It all started with Leonardo DiCaprio, who showed up at the foot of the red carpet in his very own Toyota Prius.

Within a couple of years, alighting from a Prius hybrid--or any other hybrid, including the hulking Cadillac Escalade Hybrid luxury full-size sport-utility vehicle--was de rigeur for any celeb who hoped to burnish his or her green credentials.

Now, there's a new kid in town.

At the pre-Oscar Party held last night by Southern California nonprofit Global Green--which has strong ties to the Hollywood glitterati--many celebrities were photographed on the "green carpet" with the new Chevrolet Volt range-extended electric car.

The list of names ranges from the powerful (director James Cameron) and the recognized (Dennis Haysbert) to some others that, frankly, we'd never heard of.

The picture muddies, however, when the photos come directly from Chevrolet, and the fine print notes that the Volt "is the featured green car of the event." Translation: This is product placement.

But it does beg the question: Could the Chevy Volt displace the Toyota Prius as the defining green car of the moment? And, do you care?

Leave us your thoughts in the Comments below.

[Chevrolet]

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