U.K. Names First Vehicles Eligible for Green-Car Credits

LONDON — The U.K. has released its initial list of nine green vehicles that qualify for government credits of up to $7,900 each. Among the first cars to qualify for the Plug-In Car Grant are the Mitsubishi i-MiEV, Smart Fortwo ED and Peugeot iOn, all of which go on sale in January in the U.K.

They will be joined in the first quarter by the Citroen C-Zero, the Nissan Leaf and the Tata Vista EV, and followed in early 2012 by three hybrids — the Chevrolet Volt, its sibling the Vauxhall Ampera and a new plug-in version of the Toyota Prius.

Separately, Vauxhall said the new Ampera, a sister model to the Volt that will be sold across the rest of the Europe under the Opel brand name, will be priced in the U.K. from $53,660 before the government green-car credit. In the U.S., the Volt is priced from $41,000 before incentives and tax credits.

The U.K.'s Plug-In Car Grant provides consumers with a purchase credit worth 25 percent of the vehicle's price, up to a limit of $7,900.

Inside Line says: The U.K. government also is working with local and regional municipalities to install a network of up to 15,000 EV charging stations and points around the country. — Paul Lienert, Correspondent