CARS FINDING IT’S EASY BEING GREEN

In the late 60’s and early 70’s, the legendary Frank Sinatra sang these words:

It’s not easy bein’ green
It seems you blend in with so many other ordinary things
And people tend to pass you over ’cause you’re
Not standin’ out like flashy sparkles on the water
Or stars in the sky.

These words are from his hit song “Bein’ Green.”  Generally, the song laments the fact that the subject of the song is relegated to a boring color like green.

Well, in the automotive world of today, green is anything but dull or second class.  But just like in Frank’s day, it is becoming a whole lot more commonplace. 

Consider that the popular Toyota Prius has sold more than 940,000 units worldwide, and counting.  Not to be outdone, Honda introduced a hybrid version of its popular Civic.  Acknowledging less-than-impressive sales, Honda will try again with the release of a new hybrid in 2009. 

Honda’s new offering is highly anticipated for many reasons.  First, it is shrouded in mystery because of Honda’s tight-lipped approach during its production.  Also, Honda revealed that they will offer the new hybrid at a lower price. 

Honda differs from other hybrid makers because it is sticking with nickel-metal hydride batteries instead of using newer lithium ion batteries.  Although the lithium ion batteries weigh less, they may be more prone to overheat. Hopefully, Honda will have learned enough to make sure that the new hybrid has a shape that makes it easy to distinguish from the non-hybrid version of the same model.

AllianceBernstein has prophesized that 72 percent of all cars worldwide and 85 percent of new models will be hybrids by the year 2030. 

Even with higher gas prices and ever-increasing standards for cleaner, more efficient automobiles, not all hybrids are making it to the US market.  For example, Audi has no plans to bring the Audi Q7, their SUV to the American market. Some speculate that the weakness of the dollar is behind Audi’s retreat on the Q7.

With a string of hits and growing share in America, Audi may not feel compelled get a hybrid SUV to American consumers. They seem to be doing just fine with fans of high performance cars with the R8.

“It may not win any awards for being green, but I can’t wait for the R8 to arrive in our Dallas showroom. I have itching to experience driving the Audi R8 ever since I learned that it was on the drawing board at Audi,” says Tom Warren, GM of DFW Elite Auto Rental.com.

Read the rest of the story on our exotic car rental pages.