The Cadillac Escalade Hybrid is Big Pile of Greenwashed Steel

Inhabitat points out the very long stretch of the imagination it takes to call the Cadillac Escalade Hybrid that NY Giants QB Eli Manning won in the Super Bowl “green”. We’re talking about a giant beast of an SUV that only pulls 18 miles per gallon of gas.

Excuse me, but WTF. Since when is 18 MPG green? Sure, it’s greener than the normal Escalade, but that’s not saying much- kind of like saying Nicky is the less trashy Hilton sister.

Here’s what Inhabitat has to say…

The hybrid SUV is a classic example of the “how much is good enough” issue inherent to so much of corporations’ going green efforts. Okay, so the Escalade is greenER, but isn’t this really just a green marketing spin on a bigger issue? Should we applaud GM for even making such efforts or scold them for their continuous production of such an unnecessarily large and inefficient vehicle? The fact that it’s given as the prize for winning America’s biggest sporting event is even more troubling- we’re essentially sending the message that the best reward is misrepresented, irresponsible luxury.

I suppose the silver lining is that Eli Manning chose the hybrid SUV from a variety of Cadillacs. The Hybrid Escalade, which will be available later this year, was Eli’s “responsible” choice, however clouded in materialism it may have been. “I know it comes out in the summer. I want the first one.”

Link [Inhabitat]