recycling.

BMW are not a company to shirk their responsibilities in this regard. Their plants around the world have taken the initiative to do their part and have, in fact, excelled with their innovative ways of manufacturing their cars whilst avoiding air and water pollution.

This doesn't just apply to their manufacturing process but their vehicles also. To this end, they have just one World Green Car of the Year with their BMW 118d. They have applied their Efficient Dynamics programme to the car and the proof that this works so well comes from the 47 motor journalists from 24 countries who have awarded the 118d model with this prestigious accolade at the New York International Auto Show 2008.

It's thanks to BMW's drive to supply their cars with systems and ideas to reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions as a standard practice. At 62.8 mpg with emissions at just 119g/km the BMW 118d has done just that. Drivers will also be very glad to know that these statistics put this car in the band B bracket for duty and brings road tax down to a mere 35 pounds a year. I feel one going on the Christmas wish list already!

BMW have used Brake Energy Reduction, Auto Start-Stop and Electric Power Steering to do the job of cutting emissions and fuel consumption and it works a treat. To encourage economical motoring, BMW have also included a gearshift change indicator.

The Chairman of BMW North America is very happy with this outcome. After years of providing top level vehicles to the public they can now claim to be one of the most efficient too, in fact this puts them in the forefront of environmentally friendly premium cars. BMW have also won similar green awards in the UK and overseas, including 'What Car?' and 'Car Magazine' green awards. The Fleet News Environmental Award was presented in the UK with many others that came to light during the Geneva Motor Show.

BMW also won this award in 2006 and promise to continue implementing their initiatives to provide us with excellent cars that keep our air pollution free. This year, BMW beat Mercedes Benz and Volkswagen Passat in their bid for the green awards.

Other news from BMW comes in the form of the fact that they are now the leading sellers of premium four-wheel drive vehicles in Europe. In the premium car arena, BMW sold 320,900 vehicles with its unique xDrive system, topping the next best seller by a staggering 4,500.

In the UK alone, BMW represent ten per cent of total sales with their X3s and X5 models. For all those impressed with the figures from such a long standing powerful player in the vehicle market, watch this space for the launch of the BMW X6, promised for the 31st May.