Luxury Doesn’t Go Out the Window
While Driving “Green"
by Jamie Jo Thaemert

 

With all the pressure to think “green” about every purchase, auto manufacturers are offering buyers a way to have their
cake and eat it too.

 

The introduction of the smart car in January has allowed executives to add a vehicle to their garages for urban driving only. There is also increased interest in luxury vehicles like the 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid and three models offered by Lexus. Side by side, the smart car may resemble an automotive David next to the larger hybrid Goliaths, but all are proving that driving “green” can be anything but stodgy.

“We have many executives who are interested in purchasing a smart car as an additional vehicle to use for urban driving,” says Joe Lasker, sales manager for the smart center at Aristocrat Motors.

The smart car, part of Mercedes- Benz Cars, seats two passengers. The price ranges from $11,600 to $16,000. Loaded with extra features the price can reach $19,000.

One Kansas City attorney definitely agrees that luxury can come in all sizes. JoLeigh Fischer, senior associate with Armstrong Teasdale, LLP, received her smart car on March 11 and left her Toyota Camry and Range Rover at home.

“We live in Lee’s Summit and I work around Crown Center. Besides the gas savings, smart cars are produced in a totally ‘green’ French plant. It was the right choice to make. We love the car,” Fischer says.

Her car gets about 34 to 37 mpg but once the engine is seasoned, she expects to get over 41 mpg.

“Everywhere I go, I get asked questions about the car. I hope people start looking into the smart car as an option to save gas.”

In contrast to the smart car, Cadillac will introduce a giant of luxury in August—it’s 2009 Escalade that features a hybrid engine.

“The ultimate luxury is to get all of the amenities in a vehicle plus be able to reduce fuel usage,” says Kevin Smith, manager of Cadillac Communications for General Motors Corporation (GM), Detroit, Mich.

The incorporation of GMs 2-mode Hybrid Transmission has created a second tier luxury item for Cadillac enthusiasts, Smith adds.

David Clutts, executive manager at Broome Cadillac in Independence adds, “Successful people want the newest
technology. We’ve been fielding lots of calls about them.”

According to Smith, GM’s new transmission was designed to provide a smooth ride while offering over 50 percent fuel savings/city and over 15 percent savings/highway.

Smith explains the hybrids will probably cost $5,000 over the non-hybrid Escalade, at around $59,000. Cadillac enthusiasts don’t normally rest with just a few amenities however, so a higher end price could exceed $70,000, says Clutts.

Of course, the word “hybrid” is something that’s rather “old hat” for dealers who sell the luxury offerings of Lexus.

“We’ve been offering the luxury models with Toyota hybrid technology since 2006,” says Steve Nochlin, sales and leasing consultant with Superior Lexus, Kansas City.

Superior offers three models featuring the technology: the RX 400h (an SUV), the LS 600h and the GS 400h. All three contain the same electric and gas motor that was introduced in the Toyota Prius. According to the Lexus website, the price ranges from $41,300 for the SUV model to $54,900 for the GS model to $104,000 for the LS model.

“This engine gives V-8 power in a V-6 engine and offers a more luxurious ride while saving fuel,” Nochlin says.
Typically, drivers get 26 mpg/city and 22/mpg/highway.

Whether it’s adding an urban driving vehicle or a top-of- the line luxury vehicle with a fuel saving engine, it is clear discerning buyers will have plenty of options to choose from. Other car makers, like Porsche and Infiniti, have plans to introduce some by the end of the decade. By combining luxury with fuel savings, manufacturers are counting on these offerings being irresistible.

 

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