I was on the UK BMW 3 Series refresh yesterday and an interesting snippet of info came about.

I was speaking to BMW's product manager for its model range and he was saying the company had thought long and hard about introducing fuel and emissions saving Efficient Dynamics as an optional premium package that would cost extra.

They went against it at the last minute because they believed that as a manufacturer it was the right thing to do to deliver the best technology on their cars included in the price.

BMW are the only manufacturer that's focussing on reducing emissions through its entire range without going down the hybrid or alternative fuel route or focussing on one green halo model. I think that's a move to be respected.

At the moment, a lot of other rival manufacturers offer customers "green peace of mind" but at a premium. If you want to save the world, it's gunna cost ya.

BMW are currently working on models that will be introduced to the UK market 20 years from now, and they did admit that hybrid would be a part of their plans.

BMW told AM: "We're looking at hybrid and also hydrogen power, but it's important the energy saving technology doesn't hinder the driving performance.

"It's also no good adding this kind of technology if the Government doesn't provide the infrastructure to make hydrogen or electric power a success. There's also the wider affects of creating this new technology. What about the end-of-life vehicle disposal costs and battery disposal costs? Can that be done in an environmentally friendly way? It all has to be worked out before we can go forward."