2007 geneva car show; a look into the future of "green"

The 2007 Geneva Motor Show was much more than a display of futuristic, street-legal, racing vehicles with a hard on for speed and handling. No, no, no. The show previewed the top ten green cars of 2007.

With the imminent threat of global warming and climate change on the agendas of policymakers and obviously consumers, the auto world is striving to fill the void of green vehicles.

I am still dubious as to the American people's actual desire to "go green," but the shift in automobile production and direction is a definite step in the right direction.

Consumers are more likely to purchase hybrid/diesel engine vehicles if they are 'fly', or in Paris' rhetoric 'hot', which Mercedes-Benz C220 BLUTEC and VW's Passat BlueMotion have fulfilled with their 50 mpg emission-cutting vehicles of 2007.

Among the other top green cars of the show was Saab's 9-3 convertible biopower and Toyota's “completely recyclable zero-emissions car” and technology in the Hybrid X.

What else will they come up with next?

new york times stoops to cover nascar

The New York Times, usually a bastion of eastern elite liberalism, reports on Toyota's entry into Nascar, the people's sport. Toyota, the first foreign-owned company to enter cars into stock races since Jaguar in the 50s (unless you count DaimlerChrysler-owned Dodge), has come under criticism for being unAmerican. Toyota fired back, pointing out that: "Camrys are built in the United States, the Ford Fusion is produced in Mexico and the Chevrolet Monte Carlo comes from Canada." Toyota will in fact be racing tricked out Camrys. Perhaps they would do better racing those Scion wheeled boxes--judging by the commercials, they're really easy to modify.

Toyota has also been accused of buying up the best drivers, engineers, mechanics, and support staff--much the same way the New York Yankees (and now the Chicago Cubs) go about baseball. Toyota is poised to overtake GM as the world's largest car manufacturer in 2007. They may also be seeking to push the ailing Ford Motor Company out of Nascar.

New York Times: Checkered Flag, or Red Flag?