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At 21 mpg, SUV is top eco-car
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Photos by Rob Varela / Star staff Aaron Belanger prepares to drive a Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid out into a display area at the Los Angeles Auto Show during the second media day Thursday. The Tahoe was named the 2008 Green Car of the Year at the show.
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Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid
Its 6.0-liter V-8 engine switches between 4- and 8-cylinder power for additional fuel savings and emissions reductions. GM Vice Chairman Bob Lutz wouldn't say how much the hybrid Tahoe would cost but said it would be less expensive than the highest-priced Tahoe. The most expensive 2008 Tahoe now starts at $38,950. The hybrid goes on sale in January.
STORY TOOLS 
More from Local NewsAnd the award for the greenest, most eco-friendly vehicle of the year goes to an SUV.
The vehicle environmentalists love to hate was voted Thursday the Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
Ron Cogan, editor of the Green Car Journal, which held the third annual competition, said the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid represented the biggest breakthrough in immediately available technology, bringing the hybrid market to a new group of consumers while not sacrificing power and size. The new model gets about 21 miles per gallon, roughly a 30 percent increase in fuel efficiency.
"The reality is they are here, they are going to be used," Cogan said of sports utility vehicles. "We need higher-efficiency vehicles in every category."
If the displays at the Auto Show, which officially starts today and runs through Nov. 25, are any indication, the stereotypes of hybrids being meek, little eco-cars are long gone. The hybrid has gone big time, literally.
Cadillac is showing off its new Escalade, which has "HYBRID" written in 5-inch block letters across the doors. GMC has a new Yukon hybrid, and Mazda unveiled a new Tribute SUV hybrid, which was among the finalists for the Green Car of the Year award.
Even Porsche, the prince of performance cars, unveiled the SUV Cayenne hybrid, which should be available in the next few years.
"Many people want a large car but feel guilty about it," said Dave Barthmuss, who does environmental public relations for General Motors. The hybrid SUVs allow people to have large cars that can haul a boat without feeling they are burning through gas, he said.
Barthmuss and others said SUVs are a prime market for hybrid technology because they are the largest gas guzzlers. Putting an electric motor into a smaller car that already gets good gas mileage doesn't do as much to curb fuel consumption, Jeremy Barnes, a spokesman for Mazda, said as he stood in front of the forest green Tribute.
But not everyone thinks a Tahoe that has improved its gas mileage from 16 miles per gallon to 21 is a "green car."
"To call an SUV that gets 21 miles per gallon the greenest car of the year is appalling," said Julie Wolk of the Rainforest Action Network, which was trying to draw attention to a fully electric Toyota Prius.
"In a way, you can assuage your guilt," said Michael Omotoso, a senior manager with J.D. Power and Associates. "They'll think, I'm driving a Yukon, but I'm being responsible by buying a hybrid.' Really, if you wanted to be green, you wouldn't make full-size SUVs at all."
John O'Dell, senior editor for the Edmunds.com Green Car adviser, pointed out the cars are "greener. It's just a matter of degrees."
O'Dell said there are many types of hybrids: those designed to get good gas mileage and those designed to improve performance. Because hybrids have two power sources, they often have more horsepower and torque, boosting them off the starting line faster.
He said many of the hybrid SUVs are "muscle hybrids." People might like the slightly better gas mileage, but the increased performance is the selling point. And it allows the manufacturer to say it's environmentally friendly.
"Green' has become a marketing tool for the whole industry," he said.
David Friedman, research director for the vehicles program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said buyers should use caution when buying a car labeled "green."
"Not all hybrids are created equal," he said. He calls the new Chevy Malibu and Saturn Aura models "hollow hybrids" because they don't have the traditional dual modes of gas and electrical power. They merely shut off the car when idling at stop signs, he said.
Most agree the move toward more eco-friendly cars is a step in the right direction, even if some of the steps aren't as big as advertised.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger dropped in on the auto show Thursday and applauded the new innovations he said will help California clean its air.
"I haven't seen this much technology since I've done my Terminator' movies," he said. "This is fantastic to see so many of the world's automakers offering technology to meet our goals in California."
Although the hybrids got the most buzz at the auto show and their popularity is increasing, they still make up only a small part of the market — 2.2 percent this year, according to J.D. Power and Associates. Still, that's up 40 percent from last year's share, and by 2012, hybrids are expected to compose about 6 percent of the market.
Posted by cassandra on November 16, 2007 at 7:20 a.m. (Suggest removal)
21 MPG is an eco-car? This is a joke, right?
We can't inch our way out of the duel catastrophes of peak oil and global warming.
Why is this infomercial on the front page? It's supposed to lull a gullible public into thinking "they" are doing something about the problem, I guess. It just means "they" don't even understand the size of the problem.
My 5 year old VW gets twice the MPG, when I use it, which isn't often.
Posted by justdboy on November 16, 2007 at 7:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Talk about a corporate crock of ****. The sad part is large portion of our population will buy into the idea that 21 mpg is great.
This is corporate USA playing to the lowest common denomiator.
Posted by Nosmo_King on November 16, 2007 at 7:54 a.m. (Suggest removal)
"...if you wanted to be green, you wouldn't make full-size SUV's at all" My 11 year old Ford explorer gets this kind of mpg, and hauls my pets, tows trailers, totes the family and is great in the snow. Why would anyone want to take that choice away me? If it's just me going somewhere I'm on my 25 year old motorbike that gets 60 mpg.
Posted by Equitable_Enforcer on November 16, 2007 at 9:04 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Perhaps the large SUV's and oversized pickup trucks should be phased out ... or a special tax levied on owners of such vehicles simply because they are taking up an inordinate amount of fuel. The biggest tax of all should be levied on people who think they are so important that they have to take private jets.
