Green Scene
With the Toyota Prius ranking as the best-selling car in the Golden State last year, there’s little doubt that Californians are happy to embrace eco-friendly “green” vehicles — be it to help the environment, to save on gas or even to get those appealing tax credits and HOV-lane privileges. Thanks to new fuel economy standards, the field of green cars keeps expanding, as evidenced on the floor of the 2013 L.A. Auto Show. Here’s a look at this year’s green scene.
Acura
The Acura RLX Sport Hybrid All-Wheel-Drive is the first to use Acura’s new three-motor hybrid system: Two motors provide power to the rear wheels while the third assists the gasoline engine. With 377 horsepower, the RLX SH-AWD performs like a V-8, yet gets four-cylinder fuel economy for 30 combined miles per gallon.
Audi
Audi will be showing off its clean diesel and electric versions of the A3 at this year’s show. The A3 TDI comes with all the standard equipment of the gasoline A3 but is powered by its 2.0-liter diesel engine. It goes on sale late next year as a 2015 model. The A3 SportbackE-Tron is Audi’s first plug-in hybrid, combining a 1.4-liter gas engine with an electric motor to produce a total of 201 horsepower. It uses four driving modes to optimize fuel efficiency and a three-way braking system to help recharge the battery. It’s set to hit showrooms in 2015.
BMW
BMW is rolling out two electric beauties at this year’s show. The i3 is the company’s first electric car produced in volume and uses lots of carbon fiber and aluminum to make it lighter and more efficient. The i3 four-seater comes loaded with standard equipment, including air conditioning, leather steering wheel, navigation system and BMW’s Park Distance Control with rear-mounted sensors. The i8 is a two-plus-two-seater proudly representing as BMW’s first plug-in hybrid. It uses a 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor for 362 horsepower. Five driving modes include one that goes up to 22 miles on electric power alone.
Volkswagen
Though Volkswagen is known for its clean diesel options, this year it introduced the E-Golf, a fully electric version of its popular small car. The E-Golf comes only in a five-door version with aluminum alloy wheels and LED headlights unique to this model. Volkswagen’s preliminary estimates for driving range are 70 to 90 miles. It’s slated to go on sale in late 2014.
Volvo
Volvo’s V60 clean-diesel plug-in hybrid is immensely popular overseas. Now the company has has confirmed that its new XC90 will be the first plug-in car it offers in the U.S., albeit with a gas rather than diesel engine. The Swedish automaker has stayed mum on the exact release date, but the XC90 PHEV is expected to hit showrooms sometime next year. In the meantime, Volvo cars at this year’s auto show include 2015 iterations of the S60, XC60 and V60. All equipped with Volvo’s highly fuel-efficient four-cylinder Drive-E engines, these rides perform like V-8s and can be paired with an electric motor to create plug-in hybrid versions.
Green Car of the Year
Amid an ever-expanding field of eco-conscious rides, picking a Green Car of the Year has never been tougher. This year’s finalists epitomize the wide array of ways to be green. The Audi A6 TDI is a clean diesel that goes from 0 to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds yet gets an EPA-estimated 38 highway mpg. Another finalist, the BMW 328d is a four-cylinder clean diesel that gets an EPA-estimated 45 highway mpg by combining its engine with auto stop/start functions and regenerative brakes. The Honda Accord is available with a four-cylinder, V-6, hybrid or plug-in hybrid powertrain. Green car contender Mazda 3 comes as a sedan (41 highway mpg) or a five door hatchback (40 highway mpg). And also vying for the tile, the Toyota Corolla has been completely redesigned and gets up to 42 highway mpg.
—Tara Baukus Mello, Brand Publishing Writer
