US Automobile sales plunged 32 percent in the month of October to their lowest levels in 17 years. The loss numbers span across both domestic and foreign car manufacturers with GM leading the downward charge with a 45% loss from the previous year, Ford taking a 32% drop, Honda sales dropping 25% and world market share leader Toyota taking a 23% loss. Uncertainty over the economy has kept consumers off of car lots nationwide, while reduced access to credit in order to attain auto loans, a direct result of the financial crisis, has kept those who do want to buy from being able to raise the necessary capital for the purchase.

With so many jobs in the United States directly affected by the health of the automobile industry, these numbers are a frightening reminder of the urgent need to get capital flowing in this country again. Specifically the Midwestern states of Michigan and Ohio, which have already been pummeled by both NAFTA and Globalization, desperately need the auto industry to rebound.

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Honda Motor Corporation is on the verge of limited release of its new hydrogen powered automobile, the FCX Clarity. The new alternative energy vehicle will be leased to residents of the Southern California cities of Irvine, Torrance and Santa Monica starting this summer.

The FCX Clarity runs off of an electric motor powered by a fuel cell that converts hydrogen and oxygen into electricity. The car has a range of 270 miles before refueling with hydrogen fuel and can reach a top speed of around 100 mph. Best of all the FCX Clarity produces Zero Emissions, making it about as environmentally friendly as a car can get. With Honda creating the car to use hydrogen, the most abundant substance in the universe, as a clean energy source, the final significant hurdle that remains is finding a viable, environmentally sound way to produce hydrogen fuel, a feat that has evaded scientists and engineers up to now.

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The green consumer movement is taking markets by storm, proving that eco-conscious purchasing is anything but a passing fancy. Curious about how Americans rank their top green brands? A 2008 ImagePower Green Brands survey shows which companies American consumers think are the greenest, and how they stack up against one another. Body care and grocery products came out on top, with travel and energy corps struggling a bit to keep up. Check out the complete ranked list here:

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A new Honda hybrid car is due out in 2009 from the Japanese automobile manufacturer. Honda Motor Corporation is pulling out all the stops to take on arch-rival Toyota in the swiftly growing hybrid market. Currently Honda only has one hybrid car on the market, the Honda Civic hybrid, after discontinuing it’s highly fuel efficient Honda Insight model in 2006.

The new car will be sold solely as a hybrid - and not as a separate version of a traditional gas powered model. Honda will also expand other existing lines into hybrid editions over the next three years, including a hybrid version of the sporty CR-Z and a Fit Subcompact version.

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