The guys at TruckTrend.com have written an excellent article on the new Chevy Silverado Hybrid (from a truck fans point of view), but how does this attempt to change the gas guzzling image of the pickup truck really work out - in green terms? Well, the new Chevy is available in a short-box, crew-cab format so for starters it is aimed squarely at the ‘family’ truck market. Plenty room for the kids but with a full-size presence and still with the ability to show off to the neighbours by helping them move home.

The model continues to uses the current 6.0l V8 and generates a little over 330hp and 360lb of torque, in addition to the hybrid drive technology. Unfortunately you’ll only really notice any benefit from the Chevy’s dual power source at very low speeds (10mph or less generally) or at moderate cruising speed on a flat (or downhill only) highway. In addition, according to TruckTrend that nasty cut-in / cut-out trait of some hybrid vehicles is here in full effect too.

Now, with these drawbacks in mind, the question has to be asked - are the fuel numbers and benefits really good enough to make the average truck buyer think twice with their next purchase? Well, with Ford claiming 23mpg for the new F150, it seems that unfortunately, for now at least, the Silverado Hybrid is going to be sidelined to green concious brand loyalists or those with a real urge to get a discrete hybrid badge on their driveway.

Ford have had an unfair advantage here in bringing out a brand new model this year - developed in the midst of gas-price panic. How Chevy take the hybrid idea forward with the next redesign should be much more interesting - with the benefit of plenty time to develop a truck that represents true value for money in the future, as gas prices begin to rise again.

Nearly $6bn USD is a lot of money by any automakers standards - but this time its not Ford or GM asking for it, it’s the giant Eastern manufacturing group Hyundai Kia who are spending this sum. Research and Development may have been one of the first areas to see cutbacks for many auto manufacturers (and manufacturing in general) but not so for the Korean HKA Group. They are looking to seriously step up their research on fuel efficient, ‘green’ vehicles as well as investing in diversified manufacturing facilities and state of the art production technology. According to their PR, Hyundai Kia are commited to overcoming (ignoring?) the current Worldwide economic crisis and continuing to develop their brand and business. Whether this policy and tactics pay off or (depending largely on how the ‘crisis’ plays out) actually serve to bring trouble to the brand further down the line remains to be seen. So, what is this bold $2bn investment (in green car technology, specifically) likely to do for the consumer.

Well, although currently light on details, Hyundai Kia have gone on record saying that they wish to produce not only fuel efficient, environmentally friendly vehicles but ones which are consumer friendly too - with a target of no less than 30,000 full production units to hit forecourts next year. This aggressive strategy and proposed job creation, to mass produce the new models, comes at not only a difficult time for automakers worldwide, but on the heels of below expectation sales figures for Hyundai in January (by over 25%). It is encouraging to see proactive production and forward thinking in a marketplace currently dominated by budget managers and CEO’s alike all sitting on their hands and committing to nothing other than cutbacks. Whether the reverse will prove to be a successful and potentially lucrative long term strategy for the Korean manufacturers will of course only begin to become apparent as some of the promised 30,000 vehicles go on sale.

You might think that ‘driving green’ is all about slowing down, braking less or even just not making those short, walkable journeys - but it’s definitely not. Making an efficient, greener journey begins before you even get into the drivers seat and there are several easy things you can do to make your trip more efficient - for the benefit of both your wallet and the environment. So where to start? Lets go from the ground up…

Tyres - check that all your tyres are not only at the correct pressure for the loading of your car (the majority of user manuals will break-down pressure differences depending on the occupancy of your vehicle) but also at the same pressure as each other. Even small amounts of under inflation in the tyre will cause it to flatten onto the road and the increased surface area and drag can bump up fuel consumption dramatically.

General Maintenance - whether this is something you do yourself or your dealer / local garage takes care of, a regularly maintained vehicle will absolutely run cleaner and more efficiently than one with over a years wear and tear with no attention. Have a full service done regularly.

Weight - think about what you really need to take on your journey. Heavy items you may leave in your boot / trunk because it is more convenient than to move them can also have a heavy toll on your cars fuel consumption. Every timne you slow down a heavily loaded vehicle’s engine must work that much harder (and burn more fuel in the process) to bring itself back up to an efficient speed.

Equipment - similarly, external equipment like bike racks and roof racks (which you leave on for convenience or semi-frequent use) may be taking a big toll on your cars efficiency as they act like air-brakes during transit.

You should of course also ensure that you, personally are fuelled, rested and alert to drive - because tiredness and fatigue will not only make you a potentially unsafe driver but also cause you to make unnecessary or inefficient driving decisions. Accelerating too hard, braking too late, overtaking when not really necessary or increasing speed to make up time - all bad and inefficient driving habits but we’ll look at these and more in Part 2 of thus series when we see what you, as a driver, can do to help.

