At a press conference this morning here at the LA Auto Show the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid was named as the Green Car Journal’s 2008 Green Car of the Year. The 2008 Tahoe is the first vehicle from General Motors that uses the new (and expensive) two-mode transmission hybrid system.

The Tahoe receiving this award may come as a surprise to many since most would not picture a full-size SUV when someone talks about hybrid vehicles or fuel-savings. But in reality, many people still buy large sport utility vehicles in order to pull boats and campers, haul around a large family or take trips and a vehicle like this gives them the opportunity to make a smaller environmental impact with their SUV.

The Chevy Tahoe cannot escape its large footprint however and won’t be boasting mileage numbers of 50 or 70 mpg as hybrid fans like to see. This 6.0 liter hybrid does carry a 21 mpg city rating which is where these SUV’s seem to spend most of there time and is 50% better than the standard V-8 Tahoe and comparable to many sedan ratings for in-town driving.

Before todays announcement the Green Car of the Year award was narrowed to five nominees from a large number of fuel-conscious models. The nominees included the Saturn Aura Hybrid, Chevrolet Malibu Hybrid, Mazda Tribute Hybrid, and the Nissan Altima Hybrid.