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Turning Over a New Leaf
Green cars should be red-hot at Virginia’s show for new autos
By Steve Clark
 The first automobile I owned was green — two-toned green, to be precise. It was a pre-owned 1962 Chevrolet Bel Air given to me by my parents (the pre-owners) as a gift for graduating from college. Were I planning to buy a new car this year, I seriously would consider buying a green car again.
Not green in color, but environmentally green.
Green wheels are red-hot, at least from the standpoint of advertising and publicity. Major car manufacturers have spent a lot of greenbacks advertising their new green vehicles, and for General Motors, the hype has paid off publicity-wise. GM’s Chevrolet Volt is Motor Trend magazine’s “2011 Car of the Year.” And at the Los Angeles auto show in November, it was named “Green Car of the Year.”
The Volt is a four-seat, four-door hatchback hybrid with a plug-in battery pack that can power the 149-horsepower electric motor by itself up to 40 miles. After that, the gasoline-powered four-cylinder generator powers the motor for as many as 300 additional miles.
‘A GAME-CHANGER’
Angus MacKenzie, Motor Trend’s editor-in-chief, wrote in the magazine’s January issue: “In the 61-year history of the Car of the Year award, there have been few contenders as hyped — or as controversial — as the Chevrolet Volt. … As a result, a lot of the sound and fury that has surrounded the Volt’s launch has tended to obscure a simple truth: This automobile is a game-changer. … [It] is a vehicle that will not only change the way we think about cars, but the way we use them, and how we power them.”
The Volt is one of several hybrid vehicles to be showcased at the 2011 Virginia Motor Trend International Auto Show, March 11-13 at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.
The sponsoring magazine, Motor Trend, bills the event as a “time-efficient, family friendly way to indulge your automotive passions and perform tire-kicking comparisons in a non-selling environment.”
In addition to alternative-fuel cars, hundreds of other new models will be on display at the show, including luxury cars, sports cars, SUVs and crossovers, concept cars, minivans, hot rods and specialty vehicles. Remember, the combustible engine remains king of the road — for now.
TAKING ON THE PRIUS
To date, the leader in producing successful green cars has been Toyota, which unveiled the Prius in 1997. Named for the Latin word meaning “to go before,” the Prius was the first standard-produced electric-hybrid car. Since then, more than 2 million Prius hybrids have been sold worldwide.
In promoting the Volt, GM sees Toyota’s Prius as the main competition in the green-car market thus far. Speaking to the Economic Club of Washington in December, GM’s chief executive officer, Dan Akerson, took a verbal shot at the Prius. “We commonly refer to the geek-mobile as the Prius,” he said. “This [the Volt] actually looks good.”
In November, the Environmental Protection Agency announced that the Volt will carry a rating of 93 mpg (equivalent) while running purely on electricity, and 37 mpg in so-called “charge-sustaining” mode — in other words, when powered by gasoline.
An estimated quarter of a million Americans reportedly have shown an interest in buying a Volt, which carries a base sticker price of $40,280. Sales will not come close to that this year. GM has announced that only 15,000 Volts will be produced in the 2011 calendar year at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant.
Another potential environmental “game-changer” is the Nissan Leaf. The 100 percent electric hatchback went on sale in Japan and selected U.S. markets in December, base priced at $32,780. The Leaf, with a range of 73 miles on a fully charged battery, is the first mass-marketed all-electric car. As of this writing, it has not been decided whether the Leaf will be showcased in Richmond.
A third electric car, the Ford Focus, will go on sale late this year.
Steve Clark is a former columnist for The Richmond News Leader and, later, the Richmond Times-Dispatch. Reach him at
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Not Ready for Battery Packs?
Ten new 2011 gasoline-only models worth checking out
There’s plenty new at the auto show that won’t require plug-in battery packs. Boomer senior designer Matt Stanton assesses 10 models that still stop regularly at the gas station:
1. Ford Explorer – All-new model trying to resurrect the glory of old. Totally redesigned to be more car-like yet still retain old Explorer utility.
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2. Ford Focus – The U.S. will finally get the same Focus that Europe has been getting for years (the better one), in line with the company’s global strategy.
3. Chevrolet Cruze – GM is still trying to prove it can compete in the small-car segment. This car actually proves it can.
4. Mazda 2/Ford Fiesta – Both cars ride on the same platform and offer much the same. The Ford is a little more feature-rich; the Mazda, slightly sportier and cheaper.
5. Buick Regal – Buick is borrowing from the Germans (Opel) to bring the Regal into the new year. Basically an Americanized Astra, the Regal touts “German” sophistication and driving dynamics for these shores.
6. Dodge Durango – The Durango has been reborn as more of a crossover than a full-fledged SUV to try to stay competitive. Needs to be much better than previous versions.
7. Honda Odyssey – The next generation of minivan that does everything the old one did, only better. Bigger, quieter, thriftier, roomier and so on.
8. Nissan Quest – Nissan’s version of Honda’s Odyssey and Toyota’s Sienna. Quirky styling is really the only difference here. Just as competent as the others.
9. Jeep Grand Cherokee – Greatly improved over the previous version. More refined interior, quieter, better-looking and just as competent off road. Chrysler’s flagship for now.
10. Hyundai Sonata/Kia Optima – Both Korean models ride on the same platform, but they have different characters. The Kia is sportier looking and sportier driving. The Hyundai is more refined looking and that carries over to the whole experience.
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