Gas-Powered SUV Cracks ‘Greenest Vehicles of 2005′ List

WASHINGTON, Feb. 15, 2005 – Amid excitement over new advanced technology vehicles entering the market and worries about sustained high gas prices, the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy has announced this year’s “greenest” and “meanest” vehicles, along with the environmental scorings of all model year 2005 cars and passenger trucks. The vehicle scores are part of ACEEE’s Green Book Online, the eighth annual edition of ACEEE’s environmental guide to cars and trucks.
Honda Model, Ford Hybrid SUV Take Limelight Among Greenest

Retaining the distinction as the greenest vehicle of the year is Honda’s natural gas-powered Civic GX. The hybrid-electric Honda Insight follows closely behind, with the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid and Toyota Corolla rounding out the top five. The most notable newcomer to this year’s list is the Ford Escape Hybrid — marking the first time ever a gasoline-powered SUV has achieved a spot among the greenest vehicles of the year. (The battery-electric Toyota RAV4 EV and Honda EV Plus previously held spots on the list until their discontinuation). Other manufacturers in the top twelve include Nissan, Pontiac, and Mazda.

“For years, we’ve been advising buyers that greener models are available to them no matter what type of vehicle they’re shopping for. Today, with a bona fide gas-powered SUV on our Greenest Vehicles list, this advice rings truer than ever,” noted author and principal vehicle analyst James Kliesch, a research associate at ACEEE.

GreenBiz