Chevy Tahoe Greenest Car and other LA Auto Show Absurdities
November 20, 2007No, it doesn’t run on electricity or hydrogen, but the gigantor Chevy Tahoe was named the greenest car at the LA auto show. The new hybrid Tahoe supposedly gets a whopping 21 miles per gallon in the city, (although the November/December Truck Trend says they got 18mpg in LA city driving), a “thirty percent boost over standard V8s” which was enough to win the award from Green Car Journal (actually a pretty good publication).
It was a good week for the Tahoe, as a robotic version built by students at Carnegie Mellon, perhaps the foremost robotics institution in the U.S., won the DARPA Urban Challenge unmanned car competition.
And really, is giving the Tahoe a ‘greenest car’ award any more absurd than $50,000 Japanese ‘economy cars’ that get less than 20 mpg? I looked at the entire Acura line and none get more than 18mpg city mileage. They’re not the only offenders; the Infiniti G35 and most Lexuses are similarly challenged.
But the award points to deeper problems. In the real world, newspaper advertisements scream $11,000 off! on Tahoes–big gas-eaters strapped consumers can’t afford.
The automotive press is particularly cozy with the manufacturers–you’ll never see a car get blasted in Car and Driver or Motor Trend. There’s a reason public relations folks refer to them as “trade and enthusiast” pubs. Advertising has a lot to do with it, but so does access–say nasty things and you’ll never get another vehicle for one of your ‘unbiased’ reviews. On the other hand, stroke the manufacturer with a Car of the Year and you’ll get plenty of advertising.
It reminds me of when I edited PC LapTop magazine; each laptop was always “the best yet” (since last month) from the manufacturer. The auto show is a party for the press; I didn’t get a free car, but I did get free lunch.