Nov. 16, 2007 The 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid is the surprise winner of Green Car Journal's 2008 Green Car of the Year award, beating out smaller hybrid models from Chevy, Nissan, Mazda, and Saturn.

The Tahoe Hybrid is the industry's first application of hybrid technology in a full-size SUV.

"People don't think 'green' when SUVs are concerned, and for generally good reason since SUVs often get poor fuel economy compared to most other vehicles," says Green Car Journal editor and publisher Ron Cogan. "Chevrolet's Tahoe Hybrid changes this dynamic with a fuel efficiency improvement of up to 30% compared to similar vehicles equipped with a standard V-8."

Most hybrid technology is incorporated into mid-size or smaller vehicles, where the opportunities for fuel economy gains are greatest. It's generally more difficult to achieve significant results with larger vehicles built to carry and tow heavy cargo. The Tahoe Hybrid can carry up to 1,400 pounds of cargo and tow up to 6,200 pounds.

On city streets (where most SUVs do the bulk of their driving), the hybrid Tahoe posts a 50% increase in fuel economy over its non-hybrid cousin, according to the EPA's 2008 estimated fuel economy ratings. The hybrid model's 21 miles-per-gallon city fuel-efficiency rating equals that of the Toyota Camry sedan.

Rounding out the short list for this year's green car award were the Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, Nissan Altima Hybrid, and Saturn Aura Hybrid.