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| As part of its Los Angeles Auto Show activities, pictured here is Green Car Journal magazine jurors choice for its 2010 Green Car of the Year award - the Audi A3 TDI. Green Car of the Year is award is an important part of Green Car Journal's mission to showcase environmental progress in the auto industry. Since 1992, Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2009) |
Green Car Journal Names Top Five Finalists For 2014 Car Of The Year
Green Car Journal has identified its five finalists for the magazine's high-profile 2014 Green Car of the Year® program. The five 2014 models include the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Honda Accord, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. These five finalists are also honored as Green Car Journal's "Top 5 Green Cars for 2014" and earn the magazine's "Green Car Product of Excellence" honors.
An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program
each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in
offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental
impact. Green Car Journal
has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the
LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.
"The
diversity of this field of finalists illustrates not only that 'green'
has gone mainstream, but also that there is no single approach to
achieving ever higher levels of fuel efficiency and environmental
performance," says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com.
"There's something for everyone in this year's field of finalists,
including clean diesel, high efficiency gasoline, and hybrid/plug-in
hybrid power featured in mainstream, sporty, and executive models."
Finalists
are selected for their achievements in raising the bar in environmental
performance. Availability to the mass market is a factor to ensure
honored models have the potential to make a real difference in
environmental impact, and finalists must be available for sale by
January 1st of the award year.
Green Car of the Year® jurors include auto enthusiast and Tonight Show
host Jay Leno, plus leaders of the nation's major environmental
organizations including Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures
Society; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense
Council; Michael Brune, executive director of the Sierra Club; and Matt
Petersen, board member of Global Green USA. Green Car Journal editors
round out the 2014 Green Car of the Year® jury.
The Finalists:
Audi A6 TDI
Audi's
2014 A6 TDI blends excellent "green" credentials with unexpected levels
of performance in a high efficiency vehicle. Its 3.0-liter, 6-cylinder
TDI clean diesel engine with tiptronic transmission and quattro
all-wheel drive provides 240 horsepower and 428 lb-ft torque, achieving
0-60 mph in just 5.5 seconds. A start-stop system aids efficiency, as
does a lightweight body that makes extensive use of aluminum body
panels. This sedan features an EPA estimated 38 highway mpg that enables
over 700 miles of highway driving range.
BMW 328d
Featuring
the first 4-cylinder BMW diesel engine in the U.S., the new 328d
combines exceptionally high fuel efficiency with the performance
expected of BMW models. EPA estimated 45 mpg highway fuel economy is
achieved with this sedan's 2.0-liter TwinPower clean diesel powerplant,
which produces 180 horsepower and 280 lb-ft torque. Efficiency is
enhanced with engine auto start-stop and brake energy regeneration. A
328d Sports Wagon is also available. The models are offered in rear
wheel drive or with BMW's xDrive all-wheel drive system.
Honda Accord
Honda's
popular Accord sedan aims to lead in the efficiency space with an array
of efficient powerplant choices including four-cylinder, V-6, hybrid,
and plug-in hybrid versions. Even the V-6, the largest engine option,
nets 34 highway mpg with the four-cylinder rated at up to 36 highway
mpg. The bar raises considerably with the Accord Hybrid at 50 city and
47 highway mpg, and the Accord Plug-In with its 47 city and 46 highway
mpg on hybrid power. The Plug-In also offers an EPA rating of 115 MPGe,
the highest of any mid-size hybrid sedan in the country.
Mazda3
The
all-new third generation Mazda3, this automaker's best-selling model
worldwide, is lighter, more efficient, and packed with advanced
electronics. The 2014 Mazda3 features an appealing new design and has
been built from the ground-up with Mazda's award-winning SKYACTIV
technology. The 2.0-liter powered Mazda3 four-door sedan offers
best-in-class 41 mpg highway fuel economy, with the five-door hatch
coming in at up to 40 mpg. A more powerful 2.5-liter engine with an
i-ELOOP capacitor-based regenerative engine braking system gets 38 mpg.
Toyota Corolla
The
Toyota Corolla has long been a best-seller due to its blend of
efficiency and affordability. With the all-new 2014 Corolla, Toyota adds
visual excitement, improved driving dynamics, and even greater
efficiency to its popular compact sedan, achieving up to 42 highway mpg
delivered by the model's Eco version. This level of efficiency is
achieved with a 1.8-liter, 140 horsepower engine featuring the first use
of Toyota's Valvematic technology in this country. A driver selectable
ECO function moderates acceleration and optimizes on-board systems to
enhance mpg.
