1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Stars to Arrive at Oscars in Green Cars

Discussion in 'Prius, Hybrid, EV and Alt-Fuel News' started by Areometer, Mar 3, 2006.

  1. Areometer

    Areometer Silver Business Sponsor

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2004
    578
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tyngsboro, MA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Stars to Arrive at Oscars in Green Cars
    Mar 03 10:32 PM US/Eastern

    DETROIT

    Oscar nominees Joaquin Phoenix, Jake Gyllenhaal and Frances McDormand are among those expected to step out of green vehicles and onto the red carpet at the Academy Awards ceremony Sunday.

    In all, 25 VIPs are participating in the fourth annual "Red Carpet, Green Cars" event sponsored by Toyota Motor Corp. and the environmental organization Global Green USA. McDormand, Phoenix, Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Aniston and George Clooney are all expected to arrive at the Oscars in Toyota or Lexus hybrids, including the Toyota Prius, Lexus RX crossover and a hybrid version of the Toyota Camry, which goes on sale in May.

    Event spokeswoman Kathy Kniss said the program began with just four participants in 2002, but interest in fuel-efficient vehicles has grown exponentially since then.

    "There's a huge, huge following. People are flocking to the hybrids," Kniss said.

    Other automakers are also getting into the act. Ford Motor Co. said Cathy Schulman, the producer of best-picture nominee "Crash," plans to arrive in a hybrid Mercury Mariner, while best-supporting-actor nominee Gyllenhaal's entourage is scheduled to show up in a Ford Excursion powered by clean-burning biodiesel.

    General Motors Corp. also will be bringing VIPs to the ceremony, but its focus will be on luxury rather than fuel efficiency. GM spokeswoman Ryndee Carney said a fleet of 50 Cadillacs _ mostly 2007 Escalade SUVs _ will be used to pick up and drop off celebrities. Carney said the automaker also will run ads during the broadcast featuring GM's two other luxury brands, Hummer and Saab.

    >> Original Link
     
  2. HokieHybrid

    HokieHybrid New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 16, 2005
    200
    1
    0
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    While I think encouraging hybrids is a fabulous idea...wouldn't it be just as fuel efficient, or moreso, if the celebs carpooled in a limo?

    1 person in a Prius-50 mpg
    4 people in a limo-13mpg *4 since they are carpooling=52 mpg

    (13 is a random number...limos could get more...I'll ask Dad what the hearse gets for a better estimate later) oh yeah...should mention Dad works at a funeral home...we don't own a hearse for the fun of it.

    *Edit*
    Dad says the hearse gets 18....so with 4 people in a limo, we'll go with 72 mpg.
     
  3. Areometer

    Areometer Silver Business Sponsor

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2004
    578
    6
    0
    Location:
    Tyngsboro, MA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    4-5 celebs can still carpool in a Prius. :)
     
  4. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2004
    14,816
    2,498
    66
    Location:
    Far-North Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Am I the only one who sees the polarity between the promotion of the hybrids vs. the promotion of the Escalade, Hummer and Saab?
     
  5. larryenok

    larryenok New Member

    Joined:
    Dec 7, 2005
    44
    0
    0
    Clearly, GM still has their head in the sand and is demonstrating it by pushing their glaringly comsumptive SUVs at the ceremonies. They seem to be continuing GM think of, "If we don't build them, NO one will buy them." If the number one car maker (or should we say former number one?) can't read the handwriting . . .

    I understand long-term planning and development, but it would seem that somewhere in there they have to incorporate short, mid, and long term objectives. Their short and mid term objectives seem to be to lose as much money as possible so they can go broke before the long term, fuel efficient vehicle objective is reached, thus enabling them to NOT make it.

    I had been a GM man for 35 of my 43 vehicles, then switched to Ford, Mazda, and ultimately Honda. Although there were some aspects of the Honda Hybrids that I really liked, it is clear that Toyota has made a larger commitment to me through a well designed product, a real warranty (in CA we get up to 150,000 on the batteries), and is producing the vehicles in enough quantity that repair prospects should remain viable and possibly even reasonably priced.

