01/25/12 8:50am

Article By: CleanTechnica

January 25, 2012 By Charis Michelsen

Apparently my lack of interest in Porsches and GTRs isn’t abnormal for my generation at all – a new survey is reporting that the majority of GenY consumers (currently aged 19 to 31) are in the market for something greener, something a little more eco-friendly, and maybe even sustainable (at least when it comes to their cars).

The Survey

The survey in question was conducted by researchers at Deloitte, an accountancy firm founded in London and headquartered in New York. The firm’s researchers reported that 59% of their GenY respondents liked alternative power driving their wheels – mainly hybrid-electric (with 57% of the vote) augmented with pure battery electric (2%). Only 37% of respondents indicated that they wanted a traditional gas guzzler.

The younger generation was most drawn in by fuel efficiency, but cars with all sorts of nifty features (think touch screens and smart phone apps, although an interactive windshield seems like a really bad idea to me) were also super appealing.

The survey – which is Deloitte’s fourth annual – questioned 1500 citizens in the US (including baby boomers, Gen X, and Gen Y). 250 Gen Y consumers in China and 300 in Western Europe round out the poll-takers.

The Specifics

If you’re wondering just what cars the respondents found so attractive, here are four that made the top list.

• The Toyota Prius c meets the criteria of good mileage (53mpg highway) and lots of gadgets (USB port for an iPod, hands-free phone capability, Bluetooth). It goes on sale in March.

• Ford’s Fusion Hybrid, which is supposed to get 47mpg (city), also has a number of toys to meet Gen Y consumer expectations (think touch screens to do everything from control climate to make calls). It should go on sale in early summer.

• The Chevy Volt continues to grab and hold attention with its 25-50 miles of pure electric drive supplemented by a gas generator with an extra 375 miles of range from a full tank (which is 9.3 gallons – that’s at least 43mpg). You can get one right now.

• The last car on our list of vehicles to excite the Gen Y contingent is the VW Jetta Hybrid, which allegedly gets 45mpg. It’s fast enough to drive aggressively on the Autobahn.

Source: CBS | Image: Chevrolet

This is a cross post from CleanTechnica.

CleanTechnica thoroughly covers news related to the clean energy, especially solar and wind energy. In addition to sharing important news, it also provides original pieces reflecting on solutions to important clean energy and environmental topics.