Hybrid Car Review

The Chevy Tahoe Hybrid was awarded the Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show by the Green Car Journal. On hand for the ceremony was Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

"They've proven that they 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," said the Governator.

The five finalists selected by the Green Car Journal were the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and the Saturn Aura Hybrid. Selection was based not necessarily on how green the car is (in other words, how fuel efficient they are), but also for being firsts. The Tahoe was first to production for the joint two-mode hybrid system co-developed by BMW, GM and DaimlerChrysler.

"We're thrilled to receive this recognition from Green Car Journal for our Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid,” says Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. “We've felt that the Tahoe Hybrid represents the best of both worlds – the great utility you'd expect from a Tahoe with fuel economy on par with today's mid-size cars. It's satisfying to receive this validation from such an authority on environmentally-friendly vehicles."

Jay Leno was part of the panel which selected this years winner. Other panelists include: Carroll Shelby, Carl Pope (Sierra Club), Christopher Flavin (Worldwatch Institute), Jonathan Lash (World Resources Institute), and Jean-Michel Cousteau (Ocean Futures Society).

Last year's winner was the Mercury Mariner Hybrid.