At a show known for dedication to environmental issues, Los Angeles hosted a litany of “Greener than thou” executive speeches that could even wear down the most devote solar-powered, Earth Day supporter. Many manufacturers had legitimate claims, rolling out intriguing technologies and models. Others made references to token accomplishments and promised to monitor market trends, while seeming to miss an entire inconvenient cultural and economic movement.

General Motors came out as the Jolly Green Giant, dedicating its corporate press conference to trumpeting its myriad green accomplishments and near-future plans. All good stuff, really. On its large stage, GM rolled out a series of new hybrid models, such as the Chevrolet Malibu, Silverado, and Volt concept. There’s no denying, GM is on a mission, and it includes the bold intent of making the Chevrolet brand the industry leader for fuel economy.

The ever-quotable Bob Lutz, GM Vice Chairman, Global Product Development, was the master of ceremonies, making such pronouncements as “There is no 100-mile-per-gallon carburetor...or other secret solution...that will solve all our energy and environmental problems overnight.”

In the green spirit, Lutz brought up the Chevrolet triplets, a trio of thrifty, micro-car concepts unveiled at the New York auto show. These vehicles represented great promise for direct customer feedback on their production potential. For all the auto show hoopla, in the end the manufacturers seek to influence and interpret public opinion. In the case of the triplets, consumers were invited to vote on their favorite model online. As of the press conference, 1.9 million votes had been tallied, with the Beat (green) leading by a strong margin.

Lutz’s scripted comment was, “And I'm glad to announce that the Beat gets our vote too...and we'll be building a car based on the Beat in the near future...at our Korean production facilities. It just so happens that this is the one we wanted to build from the beginning...so it's great to see the voting line-up with our thinking.”

It seemed like a casual aside, one that got a hearty laugh from the audience. However true the statement may be—and I do see the value in market validation—it saddens me that the peoples’ voice was diminished to an echo. In a later side conversation, one GM staffer mentioned voting 10 times.

This was a good week in LA for GM, made stronger by the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid winning the 2008 Green Car of the Year honors. However, in the end it felt to me like a bad moment for democracy.

—Jeff Bartlett