Auckland Mayor Len Brown has rejected more fuel efficient vehicles in choosing his new official car, just weeks after launching a strategy to cut the city's greenhouse gas emissions, Radio New Zealand reports.
Brown is now onto his third Holden Commodore in seven years - a vehicle with a carbon footprint more than 70 per cent bigger than some of the alternatives.
The mayoral office took delivery of the Holden Calais V-Series V6 last month. In July, Brown launched the council's Low Carbon Auckland Action Plan - aimed at cutting greenhouse emissions by 40 per cent by 2040.
Part of the plan encourages the use of more efficient vehicles.
Fairfax Media motoring editor Dave Moore says the Holden is neither superbly frugal nor particularly thrifty, and there are greener options.
“The Skoda Superb, which is a long wheelbase Czech-built vehicle, and is remarkably fuel efficient - anything from under 5 litres per 100 kilometres, which is nearly half what the Calais will use.”
The mayoral Calais has a carbon footprint 50 per cent bigger than the Skoda and 73 per cent bigger than Toyota's Hybrid Camry, and both are more than $10,000 cheaper.