All these time, we believed that the Toyota Prius was the greenest car ever made in the entire auto planet.  Even I was tempted to follow Jessica Alba's footsteps in buying that fuel-efficient, eco-friendly car from the famous Japanese automaker. 

But just recently, a list, called the 2008 Green Book Online, is set to discount that claim.  Based from data gathered by the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy (ACEEE), the Honda Civic GX outmaneuvered the well-acclaimed Toyota Prius in its list of 12 greenest cars.

According to honda.com, this sedan was especially designed for the environment with an Advanced Technology Partial-Zero-Emission, compressed natural gas fuel and 113-horsepower, 1.8-liter, 16-Valve, SOHC i-VTEC four-cylinder engine.  It also comes equipped with an aerodynamic exterior and a two-tier instrument panel.  In addition, it is capable of MP3/Windows media Audio playback. 

Records showed that the Honda Civic GX only sells more or less 1,000 units annually but sales was no big deal for non-profit ACEE that scrutinized all aspects of the vehicles' emissions and fuel economy beginning from their manufacturing process before they came up  with the list of 12 cleanest as well as meanest cars sold in America. 

Just in case you're interested to know the details, here is a complete list of ACEEE's 12 greenest cars. Following the Honda Civic GX was, of course, the Toyota Prius.  Third in rank was the Honda Civic Hybrid while the Smart ForTwo landed on the fourth spot.  Following closely were the Toyota Yaris, the Nissan Altima Hybrid, the Toyota Corolla, the Mini Cooper also known as the Clubman and the Ford Focus. Also included in the list were the Toyota Camry Hybrid, the Honda Civic and finally, the Honda Fit.

Now we know.

Cars.com has finally prepared the results for the 2008 Lifestyle Awards and part of it are the winners for their respective classes. The awards were developed to further distinguish the vehicles that are greatly-matched for the lifestyle demands car buyers nowadays.
 
The moment we've all been waiting for is here! Ladies and gentlemen, presenting the winners of Car.com's 2008 Lifestyle Awrads (drum roll please):

Family Car of the Year - 2008 Mazda CX-9
Work Car of the Year - 2008 Honda Accord
Play Car of the Year - 2008 BMW 335i Convertible
Eco-Friendly Car of the Year - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid

Family Cars:
Best New Car for Small Families - 2008 Saturn Vue
Best Deal for Small Families - 2008 Ford Fusion
Best New Car for Large Families - 2008 Mazda CX-9
Best Deal for Large Families - 2008 Dodge Grand Caravan
Best New Car for First-Time Drivers - 2008 Honda Civic
Best Deal for First-Time Drivers - 2008 Honda Fit

Work Cars:
Best New Car for Commuters - 2008 Honda Accord
Best Deal for Commuters - 2008 Hyundai Elantra
Best New Car for Hard Workers - 2008 Chevrolet Silverado
Best Deal for Hard Workers - 2008 Toyota Tacoma
Best New Car for The Boss - 2008 Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best Deal for The Boss - 2008 Volvo S80

Play Cars:
Best New Car for Sun Lovers - 2008 BMW 335i
Best Deal for Sun Lovers - 2008 Mazda Miata MX-5
Best New Car for Off Roaders - 2008 Hummer H2
Best Deal for Off Roaders - 2008 Jeep Wrangler
Best New Car for The Towing Crowd - 2007 Toyota Tundra
Best Deal for The Towing Crowd - 2008 Nissan Frontier
Best New Car for Weekend Athletes - 2008 Subaru Outback
Best Deal for Weekend Athletes - 2008 Honda Fit

Green Cars:
Best Deal for Green Drivers: 2008 Honda Fit

"The Lifestyle Buying Guide and the Cars.com Lifestyle Awards recognize that different consumers need different things from their cars. Our Lifestyle Buying Guide lets shoppers search for cars across categories, comparing everything from trucks and SUVs to minivans and sedans. With so many choices on today's market, and more features and options to consider, many consumers don't know whether they want an SUV, a crossover or a sedan. Cars.com is providing them with the tools they need to cross-shop the SUV against the minivan against the crossover," says Cars.com managing editor Patrick Olsen.
 
Kudos to all winners.

