Chevy, GMC make biggest eco-gains in 2010 lineup

With the success of the Toyota (TM) Prius and the mad dash into sustainable vehicle development, wearing a green mantle has become a key marketing tool for major automotive brands. As a result, the Greenest Car rankings, released on Sept. 24 by Whatgreencar.com, are getting a lot of attention. The site tabulated rankings based on several key data points including fuel efficiency and emissions.

The two big winners were Chevrolet and GMC, traditionally among the laggards due to their past heavy reliance on big trucks and big engines. According to the findings, Chevy managed to improve the environmental friendliness of its 2010 lineup by 20.3 percent and GM managed an impressive 15.3 percent improvement. Eco-icon Toyota, with its vaunted Prius hybrid, didn't even make the top 10. Go figure.