Automotive Science Group Presents Best of 2013

Consumers and manufacturers alike have begun to focus efforts on bringing social responsibility to the auto world, and they’re now getting some assistance from the Automotive Science Group (ASG). Dedicated to “helping consumers make informed purchasing decisions that are not only in their best financial interest, but also in the best interest of the environment in which they live and the global community of which they are an equal part,” the ASG also, of course, is touting its own new metric for making those decisions. It's called the Automotive Performance Index, and that brings us to the Group’s Best of 2013 rankings, which leveraged the latest index to honor vehicles that excel in three different facets of social responsibility:

• Social performance, evaluating how well a vehicle’s production chain protects “the rights of those tasked with vehicle manufacture and assembly”
• Environmental performance, analyzing which vehicles have the lightest impact on the environment throughout their entire life-cycles
• Economic performance, measuring the economic benefits of environmentally friendly vehicles

 Providing the Best All-Around Performances in all three of those areas, presented in order within each segment,* were:

• —Toyota Prius c, Honda Insight, Scion iQ, Chevrolet Spark, Honda Civic Hybrid
• —Toyota Prius, Toyota Prius Plug-In, Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius v, Nissan Sentra
• —Toyota Avalon Hybrid, Buick LaCrosse, Ford Taurus, Toyota Avalon, BMW 528i
• —Smart ForTwo, Honda CR-Z, Hyundai Elantra, Mini Cooper Coupe, Honda Civic
• —Smart ForTwo Passion Cabriolet, Mini Cooper Convertible, Mini Cooper Roadster, Mazda MX-5 Miata, VW Beetle Convertible
• —Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Toyota RAV4, Hyundai Tucson, Nissan Rogue, Buick Encore
• —Mazda CX-5, Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe Sport, Mitsubishi Outlander, Lexus RX 450h
• —Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, Infiniti JX35, Audi Q7 TDI, Audi Q7
• —Nissan Quest, Honda Odyssey, Ford Flex, Toyota Sienna, Dodge Grand Caravan

(*Note: Segments as determined by the ASG.)