L.A. Auto Show Green Cars Ride & Drive Offers Media Test Drives of Newest Fuel Efficient Vehicles

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, Nov. 17, the Los Angeles Auto Show will host a unique opportunity for media to drive some of the most advanced electric, hybrid, high mileage and alternative fuel vehicles on the market.  Fifteen brands and more than 20 vehicles representing North American, European and Asian automakers are participating, making it the L.A. Auto Show's largest and most diverse Green Cars Ride & Drive to date.  From 9:40 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. media will be able to experience back-to-back comparison drives on city streets in real world conditions.

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Some participating vehicles are so new or in such limited quantity that previous test drive opportunities have been very rare or simply unavailable, including Los Angeles-based CODA and its all-electric sedan and Audi's electric A3 eTron.  Other vehicles participating in the Green Cars Ride & Drive include the Buick LaCrosse eAssist, Chevrolet Volt, Fiat 500, Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell Vehicle, Infiniti M35 Hybrid, Kia Optima Hybrid, Kia Rio, Lexus CT 200h, Mazda3 SKYACTIV, Mercedez-Benz S350 BlueTEC 4MATIC, Mercedes-Benz B-Class F-Cell, Nissan LEAF and Toyota Camry Hybrid. Three 2012 Green Car of the Year® finalists are featured as well, including the Mitsubishi i, Toyota Prius v and Volkswagen Passat TDI.  

The L.A. Auto Show Green Cars Ride & Drive is sponsored by PwC and Nielsen Automotive.  PwC, in conjunction with Cleantech Los Angeles, will host the Cleantech Revolution at the Show on Thursday, Nov. 17.  Cleantech Revolution will bring together industry leaders in the automotive, cleantech, education, energy, finance, technology and utility sectors for networking and interactive sessions.  For more information about this event or to register, please visit www.meetpwc.com/CleantechRevolution.

On the morning of the Ride & Drive, Nielsen Automotive will announce the winner of the second annual Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year Award. The award measures the most effective green marketer and will focus on understanding which auto brand was able to raise the awareness and change perceptions around environmental issues most effectively.

About the Los Angeles Auto Show

As the first major North American auto show of the season, the 2011 L.A. Auto Show will host some of the industry's most important new vehicle debuts and set the tone for the rest of the year. The dates are Nov. 16 and 17 for press and Nov. 18-27 for the public. Media registration is now open at LAautoshow.com/Press.html. Join the LA Auto Show conversation by following the show at Twitter.com/LAAutoShow, Facebook.com/LosAngelesAutoShow and sign up for alerts at LAAutoShow.com.

SOURCE Los Angeles Auto Show