    It may be all show for the stars, but it looks like a no-show for the company claiming to represent the Stars and Stripes and the American REvolution. :(
     
  6. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    its interesting that the dealerships seem to keep their vision statements intact with their planned actions at the Oscars, most notably, Toyota and gm
     
  7. LaughingMan

    LaughingMan Active Member

    Joined:
    May 20, 2005
    1,386
    2
    0
    Location:
    Marlborough, MA
    I wonder if George Clooney showed up to the awards in his electric Tango...
     
  8. V8Cobrakid

    V8Cobrakid Green Handyman

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2004
    3,790
    152
    0
    Location:
    Park View, Los Angeles, CA. U.S.A
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Well.... I don't really watch tv. Did anyone show up in their eco cars? How about a clip?
     
  9. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

    Joined:
    May 11, 2004
    14,816
    2,498
    66
    Location:
    Far-North Chicagoland
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    I recorded the pre-show and watched the Oscars at a friends. I plan on flipping through the recordings this evening.
     
  10. JeffHart

    JeffHart New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 19, 2005
    83
    0
    0
    Location:
    Washington, DC

    I won't disagree that GM has their head in the sand (maybe somewhere else...) However, since they don't have a popular green vehicle, it makes business sense to sell what they have and the Caddy SUV is a very profitable vehicle for GM.

    However, I'll continue to cheer for the Prius and glad to see Toyota continuing to promote the Prius.

    Cheers,
    Jeff
     
  11. Hawk

    Hawk New Member

    Joined:
    Feb 9, 2006
    57
    0
    0
    Location:
    Seattle Metro
    USA Today

    'Hybrid' cars were Oscars' politically correct ride
    By Kelly Carter, USA TODAY
    LOS ANGELES — Sure, lots of black stretch limos pulled up to the Academy Awards last week. But the real hot wheels at the Oscars were fuel-efficient hybrid and electric vehicles.

    Harrison Ford, Calista Flockhart were among the celebrities who arrived at the Oscars ceremony in a Toyota Prius.
    A.M.P.A.S. via AP

    Tom Hanks and Rita Wilson drove themselves in their electric Toyota RAV4.

    Arriving in complimentary chauffeur-driven Toyota Priuses — a hybrid that runs on a combination of gas and battery-powered electricity — were Cameron Diaz, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and Harrison Ford and Calista Flockhart.

    Maggie Gyllenhaal took a Prius to Vanity Fair's post-Oscar bash. The previous day she and Juliette Lewis were driven to the Independent Spirit Awards in one.

    Toyota teamed with Global Green USA to offer celebs a Prius to Oscar-related events.

    Tooling around in a Toyota or Honda may not seem very glamorous. But the hybrid and electric cars are environmentally correct, which scores points with stars.

    Last month, Mick Jagger, Christina Aguilera, Christine Lahti, Lisa Kudrow, Mira Sorvino, Johnny Depp and Luke Wilson arrived at a free Rolling Stones concert in L.A. in Honda Civic hybrids, courtesy of Honda. Toyota provided chauffeur-driven Priuses to Diaz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Pierce Brosnan.

    Robbins loved his loaner Prius so much he's considering buying one. His concern? Finding room for his brood in the $21,000 car, which seats four.

    "I was driving it (last) weekend, and I'm sold," the actor said. "The kids will just have to be a little uncomfortable."

    Diaz, who owns a Prius, says she drives hers every day. She's not the only star owner. DiCaprio owns two and Larry David three. Don Cheadle, Meryl Streep, David Duchovny, David Hyde Pierce, Patricia Arquette, Jackson Browne, Ted Danson, Jeff Goldblum, Donna Mills and Rob Reiner all have one. James Taylor, Richard Dreyfuss and Bonnie Raitt have the $20,000 Honda hybrid. Like Hanks, Ed Begley Jr. and Tony Shalhoub own the electric RAV4.

    "I can get up to 75 miles per hour in mine," Hanks boasts.


    >> Original Link
     
  12. BellBoy

    BellBoy Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2006
    220
    2
    0
    Location:
    Los Angeles, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I know that Stuart Townsend (Charlize Theron's beau) owns a Prius.

    He's the one that got me interested in one in the first place. B)
     
  13. DaveinOlyWA

    DaveinOlyWA 3rd Time was Solariffic!!

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2004
    15,140
    611
    0
    Location:
    South Puget Sound, WA
    Vehicle:
    2013 Nissan LEAF
    Model:
    Persona
    they forgot to mention that di caprio besides owning two, also bought one for every member of his family...something like 3 more i believe