Ok, so I thought it would be interesting to get a quick perspective on what people are thinking at the start of 2009!

Small, stylish, economical and fun - the Fiat 500 has not only been acclaimed by many in the industry as a car of the year, it is fast becoming a popular choice for the mpg and economy-minded motorist. Particularly around town, the little Fiat excels when it comes to reducing the headaches of heavy traffic and heavy costs at the pump. More than just a new model, the new 500 is the comeback-kid of the Italian brand and so much rests on its shoulders. Competent and stylish this car certainly is, but if you’re interested in this car then don’t just take my word for it: I’ve selected the 10 best (objective) reviews which I have seen of the 500. Get the real low down from these top commentators..

1. TimesOnline.co.uk - Britain’s most respected daily newspaper gives a thorough review to the Fiat 500. Driver / reader comments available

2. Parkers.co.uk - as ever, Parkers provide a very detailed review of the Fiat 500, point by point. Also ratings and driver reviews available. An excellent resource.

3. MotorTorque.com - Excellent in-depth review of all aspects of the 500.

4. FifthGear.five.tv - the television commentators give an excellent written review, complete with ratings. Driver reviews also on this site.

5. Evo.co.uk - provides this review which was published at the time of the Fiats release. Lots of other follow-up articles available here.

6. AutoCar.co.uk - the World’s longest running car magazine reviews the Fiat 500 1.2 Lounge in depth. Reviews of other editions also available.

7. WhatCar.co.uk - very objective review of the Fiat 500 from the new-car review and rating specialists.

8. CarAndDriver.com - give their opinion on the 500 from a North American perspective.

9. RoadTestReports.co.uk - a full road-test of the Fiat 500 from RoadTestReports in the UK. Driver reports here too.

10. Motors.co.uk - a reasonable review from the Motors people, some reader comments available.

I hope these reviews are of use to you, whether you might be potentially interested in the Fiat 500 as a car to buy - or you are simply interested in the model and why it is so instantly popular. Watch out for more 10-review roundups coming soon on other green cars.. and if there are any models you would specifically like to see comment or review-roundups of then please let me know by leaving a comment!

This little car is proving to be incredibly popular amongst mpg conscious consumers in its price range - on this blog and in the market in general. This car is generating a stir way in excess of its diminutive size so I thought why not bring together the 10 best reviews of the BMW 118d that I have read to date - because a well informed consumer is a happy consumer, right? See the list after the jump…

Can I just say these are in no particular order, either by my own preference or stature of the source, but I do think they all make good points about the car and are certainly all worth at least skim reading imho:

1. Autoweb.co.uk - Andy Enright makes a great case for the 118d against other models in the BMW 1-series lineup.

2. Fleetnews.co.uk - a good in depth review, targeted at fleet-car buyers and users but useful to anyone interested in this car.

3. TopGear.com - excellent view of the 1-series with all the stats, pictures, 360’s and more. Check other reviews for the 118d specifically, but this is a great overview of the model type.

4. WhatCar.com - WC gives their usual, very thorough review and rating treatment to all aspects of the car, and it’s not all positive!

5. AutoExpress.co.uk - First drive and short review of the 118d plus lots of links to other 1-series articles on the site.

6. MotorTorque.com - good general precis to the 1-series models and a specific roadtest of the 118d on this large reviews site.

7. CarSurvey.org - an owners independent review. Short but a good read to get a ‘real’ drivers perspective and other peoples comments, not just a columnists.

8. AutoCar.co.uk - this is an older test but well worth reading as it is very thorough and a good background to the 1-series, not just this incarnation.

9. BuyaCar.co.uk - not a review per see, but an excellent and thorough reference sheet to all the car’s stats and figures.

10. Ciao.co.uk - another good owner/driver perspective on the car, plus lots of others available here.

..there you go, a lot of reading for you to do but hopefully worth it and if you cant make your mind up on whether this car should go on your shopping list after all those professional comments then dont worry, I intend to do similar roundups for other popular ‘green’ cars in the coming months.

Today I’d like to have a think about the current ‘green car’ marketplace and in particular weigh up where we stand with regards to economical, conventionally fueled cars (taking the BMW 116d as a good example) versus hybrid cars (such as the latest version of the Toyota Prius).

Gas powered cars have, to a certain extent, become overlooked by the Green Media as hybrids like the Toyota Prius and combination-fueled motors made all the headlines. Until recently that is, as manufacturers have begun to wake up to the possibility of producing more traditional vehicles that can actually compete with these new technologies - on emissions, fuel efficiency and (most importantly for some) green credibility and style. Enter the BMW 116d, a car that not only posts 60mpg plus (without the aid of any real ‘new’ technology) but carries all the cache of the brand it is now spearheading. BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen and many other big manufacturers (even GM and other American producers) are now catching up to Japanese and eastern manufacturers in terms of efficient gas engines and diesel technology.

