When the Chevy Tahoe Hybrid was named "Green Car of the Year" at the Los Angeles Auto Show last year, we had a "WTF?" reaction. Unlike the maudlin mainstream media, we didn't see the logic of putting that much effort into a gas-guzzling behemoth with lagging sales when it could be better used in smaller, more salable vehicles. The LA Times' Dan Neil had a similar reaction when he drove it. While the Pulitzer-prize winning auto critic found the execution of the technology flawless, he questioned the claimed milage imporvements. "What would the mileage of this vehicle be with all the improved aerodynamics [the hybrid has a Cd of 0.34 as opposed to the standard model's 0.39], low-rolling resistance tires and aluminum body panels, yet without the fretful weight (and cost) of the hybrid system?" Echoing a sentiment expressed on this site several times, Dan the Man asks, "Does this super-low-volume program do more for corporate image than corporate average fuel economy?" In his final analysis he concludes, "For now, we have this paradox, a fantastically fuel-efficient vehicle that's still a gas hog. A hybrid that's simultaneously good (promise) and bad (reality). Matters can only get more muddled when the Hybrid Hummer comes rolling out." Meanwhile, GM has announced they'll introduce a scaled-down version of the Tahoe's "dual mode" system in the '09 Saturn Vue Green Line.

According to a New Year's PR greeting from ToMoCo Prez Katsuaki Watanabe, Toyota is going so damn green you'd be hard-pressed to find it in a field of clover. Just before I nodded off (sorry), Watanabe pledged to "contribute to the sustainable development of society and the earth in the future" in three main areas: research and development, manufacturing and social contribution. Yada, yada, "sustainable mobility," "cellulosic ethanol," "planting trees" and "hands-on environmental education at the Forest of Toyota." And now for the real news: Toyota wants to achieve "hybrid vehicle sales of 1 million units annually as soon as possible in the early 2010s," and put a Synergy Drive (possibly lithium-ion equipped) into every one of their models (hybrid Tundra?). As for those pesky quality issues dinging their brand rep, Watanabe is so committed to rectifying the situation he's quoting himself: "I am always saying that 'without improving quality, Toyota cannot expect to grow', and I believe that quantitative growth is the result of improved quality. For this, we understand well that corporate management must achieve growth that maintains a balance between corporate activities and environmental preservation, as well as between volume and quality." What, a pragmatic approach to multiple demands rather than seamless spin and endless hype? Where's the fun in that?

Going one better than Jerry Flint's Lutz-lust, Newsweek's Keith Naughton nominates GM's Car Czar for canonization. The business reporter's prose soars to celestial heights, enshrining Maximum Bob as the savior of the American auto industry. Yea, verily, Maximum Bob single-handedly "seeks to redefine the automobile with the Chevy Volt." And lo, St. Lutz' road to Damascus was full of potholes. "When Lutz first proposed creating an electric car in 2003, the idea 'bombed' inside GM, he says. 'I got beaten down a number of times.' So in 2006, Lutz formed a skunkworks team of engineers and designers to quickly cobble together the Chevy Volt concept car, which became the star of the 2007 Detroit Auto Show." Cobbled? Ye of little faith!
"And then he persuaded the brass to greenlight the Volt for production by arguing that they must try to seize the green high ground from Toyota." Uh, I thought Lutz WAS the brass. Anyway, Naughton perpetuates the myth that the Volt will hit the market in 2010 and sell below $30k– a piece of PR prognostication that Maximum Bob has recently abandoned. Still, it's nice to know St. Bob's journalistic acolytes are still willing to make that leap of faith, even if he isn't.

GM's one two three green light campaign to leapfrog the competition with its E-Flex plug-in electric – gas (in that order) hybrid continues apace, The General has just opened a new design studio dedicated to the Chevrolet Volt and its antecedents. According to the press release, GM's new Warren, MI-based E-Flex Systems Design Studio will house 45 designers, sculptors, design engineers, scientists and administrative staff in a greener-than-thou environment. That would be a reused space kitted-out with sustainable carpet, energy efficient florescent lighting and window shades, rugs made of 100 percent wool and Cradle to Cradle-certified furniture. While we still haven't seen the new-look Volt, The Motley Fool (of all people) tell us that GM designers have already cut 30 percent from the concept's wind drag. "The easier it is to push this vehicle through the air, the less energy you use," said Nina Tortosa, the Volt's aerodynamic development engineer and [possible] future author of Aerodynamics for Dummies. Anyway, the Volt's design director is pleased with his new digs. “There’s a lot of history in this building,” said Bob Boniface, “and I feel we’re making our own history by designing a whole new generation of vehicles that don’t require gasoline." I guess someone forget to tell Bob about the gasoline part of the Volt's propulsion system…

BusinessGreen reports that Ricardo, Land Rover, mapmaker Ordnance Survey, mobile giant Orange and the UK's Transport Research Laboratory have banded together to develop the "rCube control system." In theory, the bolt-in computer will combine the [now] familiar real time traffic data with automatic control over a hybrid's engine, batteries, throttle and brakes. Say what? "If you are approaching a junction or a traffic jam and have to stop, the control system will optimise the deceleration to limit how hard you have to brake and maximise the amount of energy that is captured and used to recharge the battery," explains Tom Robinson, senior product group manager for control and electronics at Ricardo. "It means that you get a smoother ride and lower emissions." The scarily-named "Sentience project" promises a prototype rCube-equipped Ford Escape Hybrid by the summer. So… what's hybridless lame duck Land Rover got to do with any of this? And why can't they just teach people to go easy on the gas and the brakes?

