Fifteen out of 37 automotive brands are represented in the top 30 list of environmentally friendly vehicles, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Alternative Powertrain StudySM released today.
All new for 2006, the Alternative Powertrain Study (APS) includes the Automotive Environmental Index (AEI), which combines U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) publicly available information with voice-of-the-customer data related to fuel economy, air pollution and greenhouse gases for 2006 model-year vehicles. Voice-of-the-customer data is also used to help determine the relative importance of these environmental factors. The fuel economy factor represents approximately 50 percent of the index, while air pollution and greenhouse gases contribute to the remainder.
Among the top 30 AEI vehicles, eight are hybrids:
Ford Escape Hybrid Lexus RX 400H
Honda Accord Hybrid Mercury Mariner Hybrid
Honda Civic Hybrid Toyota Highlander Hybrid
Honda Insight Toyota Prius
Traditional gasoline-powered models in the top 30 are:
Acura RSX Hyundai Elantra Suzuki Reno
Chevrolet Aveo Kia Rio Toyota Camry
Chevrolet Cobalt Kia Spectra Toyota Corolla
Ford Focus Mazda3 Volkswagen Golf
Ford Focus Station Wagon Mazda MX-5 Volkswagen Jetta
Honda Accord Nissan Sentra Volkswagen New Beetle
Honda Civic Saturn Ion
Hyundai Accent Scion xA
Hybrid SUVs are the only truck models among the top 30. Only two luxury models
