- Prince Albert II of Monaco will use a Lexus LS 600h L for his July nuptials.
- The hybrid LS is a green choice, but not that green with its 19/23 EPA rating.
- Kate Middleton will ride in a far less efficient 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom when she weds Prince William.
MONACO — It may be the greenest royal wedding of the year, as Lexus Europe announced on Thursday that it has scored a major coup: His Serene Highness Prince Albert II of Monaco will use the hybrid Lexus LS 600h L for his July nuptials, marking the first time a European royal has selected a hybrid for a royal wedding.
Prince Albert will marry Charlene Wittstock on July 2. He is a high-profile advocate of green vehicles and has pushed Monaco to develop a mobility plan with lower environmental impact. Lexus issued a gushy press release, saying that the prince confirmed "his commitment for more environmentally friendly solutions," with the choice of the Lexus hybrid.
The Lexus flagship is hardly the greenest of the green though, as the 5,360-pound sedan returns just 19 mpg in city driving and 23 mpg on the highway, according to the EPA. But the prince's choice stands in stark contrast to Britain's royal wedding on Friday.
Kate Middleton, who will marry Britain's Prince William tomorrow, has chosen a less politically correct 1977 Rolls-Royce Phantom VI to get her to Westminster Abbey. Her other choice, though, was a zero-gasoline-emissions, traditional Cinderella-style horse-drawn carriage.
The choice of a royal wedding conveyance carries symbolic weight, much like the royal families themselves. In last year's royal wedding in Sweden, Crown Princess Victoria and Daniel Westling selected Volvo as the "official car" of their wedding, even as the keys to the company were being turned over to the new owner, China's Geely. Guests at that wedding were transported in a fleet of pearl-white custom Volvo S80s and V70s.
Inside Line says: What we don't know is how much jockeying goes on behind the scenes to get the royals into these vehicles, and whether the auto companies are paying for the privilege. — Anita Lienert, Correspondent
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jmnyc1177 says:
08:51 AM, 04/29/2011
wjtinatl - believe it or not, all that technology - plus the weight of the car are the culprits. The 600 has so much technowizardry all of which depletes the battrey much faster than even the most luxurious cars of 20 years ago. Since it's the engine that recharges the battery, anything from lights to the radio and everything else necessitates that a portion of the engine power is always going toward keeping the battery charged.
danwilson1 says:
07:00 AM, 04/29/2011
As much as the press release likes to claim that the royals specifically selected the Lexus brand, the reality is that Lexus offered them a good deal. That's how it works with all the other royal families and car brands.
ddark13 says:
08:46 PM, 04/28/2011
only a slight disparity in attractiveness between him/her
wjtinatl says:
08:24 PM, 04/28/2011
Unbelievable! The '91 Caprice I used to meander away from my nuptials (courtesy of Avis) scored 15 and 24 over 20 years ago! Not the luxo sled the Lexus is, but certainly a substantial automobile. Hard to understand how all that technology nets such a meager improvement.
typesh says:
07:47 PM, 04/28/2011
So that's all it takes to claim one's self as green, huh? Too bad they didn't pick a more fuel efficient (combined) Audi A8L (17/27). Perhaps then I would believe Lexus's claim of the Prince confirming his commitment for more environmentally friendly solutions. ;-)
excusei says:
05:01 PM, 04/28/2011
I wonder what $he $ee$ in him.
excusei says:
04:51 PM, 04/28/2011
$ee$ (not see's)