First Up: July 2008

ON TRACK  What’s new on wheels

By Joe Phillips

PRODUCT    SATURN’S NEW 2-MODE VUE

New eco-ute: Vue Green Line 2-Mode

Washington, D.C.—Seemingly not content with one hybrid Vue, Saturn now offers the Green Line 2-Mode. Fuel efficiency is only about 1 mpg better than with the original Green Line, but there’s much more oomph: 0 to 60 mph in 7.3 seconds (versus 10.2 seconds in the first green Vue).

Towing capacity is a robust 3,500 lb., the same as with standard V6-powered Vues and 2,000 lb. more than the original Green Line.

Inside, the tach has been replaced by an efficiency gauge. Safety gear includes ABS, stability control, and six airbags.

Developed by BMW, Chrysler, GM, and Mercedes, the two-mode system also will be in hybrid versions of the BMW X6, Chrysler Aspen, and Dodge Durango.

Price: $30,000 (est.). Mileage: 28 city/27 highway (est.). Competition: Ford Escape Hybrid, Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Toyota Highlander Hybrid.

PRODUCT   2009 VW JETTA TDI: QUIET ‘CLEAN’ DIESEL WAGON

Washington, D.C.—Zippy and grippy, VW’s new “clean” diesel Jetta wagon is quiet and full of cargo room. Also available as a sedan. Both models meet California’s strict emissions standards. Power comes from a 140-hp four-cylinder engine. Price: $20,000 (est.). Mileage: 30 city/41 highway. Competition: Honda Civic Hybrid, Smart Fortwo, Toyota Prius.

CONCEPT    SAAB 9-X BIOHYBRID: GREEN HATCH

What it is: Fuel-friendly minicar.

Details, details: White pearl metallic paint and dark tinted glass. Four-cylinder BioPower turbo with 300 hp. Push-button turn signals. Turbinelike alloy wheels. Automatic rear spoiler. Solar panel on roof recharges batteries.

Pros: A green MINI contender.

Cons: Ethanol concerns.

Will it hit U.S. showrooms? Perhaps, though maybe not as a biofuel car.

ON TRACK  What’s new in the business

Edited by Joan Mooney

LEED CERTIFIED     ECOSTORE’S GROWING SAVINGS

Rockwall’s gold: Big savings on utilities

Was Steve Jackson’s decision to build a green Toyota of Rockwall (Tex.) mainly to help the environment? The store’s president would like to think so, but he can’t deny the instant savings he’s seen since opening in February. Jackson’s water bill is lower at the 75,000-square-foot facility than at his California home. “I’m already seeing a 50 percent reduction [compared with] similar-size stores’ electricity bills.”

It was the first dealership to win LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) gold certification from the U.S. Green Building Council. LEED emphasizes sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality. To get the gold, Jackson used recycled and energy-saving materials. Four cisterns capable of holding 63,500 gallons of rainwater and air-conditioning condensation are used for irrigation, and the roof is made of materials that reflect 90 percent of the sun’s heat energy.

There are now 27 dealerships, in every stage from conceptualization to construction, that have registered for LEED certification, says Ashley Katz of the U.S. Green Building Council.

—Keith Griffin

DRILLING    FINDING ENERGY EFFICIENCY UNDERGROUND

Drilling down: Service department under construction

Oklahoma drilling is usually about oil, but dealer Mike Fowler, Fowler Toyota, Norman, has a different take. For his new facility, he drilled down 600 feet through an old shallow well on the property to provide clean water for irrigation and his car wash (though not for drinking). Fowler also built his service department underground—a plus all year, but particularly when summer temperatures hit 110 degrees. During the summer,  the temperature downstairs stays between 72 and 84 degrees, and even cooler at other times of year. “Life cycle savings will be considerable,” says Fowler, “and we are doing the responsible thing.” (See Billion-Dollar Makeover.)

—Linda Water Nelson

FILL-UPS    DEALER OFFERS E85, OTHER ALTERNATIVE FUELS

Tanks a lot: E85 on demand

With less than 1 percent of U.S. filling stations offering E85, and even fewer with E10 and biodiesel, Classic Chevrolet/Hummer, Grapevine, Tex., is showing that Texas oil can evoke more than that greedy Ewing family in “Dallas.”

At the store’s facility, opened in March, nine pumps are dedicated to E85, E10, and biofuel. Many of the trucks sold from Classic can run on E85, says general manager Charles Martin, and “we wanted to make sure that our customers could find it easily.”

CleanFUEL Distribution installed the new station and converted Classic’s on-site pump to E85, so all flex-fuel vehicles sold at Classic come with a tank of it. Cost for the filling station: more than $500,000.

—Linda Water Nelson

LANDSCAPING    DESERT STORE, DESERT PLANTS

Desert-scape: Cacti and rocks bring water savings.

When dealer David Thomas started building a new store for Subaru of Plano (Tex.) in 2006, the city had traditionally lush landscaping requirements. But after a severe drought struck the affluent suburb, the city let him out of those requirements in exchange for “xeriscape” landscaping. Native Texas shrubs, cacti, and heather grass were installed for about the same cost as traditional landscaping. “It’s a higher-end look,” says Thomas. “It makes us stand out from our neighbors [Dodge and Mercedes dealerships].” The store also saves $1,200 a month in water costs and $1,000 in landscaping maintenance. “Our Dallas store is about one-quarter the size and the water bill is twice as high,” says Thomas.

—Keith Griffin

AFVs    GREEN CAR SHOW

California cars: Hold the dragsters!

The little old lady from Pasadena is thinking green these days, and the City of South Pasadena is making it easy. More than 3,500 people are expected for this year’s annual showcase of alternative vehicle technologies. Ford and Chrysler will be represented, with dealers there for the first time. “This offers us a large energy-conscious audience in one place,” says dealer Larry Reemtsen, whose store, Pasadena Ford/Suzuki, is bringing the Hybrid Escape and Focus PZEV. Star Chrysler is exhibiting Chrysler GEM vehicles. The limited-range plug-in electrics are ideal for large academic and business campuses that need energy-efficient vehicles, says Mike Nickoloff, commercial fleet and GEM sales manager for the Glendale dealership.

—Linda Water Nelson

HAWAII    LET THE SUNSHINE IN!

Going solar: Using Hawaii’s climate

Hawaii dealer Joseph P. Nicolai of JN Automotive Group is building his fourth facility that incorporates sustainable design, this one for selling exotic cars. His Audi/Harley-Davidson store on Maui and a motorcycle dealership in Honolulu recycle water from air-conditioning runoff for washing cars, and replace fossil fuel–generated electricity with solar power. (He leases another green commercial building to a Toyota dealership.)

The green motorcycle dealership’s monthly power bill averages just $8,000, compared with $23,000 for a similar nongreen facility. Solar power provides 75 percent of the electricity; a wind turbine supplies the rest. Zoned air-conditioning controls, skylights, large windows, and other eco-design elements slash electric use in a state where utilities cost three times the national average. Regular employee bulletins keep everyone up on the company’s green efforts. Employees eagerly turn off lights and air conditioning because “every nickel we save goes into their pension and profit sharing,” says Nicolai.

—Gary Wollenhaupt