NFL's three time world champions, the New England Patriots, found a brand new teammate for the team's ongoing campaign for the Superbowl XLII. The leading site for buying and selling cars, Autotrader.com, will team up with the New England Patriots along with its affiliates - the Patriots Place and the Kraft Group. The Auto Channel  reported that the joint venture is intended in a marketing and sponsorship program that guarantees major publicities for AutoTrader.com in New England starting this year until 2009.

"We're excited about this opportunity to partner with one of the best and most storied teams in football. Our customer base in New England is made up of business clients - the dealers who post their cars for sale on our site - and consumers - the people who individually post cars for sale and come to our site looking for cars. This partnership allows us to touch each set of customers in an environment where the loyalty and excitement for the Patriots football team makes customers more open to accepting messages from partner organizations like AutoTrader.com," says AutoTrader.com President and CEO Chip Perry.

"We are always looking to align ourselves with industry leading companies. And that is certainly the case with AutoTrader.com. We are very pleased to include AutoTrader.com in our family of corporate partners and are looking forward to kicking off a successful long-term relationship," says Jonathan Kraft, president and chief operating officer of The Kraft Group.
 

What on earth is this vehicle? I have to own one of these radically-insane stuff. Oh sorry I wasn't listening. Anyway, according to my source, "The Boss", the Chevy Tahoe, is making explosive noise and scenes in the automotive industry today as GM confirmed that cars that drive themselves are expected to hit dealerships within 10 years and these units are also exhibited at the Consumer Electronics Show. The main feature of the vehicle is its splendid and dependable safety technology courtesy of Continental.

"We are excited to be using our electronics expertise to help our automotive customers develop safety technologies that achieve our vision of zero vehicle crashes and injuries in the future," says Bill Kozyra, the president and CEO of Continental North America and Executive Board Member.

Last December, Carnegie Mellon University's Tartan Racing Team earned the 2007 Defense Advance Research Project Agency (DARPA) Urban Challenge and took home a spanking $2 million first place prize in the independent vehicle contest which was sponsored by Continental Automotive Systems.

"This was an historic day in the push to make vehicles safer and smarter," said Dr. Karl-Thomas Neumann, Continental's Chief Technology Officer. "The Continental environmental sensors performed flawlessly and helped Tartan Racing's driverless vehicle 'Boss' see the path to victory, moving intelligent vehicle technology forward."

"At Continental we believe the Urban Challenge was not 'pie in the sky' thinking on display. Instead, we view the competition as an incubator for the driving experience of the future. What DARPA seeks to demonstrate we at Continental embrace as our fundamental business culture as we strive to offer our customers... and 'consumers who are their customers'... the very best in automotive innovation, performance and reliability," added Dr. Neumann.

The third week of January promises an exciting series of events in Detroit as the 2008 North American Auto Show opens. According to the Auto Channel, the occasion will take place at Cobo Center from January 16-17 from 7a.m. to 9 p.m. You wouldn't miss this for the world… definitely!

Here are the scheduled events during the NAIAS 2008 Industry Preview courtesy of my source:

• 15th Annual AutoWeek Design Forum - Exploring the theme "Designed for Fun" the daylong forum celebrates design as the ultimate differentiating factor between products.  Attracting more than 70 attendees, the forum also will feature the 2008 Editor's Choice Awards and attendees will tour the show floor.  The forum will be held in Cobo
• Center's Riverview Ballroom on Wednesday, Jan. 16 from 8 a.m. - 9 p.m. Jesse James of the Discovery Channel's Monster Garage and owner of West Coast Choppers will be the keynote speaker.
• Inforum's Annual Auto Show Breakfast - Themed "Beyond Green: Unraveling Sustainability Mystique," the annual breakfast will focus on the various environmentally friendly auto choices that are beginning to emerge in the market.  The breakfast will take place on Thursday, Jan. 17 at the Detroit Marriott Renaissance Center from 7:30 a.m. - 9 a.m.

"Each year we look forward to hosting this exclusive opportunity for industry professionals to get a preview of the many fantastic attractions at the NAIAS," said Carl Galeana, the senior co-chairman for the NAIAS 2008. "Industry Preview provides a unique occasion for industry insiders to network, attend informative special events on design and automotive trends, and get a sneak peek of the show before it opens to the public."

So you think the present time is full of bad news. Just bad news. To break the ice, let me tell you that there's something to be happy about in the auto industry.

Now, there's more to choose from...