That's not exactly how Reuters spins the news that GM and its mandatory Chinese partner (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp) have announced plans to build a hybrid vehicle in China by next year's Olympics. But you gotta give Reuters credit for sensing that selling hybrids to the Chinese market is what the Brits call a "non-starter." "Demand for hybrids is negligible in China, where fuel economy figures little in consumers' purchasing decisions,' reporter Chang-Ran Kim writes. "Hybrid cars are also expensive since the government offers no incentives on their purchase. Toyota Motor Corp is currently the only carmaker that builds a hybrid car in China. It sold just 2,000 of the Prius hybrid last year." Although the scribe reckons the Chinese hybrid is a part of GM's wider greenwashing campaign, what's the bet those Chinese-made hybrid powertrains find their way into GM's other markets? 

Chrysler has finally joined the hybrid party (symposia?) with the Chrysler Aspen and Dodge Durango Hybrids. The slow-selling platform partners share the two-mode gas- electric hybrid system developed with partners BMW, Daimler and General Motors. On the surface it looks like Chrysler LLC is ready to give the tree huggers some love. As it turns out, the operative word is "some." Early in the unveiling at the LA Auto Show, Chrysler reps said the two-mode system would yield a 40 percent improvement in city mileage and 20 percent better highway mpgs. In practice, the extra batteries boost the TTAC Ten Worst-winning twins' expected mileage from 13/18 to 18/19. If Chrysler thinks that's the difference between sale/no sale, with a premium to pay to boot, they're kidding themselves. That said, the Durango Hybrid has the increasingly familiar HYBRID stencil across the bottom of the doors and the best hybrid gauge we've seen, nestled in that Lego plastic dash. This year's designer accoutrement?

You'd think auto ad writers would have learned that dissing the locals is best left to the Simpsons. The latest car company issuing a mea culpa for stepping on finely-tuned political sensitivities: Toyota. BusinessWeek reports that a recent ad by the Japanese automaker raised the hackles of Fresno mayor Alan Autry and California senator Dianne Feinstein. The commercial in question showed the miserly Toyota Prius in a future where "gas stations will become nothing more than low-budget tourist stops. Like ghost towns… or Fresno." After Feinstein complained to the company, Toyota pulled the ad and edited out the reference. What penance must be done? Fresno city councilman Henry Perea says Toyota should open a Prius factory in his patch. Given the cost of doing biz in The Golden State, Perea should've simply asked for cash compensation (if he hasn't already). 

The "will they/won't they" question about a Prius-based plug-in electric vehicle (PHEV) is gradually being replaced with "how, when, what and where." Why? Because the Japanese automaker has announced it's sending a brace of Prius PHEVs to the University of California (UC) for study. They're current gen Prii fitted with extra nickel metal hydride batteries. Electric-only mode only kicks-in at slow speeds, intermittently, for seven miles, on a full charge. One of the PHEVs is headed for the boffins at the UC's Irvine's Advanced Power and Energy Program. They'll try to figure out how to rate the mpg on the wee beastie and whether or not there are any environmental benefits to partial plug-in power. The other PHEV goes to the social (not to say socialist) scientists at the University of California Berkeley. They're looking to determine whether not anyone wants the darn fool thing and what a PHEV has to do to hit the consumer sweet spot (e.g. range, charging time, battery size and battery costs). Toyota Motor Sales' Marketing and PR Communications Manager says buyers hot for a PHEV will have to wait 'til 2010, at the earliest. 

[Interview with Toyota PR on the whole PHEV thing below.] 

Ironically enough, the name of the rare earth element "dysprosium" is derived from the Greek δυσπροσιτος [dysprositos] meaning "hard to obtain." But obtain it Toyota must; the element is crucial for the manufacturer of nickel metal hydride batteries and hybrid engines. The Guardian Newspaper reports that Japanese Trade Minister Akira Amari is lobbying China to ease-up on their tightening grip on dysprosium, platinum (needed for catalytic converters) and other rare metals. Earlier this year, China banned duty-free exports of rare earth ores for processing. On Wednesday, the PRC announced it would bar foreign investment in mining rare minerals or those that can't be recycled. China produces roughly 90 percent of Japan's rare earth earth minerals (i.e. "China's got Japan's manufacturers by the throat."). According to CBC News, that's because "Over the past two decades, China has tapped into a motherlode of cheap, easy-to-extract, rare earth resources, byproducts of the country's Bayan Obo iron ore operations in the north." Minister Amari isn't placing all his elements in one basket. He's also heading to South Africa and Botswana to secure alternative supplies. What was that about the total environmental impact of hybrids?

