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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

Are Brad Pitt and George Clooney saving the world?

George Clooney and his Tango

Few things in life delight me as much as irony.

And when the topic turns to celebrities and their cars, the fodder is nearly unending.

Especially when the talk is about celebrities who ‘go green.’

It’s hard to count the number of celebs who have been seen tooling around tinsel town in a Prius. A few of them are: Gwyneth Paltrow, Julia Roberts, Jennifer Lopez, Brad Pitt, Cameron Diaz, Billy Joel and Leonardo DiCaprio.

Going a step further, George Clooney owns two electric vehicles; a Tango and a Tesla.

Alanis Morisette teamed up with Mercedes and was hooked up with an E320 BlueTec.

While I admire the image these people are trying to convey, I can see through the smoke screen and take a look at the real environmental impact they are making.

While a trip to the grocery store in a Prius might make a great tabloid cover shot, the trip to Namibia in a private jet is kept a bit quieter.

Yet when Brad Pitt jets off to Africa, he flies in a private jet and burns 11,000 gallons of jet fuel to travel about 9,000 miles. Let’s see… what is that… 0.8 miles per gallon? Way to save the Earth, Brad!

Burning 11,000 gallons of fuel in a Prius could get Pitt all the way to the MOON.

And most of the way back.

It’s the same story with other celebs, though props go to Leo DiCaprio for flying commercial airlines whenever possible.

Aside from the private jets, the cars many of these people owned before making the switch to hybrid means they have a lot of ground to make up before their carbon footprint evens out.

For example, Cameron Diaz had a Porsche 911 Carrera and a Mercedes SL. Brad Pitt has been seen in an Audi Q7 and a Nissan Quest (yup, a minivan for Mr. Cool).

And now anti-establishment rocker Alanis Morisette drives an eco-friendly diesel? As her song goes, isn’t it ironic!

So what do you think: Are celebs in eco-friendly cars driving them for the Earth or treating them as fashion accessories?

-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

Hybrids Are The Wave of the Future

The Hybrid vehicle projected to be the wave for the future when it comes to economical travel while reducing emissions and consumption. Green technologies born in the later part of the last century is flourishing in today’s economy. The 2008 Auto Show for Green Cars is featuring the five leading vehicles made for the market by 2009. You see the hybrids on the highway today when you travel are a proof of the prediction that by the year 2012 the market will be flooded with the vehicles. Hybrid vehicles have three different ways to be fueled, which will not only save at the pumps for the average consumer, but it will save our eco system on a daily basis. The first efficient way to fuel your hybrid is by the use of clean diesel, the second way is the use of gasoline-electric system and the final method is an all-electric system. The newer fueling systems will greatly compete with the crude oil market, which could cause a down slot in today’s economy predicted by some economic leaders. Others feel that the newer hybrid fueling system prove that they help the economy. We will see when the newer hybrids are a major source of transportation how they affect the economy.

The topic of the automakers in the field of hybrids is which one will be the top model for 2009. One of the following five hybrids featured at the 2008 L.A. Auto Show’s Green Car of the Year event will be award as the hybrid of the year in the market for today’s consumers.

1. The Volkswagen Jetta TDI a popular model published over the past few months is the top forerunner and possible winner.

2. The BMW 335d a perspective winner has the 50 state compliant clean diesel approval may well become on its way to being in every household in America. The BMW 335d a well-known vehicle in the European market accepted by everyone who has ridden or driven it for its smooth ride performance.

3. The Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid known for its all-electric low speed mode will most certainly be one of the major vehicles that the consumer will want to consider when it comes to buying a new car.

4. Ford not to be left out of the market has come up with the Ford Fusion Hybrid that is all electric, easy to drive, and beautiful to look upon. Beauty is part of pleasing today’s market as it was in days past the consumer wants luxury in a vehicle along with an eye pleasing ride.

5. The “Smart For Two” makes a great vehicle for those who wish to save on transportation to work or those everyday places that one person or a couple go and are not in need of a lot of space. The Smart for Two prides itself in the idea that less-is-more approach in reducing emissions and consumption by shrinking the car and the engine.

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