Surprise, surprise! It wasn’t the result we expected but a little touch of fate can be so thrilling. It is indeed a global shocker when the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid bagged Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year®. It was indeed astonishing because the 2008 Tahoe Hybrid is the first General Motors vehicle to use the company’s all-new two-mode hybrid system which is absolutely innovative. I would have to agree with the final decision, I can even bet my new VW Beetle bug deflector for that!

Anyway, according to TheAutoChannel.com, Chevrolet’s accomplishment is even more evident during city driving. In this type of setup, a big percentage of SUVs use up their time every day according to the EPA’s 2008 estimated fuel economy ratings.

"This is a milestone in many respects. People don’t think ‘green’ when SUVs are concerned, and for generally good reason since SUVs often get poor fuel economy compared to most other vehicles. Chevrolet’s Tahoe Hybrid changes this dynamic with a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 30 percent compared to similar vehicles equipped with a standard V-8," says Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan.

"We’re thrilled to receive this recognition from Green Car Journal for our Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid," says Ed Peper, Chevrolet general manager. "We’ve felt that the Tahoe Hybrid represents the best of both worlds - the great utility you’d expect from a Tahoe with fuel economy on par with today’s mid-size cars. It’s satisfying to receive this validation from such an authority on environmentally-friendly vehicles."

"GM promised they would use hybrid technology, and use it where it would make the most difference — on their biggest vehicles. They have delivered with the Chevy Tahoe," says Carl Pope, the executive director of the Sierra Club, in pointing out that this vehicle ends the argument that efficiency and vehicle choice are incompatible. He adds that automakers should now make their entire fleets fuel efficient as fast as they can retool.