Hyundai and Chevrolet Among Best Green Cars for the Money

All things being equal, we’d like to think that most folks would choose a “greener” car — i.e. one that has less emissions and environmental impact — over a non-green car.  After all, who wouldn’t want to help Mother Earth?  But the fact of the matter in Chicago’s green car marketplace is that all things are not equal, particularly when it comes to price.  Many of the greenest cars, like electric and hybrid models, have a cost factor that heavily outweighs any savings that can be recovered at the pump. And with Chicago gas prices on the rise, cost is a huge deciding factor.

But do you need to spend a fortune to be environmentally friendly?  Forbes.com doesn’t think so, and they can prove it.  Their analysts took the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy’s (ACEEE) “Greenest Vehicles” list and cross-rated it with base MSRP’s to determine the cars with the greatest environmental benefits for the money.  In most cases, this of course also translates into the best fuel economy for the money, so consumers choosing these cars can feel good about being green while spending less green.

The ACEEE’s “Green” ratings did not factor in car cost, but instead used data from factors such as tailpipe emissions, fuel economy, emissions made during vehicle manufacturing, and disposal impact.  Each car was assigned a “Green Score,” the highest rated being the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicle with a Green Score of 58 (MSRP $29,000).  The average among all models was 35, with the least green cars scoring around 17.

Thanks to Forbes factoring in vehicle cost to the ACEEE’s green ratings, it’s easy to choose a car that’s as forgiving on the environment as it is on your wallet.  All of Forbes’ picks had a Green Score of 46 or higher, well above the average of 35, with price tags under $18,000, over $10,000 less than the ACEEE’s greenest pick.

Commanding four slots in the list were models from Hyundai and Chevrolet.  The Hyundai Accent and Hyundai Elantra had amongst the highest Green Scores and fuel economy ratings, and amongst the lowest MSRP, with the Accent in particular being the 2nd least expensive pick aside from the Smart ForTwo.  The Chevrolet Sonic and Chevrolet Cruze also scored well in the list with impressive stats and price.

Hyundai Accent MSRP $12,545 30/40 mpg Green Score 50	Hyundai Elantra MSRP $15,345 29/40 mpg Green Score 49	Chevrolet Sonic MSRP $13,865 29/40 mpg Green Score 49	Chevrolet Sonic MSRP $16,800 26/38 mpg Green Score 46

1.    Smart ForTwo (MSRP $12,490, 34/38 mpg, Green Score 53)
2.    Hyundai Accent (MSRP $12,545, 30/40 mpg, Green Score 50)
3.    Ford Fiesta (MSRP $13,200, 29/39 mpg, Green Score 49)
4.    Toyota Yaris (MSRP $14,115, 30/38 mpg, Green Score 50)
5.    Chevrolet Sonic (MSRP $13,865, 29/40 mpg, Green Score 49)
6.    Scion iQ (MSRP $15,265, 36/37 mpg, Green Score 52)
7.    Kia Soul (MSRP $13,900, 27/35 mpg, Green Score 47)
8.    Mazda2 (MSRP $14,350, 29/35 mpg, Green Score 49)
9.    Ford Focus (MSRP $15,365, 28/40 mpg, Green Score 49)
10.    Hyundai Elantra (MSRP $15,345, 29/40 mpg, Green Score 49)
11.    Fiat 500 (MSRP $15,500, 27/34 mpg, Green Score 49)
12.    Honda Fit (MSRP $15,175, 27/33 mpg, Green Score 47)
13.    Scion xD (MSRP $15,345, 27/33 mpg, Green Score 46)
14.    Honda Insight (MSRP $18,350, 41/44 mpg, Green Score 53)
15.    Chevrolet Cruze (MSRP $16,800, 26/38 mpg, Green Score 46)

EPA Names Hyundai Leader in Fuel Economy and Low Emissions

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its EPA 2011 Light-Duty Automotive Technology and Fuel Economy Trends Report, an annual report that ranks automakers’ fuel economy and CO2 emissions.  Coming in at number one in both categories was Hyundai, who earns this honor for the second time after first achieving these top ranks for the 2008 model year.

The report listed Hyundai as the top brand for the 2010 model year, with an adjusted fuel economy rating of 27.0 miles per gallon, and the lowest fleet-wide adjusted composite CO2 emissions performance of 329 g/mi. While impressive numbers on their own, this distinction for Hyundai is also noteworthy as they outperformed traditional fuel economy leaders Toyota and Honda, whose 2010 fuel economy averages weighed in at 25.4 and 24.9, respectively.  The Trends Report also projects that Hyundai will maintain its fuel economy leadership for the 2011 model year with a projected fuel economy rating of 27.5 mpg.

The results of the report come as no surprise to this quickly-growing automaker whose “Blue Drive” strategy represents a comprehensive overhaul of thinking green, with an aim focused on making environmental efficiency more affordable.  Even a cursory glance at Hyundai’s model lineup, which includes the Elantra, Sonata Hybrid, Accent, and Veloster M/T, all achieving 40 mpg, is a telling indication of the brand’s commitment to fuel economy.   Not to mention, Hyundai is currently the only manufacturer with four models achieving 40 mpg on the highway.

Hyundai is clearly an industry frontrunner in fuel economy at the present time, and it shows no sign of losing this momentum.  In fact, Hyundai aims to achieve a corporate average fuel economy rating of at least 50 mpg by 2025, which is no small feat.  Judging from their recent progress, though, it seems certainly within reach.

At Rogers Auto Group in Chicago, we’ve got a full stock of Hyundai’s fuel-efficient lineup, including compacts like the 2012 Hyundai Accent, 2012 Hyundai Elantra, and 2012 Hyundai Veloster, sedans like the 2012 Hyundai Sonata and 2012 Hyundai Azera, crossovers and SUVs like the 2012 Hyundai Santa Fe and 2012 Hyundai Tucson, and performance cars like the 2012 Hyundai Genesis.  Rogers also houses a state-of-the-art service department to maintain your Hyundai vehicle, and we were named “Number One Service Satisfaction Hyundai Dealer” in the Central region.

Hyundai Sells 100,000th 40 MPG Vehicle

Fourth of July weekend prompted an additional reason to celebrate aside from the nation’s birthday – It also marked the milestone of Hyundai selling its 100,000th vehicle achieving 40 miles per gallon highway fuel economy. Hyundai outsold all other automakers’ 40 mpg offerings this year, with 29% of its sales volume falling in this 40 mpg category, a number that skyrocketed to 40% in the month of June.

Hyundai’s “4×40” strategy includes four models that reach 40 mpg standard this year, including the Elantra, Sonata Hybrid, the all-new 2012 Accent, and the Veloster, a new model arriving this fall. The Elantra kicked off this sales strategy in December 2010, setting a sales pace that was 79% ahead of last year, paving the way for the Sonata Hybrid and Accent which followed in 2011. With the youthful and fun  Veloster yet to come, Hyundai is positioned to grow its 40 mpg sales volume even more significantly through the end of the year.

While four models achieving 40 mpg is quite impressive on its own, Hyundai sees this as just the beginning, setting its sights on at least 50 mpg corporate average fuel economy by 2025.  The automaker is already on the right track, using a mix of technologies to improve the efficiency of the standard, internal combustion engine vehicles, combined with the smart application of hybrid technology.  It seems pretty certain that we can expect additional fireworks from Hyundai in the future.