Scott Burgess: LA Auto Show

Tahoe hybrid named Green Car of the Year

LOS ANGELES -- The odds were in General Motors Corp.'s favor, considering that three of the five finalists for Green Car of the Year came from the General.

The Chevrolet Tahoe hybrid, however, made the biggest impression with the judges who selected the full-sized SUV as this year's winner at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday.

"This is a milestone in many respects," said Ron Cogan, Green Car Journal editor and publisher.

That's because SUVs typically don't garner consideration for the award. However, Coogan added, the Tahoe, with a 6-liter engine and two-mode hybrid system hits 21 mpg in city driving -- a 50 percent improvement.

"The importance of GM's accomplishment can't be overstated," Cogan said. "For years, consumers have been buying SUVs in increasing numbers because of their functionality, making them the No. 1 class of vehicle on the market."

This is a big deal.

"GM promised they would use hybrid technology and use it where it would make the most difference, on their biggest vehicles," said Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club and one of the judges for the award. "They have delivered with the Chevy Tahoe."

The hybrid system, developed with Chrysler LLC and BMW, will be used in the GMC Denali and Chevy Silverado pickup. A scaled-down version will make it into the Saturn Vue.

The Chevy Malibu hybrid and Saturn Aura hybrid were GM's other finalists. The finalists from other automakers were the Mazda Tribute hybrid and the Nissan Altima hybrid.

"We've felt that the Tahoe hybrid represents the best of both worlds, a great utility you'd expect from a Tahoe with the fuel economy on par with today's mid-size cars," said Ed Peper, Chevrolet's general manager.

Shortly after the award ceremony, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped by and reviewed a sampling of energy-efficient vehicles.

"Car manufacturers from around the world are coming in with the latest technology and have proven that you can make beautiful cars, strong cars, keep the size, keep the safety and all those kinds of things and at the same time be more fuel efficient," Schwarzenegger said.

He also said California won't back down from its lawsuit against the Environmental Protection Agency, asking the court to decide if California can set its own vehicle emission standards.

"We understand the way the corporate world works, and we understand the way lawyers work. They will do everything they can to stop it, and we will do everything we can to move forward," Schwarzenegger said.

Scott Burgess is the auto critic for The Detroit News. He can be reached at 313-223-3217 or sburgess@detnews.com.