It’s just as hard picking the 10 best green cars from Detroit’s North American International Auto Show as it is picking the 10 best cars overall, but for different reasons. It’s hard to keep the 10-best-greenies list down to 10; it’s almost as hard to get the 10-best other cars list up to 10. Toyota and Lexus could fill out much of the green cars list on their own, with the 2010 Prius and its astounding 50 mpg fuel economy; the HS 250h, a Prius by Lexus (“don’t call it a Lexus Prius,” the Lexus people moan); and Toyota’s battery-only concept car, the TF-EV. Here’s my top 10 green cars from Detroit’s 2009 auto show, rated by likely impact, including the odds of actually coming to production.
1. Toyota Prius Hybrid
Toyota filed for more than 1,000 patents with the third-generation Prius arriving late this spring. It’s roomier inside with a revised roofline, yet the shape is unmistakably Prius. Most of the drivetrain parts are smaller, lighter, and more efficient. Combine that with very low wind resistance and you get 50 mpg combined city/highway mileage. A replacement was long overdue since the current model dates to 2004.
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