Saab is seeing increasing numbers of fleets investigating its new BioPower range, which runs on bioethanol.

Although most areas of the country do not have a bioethanol refuelling infrastructure at the moment – only Somerset and areas of East Anglia have pumps – many fleet managers are already contacting Saab to find out more should the network spread.

The firm unveiled a 210bhp 2.3t BioPower 9-5 at the show to add to a range that is already extremely popular in Sweden.

And with the right conditions in place in the UK, Saab believes that bioethanol could become the premier alternative fuel in the UK as well.

Brand manager Paul Adler said: ‘We’re seeing a lot more interest in bioethanol, but we need the Government to support it with fiscal incentives, as the government in Sweden does with measures such as free car parking and tax benefits.’

With two of the largest carmakers in the world, General Motors, through Saab, and Ford, both pushing bioethanol there is a belief that it could be a genuinely viable fuel. Bioethanol is grown from crops and has a hugely reduced CO2 footprint.