ABSTRACT
This chapter begins by stating that an increasing number of consumer-oriented strategies are being initiated that make use of consumers as agents of change. These strategies are based on ideas of political modernisation in which typical command-and-control policies and legislation are replaced, or at least complemented, by so-called new environmental policy instruments, which should achieve greater effectiveness and are more democratic. The salespeople perceived that consumer interest has increased over the years as more and more questions in the showroom are environmentally related. In the consumer focus group the subsidy was also mentioned on different occasions as a decisive factor in the purchase decision. The focus groups show that there is a clear need for help in reducing the complexity of the environmental information in the car-buying process. Car advertisements are actively promoting the environmental aspects of new cars, sometimes even by forming an alliance with environmental non-governmental organisations (NGO), such as in the case of the Eco Top 10.
