Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 25

Screen Magazine - Index

Screen Magazine - Screen Magazine: Vol. 28, Issue 25 - Index

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With the crowning of the Chevy Tahoe
Hybrid as the “Green Car Journal” Green
Car of the Year, the “greening up” of
America’s automakers is becoming more and
more evident. Things that used to be distant
figments of the imagination (such as a full-size
SUV that gets good fuel economy) are now
becoming more and more the reality.
Green technologies – such as Flex Fuel and
hybrid vehicles – are still not at the forefront
of current marketing strategies, but they are
gaining notice and all of the major automakers
have a line of Flex Fuel capable offerings, as
well as at least one hybrid vehicle either in
production or on the horizon.
Of the Big Three, General Motors is one
of the more active and vocal automakers
promoting a green image. Along with the Tahoe
Hybrid’s accolades, a new marketing campaign
for the Malibu Hybrid and the development of
both the Chevy Volt and the Fuel Cell Equinox
have gotten GM increased media exposure.
Other GM nameplates offer hybrid options
– the Saturn Vue and Aura, the GMC Yukon
and the 2009 Cadillac Escalade – and GM
has distinguished itself as one of the few U.S.
automakers to offer hybrid sedans (the Malibu
and Aura) as well as SUVs.
A top-down approach to fuel economy,
increasing the economy of SUVs before
developing smaller automobiles, seems to be
the trend among the other major players.
The majority of Flex Fuel capable automobiles
are larger vehicles such as SUVs and trucks,
and most American-made hybrids are limited
to SUVs such as the Ford Escape and the
forthcoming Chrysler Aspen HEMI Hybrid.
However, even though the Tahoe 2WD’s 22
mpg highway pales in comparison to Honda
Civic’s 45 highway mpg or the Toyota Prius’
48 city mpg, for Chevrolet, the development
of a fuel-efficient full-size SUV and winning
the Green Car of the Year award equate to
marketing gold in a society where people
look at spending over $3.00 a gallon every
time they gas up.
Whether the development continues from
the top down or starts from the bottom
up, one thing is clear: The race is on,
and in years to come, energy efficient
technologies and the new vehicles they
spawn are sure to grow exponentially
– as will the advertising campaigns that
accompany them – and American steel,
whether SUV or two-door compact, will
begin to look a little more green.
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