Thirty-four vehicles garnered the highest safety rating of 5 stars in the latest crash tests performed by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The figure is up from 13 a year ago. Asian automakers grab the biggest slice of the top-rated vehicles, with 17. Detroit automakers, meanwhile, had 6 vehicles on the list, while Germany and Sweden had 6 and 5, respectively.

The results, which were released Nov. 15, arrive as automakers strive to augment their safety ratings. They do this by adding airbags, crumple zones s well as crash-avoidance electronics. This is also the automakers effort to respond to consumers clamor for innovative safety features.

Toyota's Tundra is the first pickup truck to make the list. Subaru's Impreza is the first small car since more dogmatic criteria were introduced last year. The automakers join Hyundai's Entourage minivan, Daimler's Mercedes-Benz M-Class SUV and Ford's Volvo XC90 SUV, which were also present on last year's list.

Vehicles have to be equipped with electronic stability control (ESC) and garner a top score of "good" in front-, side- and rear-impact crash tests to be able to receive top rating. Other ratings include "acceptable," "marginal" and "poor."

Yahoo reports:

Drivers have long been drawn to vehicles that have more horsepower, luxury amenities or conveniences than the competition. But as creature comforts such as heated leather seats, CD changers and navigation systems have proliferated even among budget-priced cars, drivers and car makers have begun to focus on safety features. As a result, attributes such as side-curtain air bags, which cushion occupants in a side collision, and stability control systems, which help drivers avoid accidents, are now among the latest must-haves.

The test results also show that automakers are moving faster than ever to make vehicles more appealing to consumers through safety improvements. Some cars made the list only after their makers quickly made changes to improve their safety ratings. Making such design changes in the past could take several years.

"Consumer demand and government regulations will continue to make safety more of a core element in vehicle design," said Rebecca Lindland, an analyst with at Global Insight in Lexington, Mass. "As fuel-economy standards increase, for example, some cars will become smaller and lighter, necessitating new safety features."

"Federal mandates will drive some of this, but it's also happening because of consumer demand," she concluded.

Yes, the talks have collapsed! Just as we thought they could result in productive ventures, talks were dropped by Proton Holdings Bhd.

Malaysia dismissed the need for its national carmaker Proton to form an alliance with either Volkswagen AG or General Motors Corp. in the near future, the government said Tuesday, reported Houston Chronicle. State investment arm Khazanah Nasional, which owns a controlling stake in Proton, said that the company has "discontinued negotiations" with both companies.

"It's a big set back for Proton,'' said Raymond Tang, who oversees $5.4 billion at CIMB-Principal Asset Management Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. "The company needs new technology from a partner. They don't have the resources to make it on their own.''

Proton, which has reported 5 straight quarterly losses, had been looking for a partner to help produce fresh models and revive sales. While demand for a new Proton rolled out in August beat company forecasts, that won't be sufficient to allow the 24- year-old carmaker to go it alone, some analysts said.

"Although management has done a commendable job at turning around the company, it probably won't be enough,'' said Vincent Khoo, head of research at Aseambankers Malaysia Bhd. in Kuala Lumpur. Proton still needs a partner, he said.

The company lost 589.5 million ringgit ($175 million) last fiscal year. The search for a partner followed the end of an alliance with Mitsubishi Motors Corp. in 2004, and the loss of half of Proton's market share to competitors such as Toyota Motor Corp.

The struggling company had been in talks with the U.S.-based GM and Germany's VW about a possible partnership to reverse its fortunes. But Khazanah said Malaysian officials have recently seen positive developments in Proton, especially improved domestic sales and exports.

"Proton's management should be allowed to continue with its plans to further strengthen the company," he added. "The issue of strategic alliance, if necessary, can be considered at a later date."

Separately, Second Finance Minister Nor Mohamed Yakcop said that Proton, which saw a loss of 591 million ringgit ($169 million) in its 2007 financial year, is expected to narrow its loss in the current year, the national Bernama news agency reported.

Still, the new Persona sedan, introduced in August, notched up 22,000 bookings by the end of October, Nor told reporters late yesterday. Proton, which planned to sell 4,000 of the vehicles a month, may report a profit in 2009, reported Bloomberg.

"We must give Proton management the flexibility to move on and carry out its turnaround plan,'' Nor noted. "We are not saying there will be no strategic partnership. It's a very attractive idea, but we also have to look at the interest of the country.''