05/14/08: Paul McCartney has hybrid car shipped to him by Jet (typical liberal pig)

Paul McCartney chided for carbon footprint Lexus had luxury hybrid sent to him in Britain by plane instead of ship

The 2008 Lexus LS600h, one of which was given by the company to Paul McCartney, is a hybrid that delivers more efficient performance while still proving fast at a top speed of 155 mph.

updated 3:51 p.m. PT, Wed., May. 14, 2008

LONDON - Sometimes it seems Paul McCartney can't win for losing.

The former Beatle has long been an outspoken advocate of environmental causes and animal rights. He is a vegetarian who won't even wear leather shoes. But now he's being criticized for having a hybrid Japanese car flown to him in Britain rather than having it sent by ship.

It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. The car in question is an $158,000 Lexus LS 600h, a luxury sedan that offers both high performance and a reassuring "green" patina because it uses a hybrid system that relies on an electric motor at low speeds. Story continues below ↓advertisement

Best of all, it was to be a gift from the Lexus car company, which sponsored McCartney's 2005 tour of the United States.

But environmentalists quickly pointed out that the use of a cargo plane to deliver the car to England completely offset any environmental gains resulting from the car's use.

"It's like driving the car 300 times around the world," says Gary Rumbold, the director of the British branch of co2balance, which helps businesses and individuals gauge their carbon emissions footprint. "It seems like somebody at Lexus made an error in judgment. They wanted to get something to McCartney promptly, but it backfired. They should have waited a few weeks and sent it by ship."

He said it would have been far less damaging to the environment in terms of carbon emitted into the atmosphere to have shipped the car by sea because so much more cargo can be fitted on a ship than in the cargo hold of a jet.

Rumbold also questioned whether a high performance car such as the LS Lexus 600h — with a powerful 1.3-gallon V-8 engine and a top speed of 155 mph — is actually the best use of promising hybrid technology.

Responses to this message:

• The Environment Can Kiss My Ass..But I DO Think DarthGaul
• Where were all these hypocrites when Al Snore was flying all over pimping.. Hamartoma
• Darth, when I conquer the world, you can be King of France Hamartoma
• ^^^ Typical of an European buffoon. RidingFool
• First Heather, now Environmentalists Hamartoma
• Toby Keith should join the military Oddball

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