Once again, Los Angeles is playing host to their very own annual LA Auto Show that has been held at the end of every year since 1907 (barring the few years it was canceled due to the outbreak of World War II). Most years, new designs and breathtaking concepts are rolled out for the world and 2010 has been no exception. This time around, there have even been several solid green and electric vehicle announcements that leave those looking for a future in green transportation something to think about. This week, I’ll be bringing a few of the more exiting announcements to light in order to share just what the LA Auto Show has to offer.
Though the LA Auto Show is currently showcasing a variety of green and electric vehicles of interest, some of the more interesting news coming from the show revolves around the announcement of the 2011 Green Car of the Year Award. This year’s competition was between the Hyundai Sonata hybrid, Lincoln MKZ hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, Nissan LEAF, and Ford Fiesta. While many believed that the Nissan LEAF stood the greatest chance of being crowned as the king of the green vehicles, the victor that emerged ended up surprising many. On Thursday, the first day of the auto show, the Chevrolet Volt was announced the 2011 Green Car of the Year.
For General Motors Company and Chevrolet, relative newcomers to the green vehicle trade, the announcement was news worthy of celebration. For some critics, however, the decision to crown the Volt as the best Green Car of the year was a bit of a surprise. Many believe that because the Volt’s design is not entirely electric and instead also uses gasoline once the electric has run out that it cannot truly compare to a car like Nissan’s LEAF. However, considering that even as a hybrid the Chevrolet Volt is capable of achieving similar performance to that of the LEAF while also spearheading General Motor’s campaign to become a green transportation company, the Volt seems worthy of the praise being heaped upon it.
Of the other green vehicles in the running for Green Car of the Year, most were hybrids while the Ford Fiesta is considered a highly efficient gasoline powered automobile. In the end, most of those involved in the show were impressed with the amount of vehicles that could be labeled as green vehicles when the list was made. Many commented that in previous years at the LA Auto Show the number of green vehicles has been fairly small though have started quickly growing in recent years.
The 2010 LA Auto Show will be running until Sunday November twenty eighth and, though a great deal of announcements have already been made, it is likely that there are still more to come.
Article by Richard Cooke, appearing courtesy Justmeans.
