Subaru Has Green Cars

I’ve always associated Subaru with hood scoops and turbocharged boxers. After all, the Subaru Impreza WRX with its hood scoop and turbocharged engine is the most popular model from the Japanese firm. But Subaru is not all about powerful engines and cool-looking exteriors. The automaker is also on the forefront of developing clean cars.

Recently, the automaker received EPA’s SmartWay certification for some of its nameplates. The naturally-aspirated variants of the Subaru Legacy, Outback and the Forester 2.5 were given a Partial Zero Emission Vehicle classification. The SmartWay certification given to the variants of these nameplates means that they are now listed in the agency’s Green Vehicle Guide. The three Subaru nameplates equipped with catalytic converters joins other cars in the list such as the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid and the Ford Escape Hybrid among others.

Tim Mahoney, the senior vice president and chief marketing officer of Subaru of America , Inc., has this to say: “Customers are increasingly concerned with the environmental performance of their vehicles. The EPA's website is a great source of information for car shoppers as it shows them the best vehicle to meet their needs. Subaru is pleased to be among the EPA's SmartWay choices and we continue to look for ways to reduce our impact on the earth while providing the fun, freedom, adventure, confidence and control that only a Subaru all-wheel drive vehicle can deliver.”

The EPA used a formula to determine which cars should be included in the list. This formula takes into account the amount of emission produced by a particular auto. Another data that they look into is the fuel efficiency of a vehicle. If a vehicle has small amount of greenhouse gas emissions but at the same time consumes a huge amount of petroleum fuel, there is still the tendency that it will not be given the SmartWay certification. In the case of the Forester 2.5, Outback, and the Legacy, they have satisfied both requirements.

This surely gives Subaru a boost in terms of popularity with auto buyers. The increasing awareness of global warming means that more consumers will be looking for eco-friendly vehicles. And the Subaru vehicles given the certification will be in place to provide consumers with clean vehicles without sacrificing performance and good looks. According to the automaker, they have already sold more than 100,000 units of PZEV vehicles. That number would surely surge upward in the near future, thanks to the SmartWay certification.