Awards Announced Ahead of AA EnergyWise Rally

Media Release: 19 October 2006

Awards Announced Ahead of November AA EnergyWise Rally

The awards for the 2006 AA EnergyWise Rally have been announced in the race ahead to next month’s event.

Taking place from November 6 – 10, the aim of the 2006 AA EnergyWise Rally is to find the most fuel efficient new car in each class.

“Cars compete in several classes according to body size and typical usage of the vehicle; awards will be presented for outstanding fuel efficiency in each competing vehicle class. Petrols, diesels, petrol-electric hybrids and cars powered by LPG will compete against each other in their respective classes so that direct comparisons can be made,” says Stella Stocks, AA Technical Services General Manager.

The competing vehicle classes include: Small Cars, Compact Cars, Medium / Executive Cars, Large / Luxury Cars, Small Lifestyle / Leisure Vehicles, Large Lifestyle / Leisure Vehicles, and Commercial Vehicles.

The winners for each class will be based upon the total of the pump price of the fuel used, plus any applicable road user charges, says Ms Stocks.

In addition to awards in each vehicle class there are also three other key Rally awards - the AA EnergyWise Environment Award, the AA EnergyWise Driver Award, and an award for the AA EnergyWise Supreme Winner.

Heather Staley, Chief Executive of EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority), says “The AA EnergyWise Environment Award is awarded to the vehicle which emits the least CO2 emissions of all entrants in the Rally.”

“This is an important award in the event as vehicle emissions are a major contributor to climate change. In New Zealand, the transport sector is responsible for 40% of our carbon dioxide emissions. For every litre of fuel used by an average sized car, 2.5kg of carbon dioxide is released into our atmosphere”, she says

Dave Bodger, General Manager of Gull New Zealand Ltd says they are thrilled to be part of the AA EnergyWise Rally again.

“We like to get involved simply because we care about the environment. The AA EnergyWise Driver Award is an important award as it combines three key factors which contribute to the most effective fuel-saving technique demonstrated at the Rally, these are the type of fuel used, the choice of vehicle but most significantly - the driver’s attitude,” he says.

Competition in the Rally is already hotting up, says Ms Stocks.

“With a record number of 53 entries to this year’s Rally, there is already some great competition out there. The overall winner for the 2006 AA EnergyWise Rally will receive the Supreme Award - the recipient of this award will cover the Rally route with the lowest overall running cost,” says Ms Stocks.

The winners of the AA EnergyWise Rally 2006 will be announced at an awards dinner in Auckland on Thursday 9 November.

The AA EnergyWise Rally is held every two years and is conducted on a number of challenging roads throughout the North Island. The Rally is organised by the AA and EECA, (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority). Fuel is being supplied free of charge to all vehicles by Gull New Zealand Ltd.

The AA EnergyWise Rally begins on Monday 6 November in Auckland, before travelling to Wellington via Palmerston North. The Rally will be officially welcomed to Parliament, before heading to Rotorua, and finishing in Auckland on Thursday 9 November.

Further information is available at www.aaenergywiserally.co.nz.

ENDS

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