When people discuss hybrids a lot of time they are lumped into one single class, when the truth of the matter is there are several hybrid models out there that researchers are working on in hopes of becoming the next Pet Rock… or Slinky!

Two hopefuls are of course the HEV and PHEV. The difference between a PHEV and HEV is that a PHEV is basically a battery run electrical car, just like the HEV, but instead of needing a conventional combustion engine to provide electricity for the electric motor, it can simply be plugged in to a grid to provide enough electricity to run for many miles.

The primary advantage of the PHEV is its effective increase over fuel efficiency to its HEV brother, since it can actually run without the engine from the get go. Of course if you would ever find yourself in a situation where there were no electricity, the PHEV also utilizes a combustion engine for just such occasions.

While government studies have shown that PHEV’s are not only more economical to run, getting as much as 120 MPG for one single tank of gas, they also produce considerable less greenhouse gases into the air. These studies have shown that the PHEV could reduce these gases by as much as 36% or more, while the HEV’s only by 22%.

While HEV’s are becoming a common site on the road, the PHEV’s have not yet been manufactured, although GM and Toyota are feverishly in the race to see who gets there first and which one is going to be better. It is hard to teach an old dog new tricks and the United States is an 18 year old Labrador Retriever.

This is why by the year 2015 the government will have only mandated vehicles to reach the 35 MPG… when in fact we could all be enjoying 100+ MPG right now! But even an old dog knows to sit when you wave a turkey sandwich in his face…

And a 120 MPG sandwich might seem mighty tasty once gas prices reach the $5.00 a gallon mark!

Welcome to Part 2 of our BrandIntel study on green vehicles and how they were being received by consumers. Today we ask the question, which manufacturers have the most “green” credibility?

Well, it’s no surprise to find that Toyota, Honda, Mercedes, and Volkswagen are within the top, due to their well respected hybrid and diesel vehicles, but it was surprised to find to find GM was one of the most discussed brands with its weaker diesel/hybrid lineup. The overall chart findings by BrandIntel were as follows:

1. General Motors , 214 volume of discussions, 18% popularity, and medium-low consumer sentiment

2. Toyota, 177 volume of discussions, 15% popularity, and high consumer sentiment

3. Honda , 102 volume of discussions, 6% popularity, and very high consumer sentiment

4. Chevrolet, 101 volume of discussions, 8% popularity, and medium-low consumer sentiment

5. Ford, 72 volume of discussions, 6% popularity, medium consumer sentiment

6. Volkswagen, 50 volume of discussions 4% popularity, very high consumer sentiment

7. BMW, 41 volume of discussions, 3% popularity, and high consumer sentiment

8. Chrysler, 35 volume of discussions, 3% popularity, and medium-low consumer sentiment

9. Cadillac, 33 volume of discussions, 3% popularity, and high consumer sentiment

10. Mercedes, 31 volume of discussions, 3% popularity, very high consumer sentiment

11. Lexus , 28 volume of discussions, 2% popularity, and low consumer sentiment

What are these consumers really saying?

Positive:

“I might have agreed with your logic if this ‘mild hybrid’ Malibu had cost substantially less than the full hybrids, but starting price is only slightly less than the starting price of a Prius or Civic Hybrid that gets much higher mileage. For anyone doing a substantial amount of driving, paying an extra $2K and getting nearly double the mileage would be worthwhile.”—Chris M, Autoblog Green

“GM has beat Toyota in the green car race. Another car company can only equal GM in their supportof hybrids. Even if it’s HORRIBLE mild hybrids, it will improve things.”—Lascelles Linton, Autoblog Green

Negative:

“That Toyota would side with Ford, GM, and Chrysler, and compromise on 32 MPG by 2022 is downright lame, especially when they can gain serious marketing leverage out of supporting the CAFE standard of 35 MPG by 2020.”—Lorna Li, Ecogeek

“This shows me more than anything else, that they only want to barely comply with CAFE standards, and don’t have any interest in really improving the situation. This is the biggest reason to demand an increased to CAFE standards.”—pdk, Clean MPG

“E85 isn’t the answer, it’s good to have cars that can run on it in case we have to, but honestly it’s a short term thing.”—Nate, GMBlogs

So, ultimately consumers do care about the green credibility of different manufacturers as long as it aligns in their best economic interest and the cost isn’t prohibitive for what they’re receiving (such as a Civic vs. Malibu Hybrid).

How do you feel about this finding?

Yes, we all know that most consumers do care about the green in their wallet. But do they care enough about the green in the trees, to lose some of that there green in their pocket towards their next car? BrandIntel, the consumer website who searches the Internet forums and discussion boards for relevance of how consumers are feeling towards certain products and ideas, recently pulled together a study on green vehicles and how they were being received by their consumers.

The background of this study followed several truthful facts that have become a focus for many consumers over the past few years:

1. Since fuel prices have been on the rise, consumers are naturally looking for more economical vehicles. This means specifically that hybrid and diesel vehicles are becoming more and more common in the market.
2. The government standards of “green” cars has been steadily increasing, marking 2020 as the year where all consumer vehicles must meet a 35 mpg standard at the very least.

So what do the consumers have to say about all this???

1. Well, number one, they certainly do “care about green issues.”
2. Consumers also have a very positive view on hybrid vehicles and their future effects on the environment.
3. Of all the discussions going on over the Internet, 29% of them are focused on Hybrid vehicles and fuel economy, while only 7% are being focused on clean diesel technology and 6% on “plug in” hybrid vehicles.
4. Hybrid technology maybe most discussed, but diesel technology is clearly more trusted. Consumers definitely think that diesel technology is a proven technology and therefore more reliable and less complicated.

**But before you pat yourself all on the back for being a nation of mean green environmentalists… there is one small catch to all these green flowers and love.

There seems to be a definite need for the green issues to have the ability to save the consumers money before they actually buy into the idea. In other words, if the “green” saves us “green”, then we’re all for it. If we would have to pay extra green to save the “green”… forget it.

As BrandIntel appropriately puts it, “So maybe we’re all rainforest destroying mercenaries…”

In part 2, we’ll look at the list of manufacturers that consumers trust most for their “green” credibility. Who is it going to be… Ford, Chrysler, BMW?

Stay tuned to find out!