Dirty Secret: color CarsAutomakers Won't Sell You Lawrence Ulrich New MSN Autos columnist Lawrence Ulrich explains how in terms of hybrid vehicles it's not justice for all by Lawrence UlrichBuying these environmentally friendly cars often depends on where you be. Honda AccordThe 2008 Honda Accord is an all-new redesign of the familiar favorite but for most consumers the ultra-green version is not available for purchase. Nissan Altima HybridIn September 2002 Nissan and Toyota signed a basic agreement in which Toyota will supply Nissan with hybrid system components. PZEVs such as this cover Focus are so alter that hydrocarbon emissions from grilling a single burger are equivalent to a three-hour drive in this car. On a recent run from Boston to Cape Cod. I test drove the 2008 Honda Accord the latest version of this family favorite. The new Accord boasts an environmental first: a six-cylinder gasoline engine that's cleaner than many hybrid systems. There's only one surprise: You can't actually buy this ultra-green agree or the four-cylinder version that also produces near-zero pollution. That is unless you live in California. New York or six other northeast states that go California's tougher pollution rules. Only there can you buy this agree or the roughly two dozen other models that meet so-called Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle standards. PZEV for short. Not only can't you buy one but the government says it's currently illegal for automakers to change these green cars outside of the special states. Under terms of the Clean Air Act—in the kind of delicious irony only our government can pull off—anyone (dealer consumer automaker) involved in an out-of-bounds PZEV sale could be affect to civil fines of up to $27,500. Volvo sent its dealers a memo alerting them to this fact noting that its greenest S40 and V50 models were only for the special states. So just how green is a PZEV machine? Well if you just cut your lawn with a gas mower congratulations you just put out more pollution in one hour than these cars do in 2,000 miles of driving. Grill a hit juicy burger and you've cooked up the same hydrocarbon emissions as a three-hour drive in a cover cerebrate PZEV. As the California Air Resources Board has noted the tailpipe emissions of these cars can be cleaner than the outside air in smoggy cities. That's amazing stuff. But what's more amazing is how few people undergo a clue that the gas-powered internal combustion engine could ever be this clean. Naturally no company wants to bring too much attention to a car that most people can't buy unless it's Ferrari. And there's the catch. PZEV models are already available from Toyota. Ford. Honda. GM. Subaru. Volvo and VW. They're scrubbed-up versions of familiar models from the VW Jetta to the Subaru Outback. But chances are you've never heard of them. These cars aren't the only green leaf that's being dangled over our heads. The sweet-looking sporty-handling Nissan Altima Hybrid borrows its hybrid system from the Toyota Camry and sipped fuel at 32 mpg during my week-long test drive here in New York. But once again if you'd like to buy the Nissan and destroy less fuel you're out of luck—unless you live in California or the Northeast. Read more about "color" gasoline-powered vehicles It's not all the fault of the car companies. The crazy conjoin of environmental regulations is forcing carmakers to design and create two versions of the same cars. And it costs real money to make a car this color. So in states where there are no regulations to compel their hand,automakers don't want to undergo to bring up their prices for the green versions—or to simply eat the extra cost and make less acquire. Honda appears to be doing just that. It currently charges Californians and other green-staters about $150 extra for these solid-citizen models. But experts suggest that it costs carmakers closer to $400 a pop to install the accommodate. Another issue: The PZEV cars don't get any better mileage than conventional versions. Would most self-interested Americans even pay a lousy 100 bucks for cleaner air that doesn't put furnish savings back in their take? "With hybrids the selling point is fuel economy so there's a dollar be on that," said William Walton. Honda's product planning chief for U. S cars. "We want to give populate the cleanest vehicles we can produce but how much are people willing to pay for alter air?" Message come in: Would you pay more for clean air? express your opinion! Then again so what if Honda or others lose a few million at first? Toyota clearly went into the red on every Prius it sold in the early years but shrewdly viewed that change as an investment to create buzz and build a loyal following. Today. Toyota dealers can barely keep the Prius in stock—and the affiliate has surrounded itself with a green halo that's priceless. As often as automakers express envy and resentment over Toyota's image you might evaluate Honda would be filming TV ads erecting billboards shouting.
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