The problem is, when demand goes up --- the price of gasoline rises --- when demand goes down --- the price of gasoline rises.
We have two hybrids, one a Prius and the other a Ford Escape. The Prius gets 46 mpg overall average in-town but as much as 55.1 overall on trips to Long Beach and San Diego. The Escape is consistently in the mid-30's mixed city/highway driving.
Posted by THX1138 on November 16, 2007 at 11:56 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Sure there's freedom of choice, but then there's taking some responsibility for your actions.
If someone chooses to drive an inefficient vehicle then they should pay a premium.
Looking at the bigger picture, when someone wastes a commodity that everyone uses, [price related to demand] there should be some compensation for those that make a responsible/logical choice. Perhaps a tax-break for those that drive vehicles that get over 25mpg.
I suppose we can't place all the blame on Detroit, especially when there are plenty of folks that enjoy driving around in a 6000# vehicle. I can't imagine what's so desirable about an suv [?!]. I'll be so glad when the suv/gas-guzzler trend is over..!
Posted by justdboy on November 16, 2007 at 12:26 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oil, like anything else God..."put forth upon this Earth!” comes with a price. The choice is ours to deal with it as we see fit.
I am third generation 'oil field trash' and I can tell you, oil is bad; from its extraction, to its use in our automobiles.
Furthermore, as much as I despise the name calling that goes on here, I am joining in. The idea that 'god' put it here so it must be good, is just plain stupid and hypocritical.
Posted by justdboy on November 16, 2007 at 12:29 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Oh, did I mention that invoking the name of 'God' in reasoned discourse in quite 'low-brow'.
Posted by cmpvr on November 16, 2007 at 1:43 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So, I guess Jesus would drive a Hummer so that he could use up more of our God given oil. What a bizarre argument. We should destroy the rainforests, too. God gave us those to use. Never mind what our children or future generations will need. We don't have to worry about that. God will provide. (End sarcasm)
It is sad that 21mpg is seen as green. A better choice is to drive a smaller car. And yes, they could make smaller cars as safe as big cars if they wanted to.
Posted by Equitable_Enforcer on November 16, 2007 at 1:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The tag "leftist-liberalism, socialism and communism" is the last one I'd have expected to be attributed to me. I was tempted to use it on folks more than a few times during my 22 years of military service. Such titles, from the left or right, hurts the cause of those someplace in the middle who want to work together to make a difference. While there are insane verdicts in class action or civil rights lawsuits and people like Gore trying to tell us what to do --- while he goes his own way --- sane people need to find some middle ground so that we can resolve the problems that face us as a society. There are some who consume an inordinate amount of critical resources, and this should probably have its' price. Rhetoric is fine for a terrorist fundamentalist because that is a tool they use to hold the line. It is not good for somebody who is trying to convince others of a particular viewpoint.
Posted by fish on November 16, 2007 at 1:55 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I drive the biggest least-efficient vehicle that I can. I make sure that I drive 10 miles back home for lunch everyday and then at least 2 trips to downtown LA each week. I want to suck up and use as much fuel as I possibly can, that way we can use up all the fossil fuel so we can ALL MOVE ON !!!!!! Jesus H Christ !!!!!
Posted by Face on November 16, 2007 at 2:18 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Typically, industry mags give awards to products who have vested heavily into their advertising dept. They do the same thing for reviews and write-ups as well. Anyone who thinks a 21 mpg SUV is green has a hole in their head, or they got paid to say so.
Posted by tesseract on November 16, 2007 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
So the person who gets a new hybrid SUV that has 21 mpg gets a tax break, but me with my 3 year old non-hybrid Toyota Corolla that gets 40 mpg gets nada. awesome.
Posted by Prodigy on November 16, 2007 at 2:46 p.m. (Suggest removal)
All I know is bio-diesel is an excellent answer today to getting much better gas mileage (up to 56mpg) and produces less emmisions (thanks to the Bluetec project) than most petrol powered cars!
Posted by hotwildflower on November 16, 2007 at 2:47 p.m. (Suggest removal)
My issue with the hybrids is they aren't inexpensive cars...how about making it a bit more affordable to drive something like this...what you save in gas money you make up for in the cost of the car.
I would love to get some 30+ mpg, but for now I have to settle for what I have.
Posted by cassandra on November 16, 2007 at 3:38 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If it's any comfort TimeArrow, I get dinged regularly by lefter-than-thou friends for not advocating socialism, not believing that evidence for 911 as "an inside job" is all that solid, for disapproving of Chavez' drive for an imperial presidency, and so much more.
In all sincerity, I would be willing to call you a brain dead right wing nut job if that would make you feel better.
Posted by wdwinder on November 16, 2007 at 7:07 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Prodigy, did you know that old growth rain forests are being clear cut and burned to make biodiesel for europe, and the fertilizer required is using petroleum to create it. Great, its not burning petroleum, but its not exactly saving it either. And CO2 increased by making the farmland to support is huge too.
JDKnows: yeah, you have freedom of choice. But oil is not renewable (on human timescales) so consider the legacy of your grandchildren, or even children.
Posted by BillyBob on November 16, 2007 at 9:20 p.m. (Suggest removal)
DJ Knows used the same lines in another post yesterday, "God gave us oil", "San Fransicko", "leftest-liberal", etc. I guess with the writers strike, he isn't getting any new stuff from Rush to mindlessly repeat...
Posted by QuestionAuthority on November 17, 2007 at 2:22 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I'm seriously, all for "doing my part" in cleaning up the environment, saving the rainforest, recycling, stop global warming, etc., I do my part as best as I can in all areas. I also donate what I can regularly to what I believe to be worthy causes. But the reality is that many, and I say MANY folks simply can't afford to go out and buy a new car whether it gets 21 MPG or 40. They have to make do with what they've got. (I'm one of them).
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