In the second major case of a news organization delaying important information, The Detroit News reports today that GM inadvertently revealed prices for their new two-mode hybrid SUVs on October fifth. That's when a GM website listed the Chevy Tahoe two-wheel drive hybrid at $47,915; the four-wheel drive version at $50,720; and the GMC Yukon two-wheel drive hybrid at $48,370. That's big news. It's also wrong. "GM spokesman Terry Rhadigan said Monday the prices posted on the Web site 'were too low.' He declined to divulge what the pricing would be, saying only that it would be 'competitive.'" With what? Themselves! Rhadigan told the DTN that a loaded version of the same vehicle will cost more than its hybrid variant. Just in case potential consumers were planning on making an apples-to-apples comparison, GM won't be offering comparable hybrid and non-hybrid models. Sticking to the obfuscation theme, Marketing Maven Mark LaNeve told his hometown paper (last week) that hybrids will rack-up five to ten percent of total SUV sales. But "since we are in uncharted territory… we will adjust up or down to demand." The General may have to adjust DOWNWARDS from five percent of shrunken, sinking, full-size SUV sales? That doesn't sound good.

The International Herald Tribune reports that SHOCK! Toyota already offers lithium-ion batteries in a Japan-only vehicle: the Vitz. While the media seems to think the move indicates Toyota's got a leg-up on their Li-Ion chasing (cough Volt) competition, the truth is that the Vitz' laptop-style battery only kicks-in to maintain electricity (for the radio, AC, etc.) when the subcompact's fuel-saving stop – start motor stops. That's a far cry from providing motive power. And it casts doubt about the Trib's contention that the Li-Ion-equipped Vitz "delivers better mileage at about 25 kilometers a liter (60 miles a gallon) in Japanese testing, compared to about 22 kilometers a liter (53 miles a gallon) in the regular Vitz." Anyway, shhh. Mum's the word! "Toyota Executive Vice President Masatami Takimoto told The Associated Press recently the company hasn't marketed the feature aggressively because battery supplies are limited and the company can't respond to massive demand." At the risk of injecting some perspective into this story, Toyota has specifically rejected Li-Ion batteries for its next gen Prius due to concerns over safety, cost and reliability. Not to mention the on-going success of their nickel-metal hydride battery-based Synergy Drive hybrid system. Next?

You'd think GM would have enough greens on its proverbial plate, what with its lackluster hybrid sales, the prospect of more lackluster hybrid sales (anyone fancy a two-mode two-ton hybrid SUV?) and the problem of inventing batteries for a plug-in hybrid that's due on the showroom floor in three years. But no; the automaker was into hydrogen fuel cells when hydrogen fuel cells were hot (cold?). So here we are with a fleet of 100 hydrogen fuel cell-equipped Chevrolet Equinox. Might as well gets some PR for the things. And USA Today is happy to play along, 'cause you know it could be the next Next Big Thing. "GM is working as hard and fast as we can for competitive reasons, rather than as pure research on a promising technology." This according to Larry Burns, GM vice president in charge of research and development. Never mind the fact that there isn't a hydrogen infrastructure to support these vehicles (or enough vehicles to support the hydrogen infrastructure). The race is on! Meanwhile, maybe GM should try to do something with the gas-powered Equinox to make it more competitive. No? Alright then. Let's plan on fitting the new Volt with hydrogen fuel cells and leasing customers the expensive power pack, you know, eventually. Sounds like a plan to me!

Speaking to Automotive News [sub], GM CEO Rick Wagoner promised his employer will plow the money saved by its new contract with the United Auto Workers (UAW) into "green products."  Specifically, in the next four to ten years, GM will build  more [some?] low-emitting diesels, hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles running on lithium ion batteries. "If we have a significantly profitable and cash-generating enterprise, that really opens up the opportunity to be more aggressive and take more risks." Never one to miss an opportunity not to ask GM's jeffe the hard questions surrounding the details of a major announcement, Automotive News doesn't reveal GM's strategy in the event that GM isn't "significantly profitable" and the company's cash conflagration continues. (By GM's own admission, they won't realize any major savings from the new contract for another four years.) Right. That's it. I'm going to the Detroit Auto Show to find this guy. Who's with me? 

OK, here's the rule for car buyers looking to claim a federal tax credit for their hybrid: "Original owners may claim the full amount of the allowable credit up to the end of the first calendar quarter after the quarter in which the manufacturer records its sale of the 60,000th vehicle. For the second and third calendar quarters after the quarter in which the 60,000th vehicle is sold, taxpayers may claim 50 percent of the credit. For the fourth and fifth calendar quarters, taxpayers may claim 25 percent of the credit. No credit is allowed after the fifth quarter." So the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) had a butcher's (look) at GM and Ford hybrid sales for the quarter ending Sept. 30 and decided neither automaker's sold enough gas – electric vehicles to start the winding down process. Ford's getting there; The Blue Oval Boyz sold 38,743 hybrids last quarter. GM's not even close, at 9,577 hybrids. For a full list of the qualifying vehicles and the tax credits for each, click HERE. Oh, and in case you're wondering, Toyota blew by the 60k hybrid tax barrier on June 30, 2006. In the second quarter of '07 alone, Toyota sold sold 79,723 hybrids (54,821 Prii).