The real media darlings, hybrids like the Toyota Prius and upcoming Chevrolet Volt, have been forced onto the increasingly green-conscious public (worldwide) as the real future for personal transport. But in reality, the infrastructure still does not truly exist to make these cars truly practical in the currently established system of transport. How then, do we go forward? Well, the true challenges to hybrid technology are still to come as in the next 10 years we will likely see either a shift and sustenance of such technology or a backlash as other new technologies (or ever more efficient gas powered traditional cars) hold sway.

To consider the marketplace we have today, the choices you make as a consumer in buying a new car are simple - how do you see the future of green cars and technology, do we reinvent the wheel (as we are already trying to and, to some extent succeeding) or do we just make the original wheel turn that bit easier and go that bit further?

So the press is now full of the statistics - that hybrid sales fell by a staggering 43% during the month of December 2008. But what does this figure really mean, and to what can we attribute this big, catchy headline number? Well, as you might expect the gas lobby are quick to suggest that the previously untenable trend in prices at the pumps was just that (a short term trend) and that those who would previously populated the hybrid marketplace are now coming to their senses. Low gasoline prices are of course an issue in any setback to demand for more efficient models and sectors of the auto marketplace, but solely? It seems unlikely, given that all but the most naive consumers realize that such low prices and any suggestion of price stability at low levels is guaranteed to be short term.

So what then, is the issue with sales right now? Yes economic factors and low levels of expendable income in the average household has a part to play - but regular auto sales are not matching the declines seen in the hybrid market, despite similar forecourt cost-cutting in both the regular and hybrid marketplaces. Is it then, that potential hybrid consumers simply aren’t getting what they want? Or that they cannot shoehorn their new-car expectations into any products currently available in the marketplace?

This could be the case, although it is a worrying theory as we enter a new era of US governance which is specifically focusing on churning out new hybrid and sustainable technology focused cars in an attempt to plug-the-dam of the Big 3. Obama has said he wants to see 1,000,000 plug-in cars by 2015. His focus is a reduction of oil dependence to obtain stability i nthe market, but will it really help? With a consumer base perhaps coming increasingly disillusioned with the quality or suitability of the hybrid products which manufacturers are attempting to supply them with, Obama could be entering a very difficult climate in which to achieve those kind of numbers.

The success of the ultra-efficient BMW 118d seems to have spurred the German car giants to even greater lengths to capture the attention of the increasingly lucrative small-diesel market. The 118d promised style, efficiency, performance and (most importantly for many) green credibility. The efficiency of the new 116d comes close to that of a Toyota Prius with an even higher mpg than its predecessor at just over 64mpg. Emissions are down too, with the result of great headline figures for the new model and that extra cache which BMW will no doubt use to great effect backed by multi-million $ advertising. But, is the new car really better? Coming onto UK markets and European forecourts at only a marginally reduced price from the more powerful 118d, isn’t BMW taking a gamble on the power of ‘green’?

In fact, the new models performance is markedly slower (0-62 in just over 10 seconds) than the 118d whilst its undercutting of the older models emissions and price may seem little more than marginal to buyers of a brand traditionally focussed on comfort, performance and luxury. Similarly, the 116d fails to offer any increased tax incentives on UK roads over the 118d. With these negative points in mind for the new car, it looks like BMW may have a little more of a hard sell on their hands than they anticipated when the new model goes on sale in March of this year. The continuing slide of petrol prices (and gas prices in the region of BMW’s ever increasing North American audience) will also not serve to give the little 116d the start in life that the Bavarian manufacturers would have hoped for.

In the ongoing battle for the green $, it will be interesting to see the 116d’s impact on the marketplace, whether it plays second fiddle to the 118d or whether, as a pair, these two models will serve to strengthen BMW’s foothold in this key market.

If the first actions (literally) of the new president elect Barack Obama are anything to go by, America’s snowball of greed, over consumption and grey-technology could begin its slow melt in 2009. The President made no bones about his favoritism for green technology (and hybrid cars being a favourite) during his campaign and if the rumors are true and he really does make his first post-inauguration journey in a GM HYBRID LIMO… isn’t he already putting his money where his mouth is?

It does not take a genius to recognize the enormity of the task ahead of this man in terms of the long overdue reform of the US auto industry. But one thing is for sure - it has to happen. Past experience has also made it more than clear that the big 3’s if-it-aint-broke-don’t-fix-it attitudes are as hopeless as they are outdated… as they are institutionalized. A gigantic kick up the a** must surely now, if ever, be required; is the new administration going to be the one to deliver it?