LOS ANGELES — Chevrolet's new campaign to establish itself as an environmentally friendly brand got an early endorsement when its Tahoe hybrid full-size SUV was named Green Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show on Thursday.
The hybrid Tahoe is a revolutionary vehicle that combines the room and capabilities SUV owners need with a 50 percent increase in city fuel economy to 21 mpg, Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan said. The hybrid is to go on sale early next year. No price has been set.
"This is a milestone in many respects," he said. "People don't think green when SUVs are concerned, and generally for good reason. Chevrolet's Tahoe hybrid changes this dynamic."
The Tahoe's win capped a strong performance for General Motors, which also placed its Saturn Aura and Chevrolet Malibu hybrid midsize sedans among the five finalists. The Nissan Altima sedan and the Mazda Tribute SUV were the other finalists for the award, which is given by the editors of Green Car Journal and a panel of outside judges that includes performance-car legend Carroll Shelby and undersea explorer Jean-Michel Cousteau.
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The award is given to new or significantly revamped alternative-fuel-powered vehicles.
Chevrolet's attempt to reposition itself as an environmental leader has met some skepticism among environmental activists, but winning the award provides an important validation, said John McElroy, host of the television program "Autoline Detroit."
The award may also improve Chevrolet's image with green-minded consumers, said Rebecca Lindland, analyst with Global Insight of Lexington, Mass.
"It sends a message that GM isn't a big, arrogant company that's going to ignore the environment," she said.
The award "buys GM some credibility" with environmentalists, said David Champion, director of automotive testing for Consumer Reports magazine. "Hybrids make a big splash, and the technology in the Tahoe is very interesting," Champion said.
He has tested a hybrid Tahoe briefly, enough to know it offers better fuel economy than the standard SUV, but not enough to know yet whether it lives up to the EPA rating of 21 mpg.