This story appeared in the British Daily Telegraph today, questioning whether Governor Schwarzenegger’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gases is only skin-deep. It appears he just bought a 13-mile-to-the-gallon muscle car:

Arnold Schwarzenegger dents green credentials with Dodge Challenger

…In an interview last year, the governor spoke of his wish to create
"a whole new industry of clean cars and clean engines and components to
build those engines."

To this end, he did sell his fleet of Hummers – a civilian version of the four-wheel-drive military Humvee.

But the former actor’s green credentials may have been slightly dented after he was spotted driving the coupe in Los Angeles.

The vehicle, which does just 13 miles to the gallon, boasts a 6.1 litre V8 engine and can reach 60mph in under five seconds.

…The model, an SRT8, is similar to The Dodge Charger made famous by The Dukes of Hazzard television series in the 1970s and 80s.

The piece makes an interesting contrast with the ‘Schwarzenegger and automobiles’ stories out today. These articles (here’s one) describe how the Gov bent over backwards to give tax breaks to Tesla Motors and keep the electric car company’s new production plant in the state.

Zero emissions cars vs. gas guzzlers? The governor is apparently on the waiting list for a Tesla roadster — he was probably forced to buy the supercharged Challenger to get around Brentwood while he waits.