Few industries have suffered more during the Recession than American automakers. As the economy turned bleak in late 2008, the Big Three automakers—Chrysler, General Motors, and Ford—struggled to pay salaries, benefits, and other expenses, and even after receiving multi-billion-dollar bailouts from the U.S. government, both Chrysler and GM filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. With gas prices soaring and the Recession turning into a full-fledged economic crisis, the Big Three struggled to market the SUVs on which they had focused for most of the past decade. Under new public, private, and foreign ownership, and with the support of the Obama administration, American automakers reorganized their companies and refocused their attention on green cars, hoping to compete with or even replace Toyota, Nissan, and Volkswagen as the world’s greenest car developers. By 2013, with the economy climbing back, gas prices still staggering, and federal green car tax benefits in place, this is what American automakers have come up with.
The flagship of this green car movement was Chevrolet’s Volt, which became the first American plug-in battery car in 2010 and which by 2013 has established itself as one of the highest quality electric hybrids. For a car like this, which solely uses its battery for 35 miles until the gas tank kicks in, exact fuel efficiency is hard to measure: with 37 gas-only mpg and 93 all-electric mpg, most estimates place the average mileage at around 62 mpg, which for a while made it the most fuel-efficient American car. Add that to a sleek design, a 100 mph top speed, and a 16.9-second quarter mile, and you’ve got an electric that out-performs most of its competitors. The 2013 Volt Hybrid’s listed price is $39,995, but that doesn’t include the $7,500 automatic federal tax benefit.
It was Ford who started breaking Chevrolet’s records. The similarly-priced 2013 Ford Focus Electric ($39,200 without subtracting the $7,500 tax benefit) gets a 110 all-electric mpg in the city and 99 mpg on the highway, but the good news is that the Focus battery lasts 73 miles, more that twice what the average driver drives a day. Another great and more affordable option from Ford is its 2013 C-Max Hybrid. This $25,200 car gets 47 mpg, and its greener older brother, the C-Max Energi Plug-In Hybrid, has a 20-mile-range battery that gets 108 city-mpg and 92 highway-mpg. Both come with a $3,751 tax benefit. Also, compare the C-Max Hybrid to the 2013 Ford Fusion Hybrid SE: for $27,200, you get similar mileage, but better aesthetics and handling.
For more luxury in your American green car, look into the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and the Tesla Model S. Buying green protects our environment and saves you thousands in gas money. Buying domestic helps our economy and ensures the proper treatment of the autoworkers. If you find it hard to do both, go green: check out foreign hybrids like the Nissan Leaf, the Toyota Prius, and the Honda Fit.
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