Just the Facts:
* The Toyota Prius is the top non-luxury hybrid in the 2011 Hybrid Scorecard compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists. But the group said the Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid was the "worst offender" when it came to cutting pollution.
* The non-profit group also singled out the Porsche Cayenne Hybrid and BMW's X6 and 750i ActiveHybrids as among the worst-rated hybrids for environmental improvement.
* In the luxury market, the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid and Lexus CT 200h earned high environmental improvement scores.
WASHINGTON — The Toyota Prius is the top non-luxury hybrid in the 2011 Hybrid Scorecard compiled by the Union of Concerned Scientists. But the group said the Volkswagen Touareg Hybrid was the "worst offender" when it came to cutting pollution.
The Prius was praised by the non-profit group for "delivering a more than 40 percent reduction in global warming pollution compared with its closest conventional models."
Other non-luxury hybrids that earned high marks include the Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and Honda CR-Z.
The scorecard noted that "only 13 of the 34 hybrids reviewed cut more than 25 percent of the global warming pollution emitted by their conventional vehicle counterpart." The Touareg Hybrid was criticized for "emitting less than 10 percent less" than the conventional version. The USC said it was an "all-time low on the scorecard."
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