THE Saab 9-5 2.3t BioPower cuts fossil CO2 emissions by up to 70 per cent while delivering maximum power of 210bhp and 310Nm of torque.

That is 14 per cent more power and 11 per cent more torque when running on eco-friendly bioethanol E85 fuel compared to when running on petrol.

Sounds too good to be true? Well it's not - the Saab 9-5 2.3t BioPower went on sale in the UK last month, with on-the-road prices starting at £23,270.

Available in a choice of saloon and estate bodystyles with manual or automatic transmission, the 9-5 2.3t BioPower is also on sale in the Irish and Nordic markets, with other European countries to follow later this year.

First unveiled at the British International Motor Show in July and offered in addition to the current 2.0t BioPower model which is already established as Sweden's best selling environmentally-friendly vehicle, the arrival of this new model further extends Saab's leadership of the premium flex-fuel' segment.

BioPower technology allows Saab cars to combine the benefits of going green' through substantially cutting fossil CO2 emissions, with the enjoyment of even sportier driving performance.

A further practical advantage of the BioPower formula allows customers to run on petrol and/or bioethanol E85 fuel in any proportion without any adjustment needed by the driver.

In terms of increased performance, the manual saloon accelerates from zero to 62mph in 7.9 seconds, compared to 8.5 seconds when running only on petrol.

Bioethanol fuel is produced commercially from agricultural crops, such as corn, grain, sugar beet and sugar cane. Unlike petrol, its consumption does not significantly raise atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide (CO2).

This is because emissions during driving are balanced by the amount of CO2 that is removed from the atmosphere when crops for conversion are grown.

Jonathan Nash, managing director of Saab Great Britain, said: "We're starting to see all of the pieces of the jigsaw come together at last; flex-fuel cars are appearing on UK roads, bioethanol E85 pumps are being installed at petrol forecourts, factories which produce the ethanol are starting to be built, and UK farmers are starting to be paid to grow crops, instead of not to grow them."