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The cleanest car in the world?

The Green Car of the Year

The Green Car Journal began its Green Car of the Year program in 2005, bestowing the award on the Mercury Mariner Hybrid and the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid before announcing this year’s winner:

The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

Yup, a diesel won the award for the first time rather than a hybrid engine. To me, this is proof that the award is becoming more of a true gauge of efficiency rather than a hybrid-hype machine.

The Jetta diesel, which delivers 41 MPG on the highway, achieves fuel efficiency nearly equal to that of a gas/electric hybrid at a more affordable price. The engine signals the arrival of highly efficient, advanced diesel sedans that meet emissions requirements in all 50 states.

For the award, the Jetta was up against the Ford Fusion Hybrid, the BMW 335d, the Saturn VUE 2-Mode Hybrid and the smart fortwo - all worthy competitors that deliver some of the cleanest driving options available.

The fact that one of the diesels won (the BMW is also a diesel) signifies that the technology has evolved to the point where it’s a truly viable solution for reducing our consumption of oil and can bridge the gap until a reliable, renewable energy source can be implemented.

Now that Volkswagen has this award under its belt, we can look forward to more clean diesel TDI vehicles, as evidenced by the Touareg on display at VW’s booth at the LA Auto Show.

What would you buy: a clean diesel or a hybrid? Leave your comments below!

-tgriffith

What if gas prices keep going down?

Big SUVs: Coming back in style?

Whoa, put on the brakes folks because we need to take another look at gas prices.

Believe it or not, as of September 24, prices of our addiction had FALLEN for 6 straight days. And get this: during the summer, prices actually fell for 34 straight days.

There’s probably not any hope of prices going back to the comfortable good ol’ days of $2 a gallon, but with prices comfortably below $4, imagine what could happen if prices stabilize or even continue to fall.

It’s certainly possible that Americans will get used to our current prices and fall right back into our old habits of driving big SUVs. Before we know it, we won’t even think twice before piloting our Expeditions across town just to pick up a Blizzard from Dairy Queen.

Hey, it could happen. Just as auto manufactures begin panicking and shifting towards smaller more fuel efficient cars, the industry could just go back to the way it’s always been. Auto makers would be in a real lurch after that!

It all makes me wonder if the current consumer demand for high MPG cars is a short or long term shift.

If prices stay where they are for a long period of time, I’d bet on our collective love for the SUV and even venture to say that instead of a backlog of Sequoias, we’ll see Sentras clogging dealers’ lots.

Hybrids? HA! If you have one, maybe you’ll have a relic of American history and laugh as you remember the time we freaked out and lost our faith in good ol’ gasoline.

So what do you think? Is now the time to pick up that Yukon Denali, while the value of SUVs are at historic lows?

-tgriffith

Is this the car that will change the world?

Chevrolet has been tantalizing us with the promise of an all-new electric sedan called the Volt.

Will this car revolutionize the cars we drive, or be the nail in the coffin for struggling GM?

Chevy hasn’t even committed to an official launch date for their much-hyped innovation, but the potential to score a major home run with it is huge. Yes, it’ll be expensive for a mid-size family sedan and yes, GM will still lose money on every one sold.

So how could this possibly be a winner?

It’s all in the facts, the marketing and the target audience.

The average commute for 75 percent of Americans is less than 40 miles per day. Hence the Volt’s range to run without using a drop of gas: 40 miles. At first not impressive, but when positioned as a daily short-range commuter it’s suddenly an environmentalist’s dream.

Pricing hasn’t been released, but initial estimates are the Volt will cost between $30K and $35K. GM’s cost on each one is rumored to run about $40K.

Simple economics point to the Volt being a terrible investment.

But we obviously don’t live in the times of simple economics anymore. While still a gamble for GM, the Volt represents the future of vehicle design. No doubt some company needs to step up to the plate and offer an alternative source of thrust for the cars that transport us. GM is doing just that; creating a car capable of hauling us to work or our families to the grocery store without ANY gas.

GM is hoping that early adopters with the means to afford one will buy about 15,000 Volts per year, thereby reducing the cost over time for the rest of us. Those people are out there, and the Volt could very well be the car that Earth has been waiting for.

What do you think: Is Volt a savior or a one-way ticket to bankruptcy for GM?

-tgriffith

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