If only we could put everything on a linear scale, it would be so much easier to see if one thing is better or worse than another. Yahoo! teamed up with Environmental Defense to do just that for the "greenness" of automobiles. It's a similar concept to J.D. Power and Associates' Automotive Environmental Index, however, Yahoo! and Environmental Defense chose to use a 0 to 100 point system in which the higher the rating, the greener the car and they're posting it on Yahoo's automotive website built for consumers.

Environmental Defense doesn't reveal the algorithm used to generate the ratings, but Yahoo! explains that the goal is to reflect a vehicle's "total environmental impact" by juding them according to fuel economy, emissions standards and curb weight.

The pollutants covered in the rating include greenhouse gases, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide. So which is worse? Spewing carbon dioxide or particulate matter? Unfortunately, Yahoo! doesn't get detailed in their explanation of the Green Ratings. What's interesting is that they claim the ratings retain the same scale throughout the spectrum. That is, they say that the savings of the 3 points between 40 and 43 cuts down on the same amount of pollution as the 3-point gain between 60 and 63.

They've also taken up all the slack given to flex-fuel vehicles as each car's Green Rating is based solely on its use of "the commonly available motor fuel (gasoline or diesel)" unless it was specifically designed to use a different fuel such as natural gas. The site doesn't totally shun ethanol as there's a link for it under the "Technology" tab, however, none of the cars were rated with it. The same holds true for vehicles capable of running biodiesel. Their ratings are based on petroleum diesel fuel.

Check out the top 100 cars by their Green Rating by clicking here. Number 1 isn't the Prius. It's the 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. If you're curious why the 2006 Civic Hybrid beat out the 2007 Civic Hybrid, the answer may be as simple as the vehicles' respective weights. The 2007 version tipped the scales by six more pounds than its predecessor. The highest ranking SUV is the 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid (front-wheel drive) which came in at 9 on the list. The Toyota Camry Hybrid was just above the Escape at number 8 while the Honda Accord Hybrid managed just 31st. Oh, and sports car fans will be happy to see the Lotus Elise listed at number 55 and the highest ranked Miata at 57.

When you get a chance, check out Yahoo's green autos page at http://autos.yahoo.com/green_center/ and tell us what you think.

[Source: Environmental Defense]

We love what Audi has done for the image of the modern diesel engine, and even though their state-side offering isn't the greenest stable on the block, they pulled a respectable 533 in J.D. Power and Associates' Automotive Environmental Index (AEI). That was good enough to place them 13th on the inaugural list just after the Mini. Speaking of the Mini, where would Audi have placed if they offered a small, economical A1?

Motor Trend is reporting that Audi is aiming to present six new vehicles for release in the next three years. Whether or not they'll hit their timetable is one matter up for discussion, but what we're particularly interested in is the fact that they included the A1 on their list. It was "a well-placed member of [Audi's] marketing department" who informed the magazine that Audi chief Martin Winterkorn is an admirer of BMW's Mini which the A1 would presumably target. There is, however, a fine line between admiration and jealously. Winterkorn insists that the car will not be a clone of the Mini as he calls the U.K. icon "an accident that came out of BMW's ill-fated British adventure." One other point that Winterkorn makes is that the Mini's American success was also an accident. He says, "U.S. sales aren't a priority for us... [Y]ou can't design a small car with U.S. success as the object."

This, of course, gets our green blood boiling, but does Winterkorn make a good point? Outside of our major metropolitan cities is there a market for small, economical cars? The Mini has obviously done well, but is that only because of the brand's iconic status? And how will the most diminutive of cars, the Smart ForTwo, sell in the states? Is Audi's premium-brand status a factor in Winterkorn's remark? Then again, the last time I checked, VW has yet to export the Polo to our shores. As always, sound off in the comments section. We're particularly interested to hear what you think about the American market for small, economical cars.

[Source: Motor Trend]

What if I told you that the director of one of the most influential think tanks in the country once predicted that hybrids would account for as much as 90 percent of the U.S. automotive market by 2025? Seems overly optimistic, doesn't it. Almost silly. Well, it's true and it was Philip Gott of Global Insight. According to the LA Times, he has since retracted that forecast and reduced it to 12 to 15 percent by that time. His new numbers lie much closer to J.D. Power and Associates' prediction which were released back in August with the Automotive Environmental Index (AEI).

Gott made his comments back in 2001, and believed that hybrids "were going to be the panacea." Because reports began to show that hybrids got, on average, 20 to 30 percent lower mileage than EPA estimates, U.S. consumers realized that their gas savings would not be as high as they once expected, even though they were still 25 to 30 percent more efficient than their gasoline counterparts.

Gott now believes that diesels will be the fuel efficient choice of most automakers in the next decade. He predicts that sales of diesel-powered vehicles will reach 12 percent of the U.S. market by 2026.

[Source: LA Times]

With the automotive climate drastically changing, so must our surveys for market data. New for this year, in their 2006 Alternative Powertrain Study (APS), JD Power and Associates released the results of their first Automotive Environmental Index (AEI). The AEI is comprised of EPA information combined with "voice-of-the-customer" data relating to fuel economy, air pollution and green house gases.

Included in the top 30 AEI vehicles are 8 hybrids, yet no diesels. Volkswagen led the pack in nameplate rankings followed by Honda, Mazda, Saturn and Kia to round out the top 5. The entire list of the AEI top 30 vehicles as well as AEI nameplate rankings can be found at JD Power and Associates' website.

The study also examines American perceptions of vehicles with alternative powertrains. They state that just 23 percent of consumers say they will consider only gasoline power for their next new vehicle. 57 percent are considering hybrids; 49 percent will consider E85; and just 12 percent for diesels. The 16 to 25 age range (who purchase less than 10 percent of all new vehicles) is much more likely to consider an alternative-powered vehicle. About 75 percent would consider a hybrid; 52 percent will consider E85; and 15 percent for diesels. In contrast, among those who are 57 or older only half would consider a hybrid or flex-fuel vehicle and only 8 percent would consider a diesel.

According to the study, consumer expectations for alternative-fuel vehicles tend to be unrealistic. Those considering a hybrid expect to pay a premium of more than $5,000 and hope to achieve 28 more miles for every gallon of gasoline. The actual mileage improvement is closer to 9 mpg. The shortcomings of expectations aren't quite as drastic for diesel consumers who believe they will pay $2,800 more than a gas-powered car and derive 21 miles more for each gallon, but in actuality receive an increase of about 12 mpg.

In 2005, hybrid vehicles made up 1.2 percent of the U.S. market while diesels stood at 3.2 percent. JD power's study expects those numbers to grow to 1.6 percent for hybrids and 3.6 percent for diesels in 2006 while in 2013, they forecast hybrids to represent 5 percent of the market and diesels to rise to 9 percent.

[Source: JD Power and Associates]