2010 Green Car of the Year finalists announced, diesels vs. hybrids
Posted Oct 7th 2009 2:58PM by Sebastian Blanco
Last year, Volkswagen's new Jetta TDI was named the 2009 Green Car of the Year at the LA Auto Show, which means that the Volkswagen Golf TDI has a bit of baggage if it wants to win the 2010 award. Regardless, the Golf was named one of five finalists today, along with the Audi A3 TDI, the Honda Insight, the Mercury Milan Hybrid and the Toyota Prius. Odd that the Mercury would be chosen above the Ford Fusion Hybrid, but so it goes. That makes it two diesels and three hybrids vying for top spot.The Green Car of the Year award is given out by Green Car Journal, which narrows the field of green cars down to five and then turns over picking the winner to "jurors such as Jay Leno, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Carroll Shelby, Matt Petersen of Global Green USA and the Sierra Club's Carl Pop." The winner will be announced in LA on December 3, so stay tuned.
[Source: Green Car Journal]
PRESS RELEASE:
Five Finalists Announced for the 2010 Green Car of the Year®
Winner to be Announced During an LA Auto Show Press Conference on Dec. 3
LOS ANGELES - Oct. 7, 2009 - Green Car Journal announced today its five finalists for the 2010 Green Car of the Year®, including the Audi A3 TDI, Honda Insight, Mercury Milan Hybrid, Toyota Prius and Volkswagen Golf TDI. For the fifth consecutive year, this prestigious award will be announced during a press conference at the Los Angeles Auto Show press days, Dec. 3.
The Green Car of the Year® award is a program that honors environmental leadership in the automobile field and recognizes vehicles that are readily available to consumers during the award year. Green Car Journal editors perform an exhaustive review of vehicle models to identify the five finalists. The winner is ultimately decided by jurors such as Jay Leno, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Carroll Shelby, Matt Petersen of Global Green USA and the Sierra Club's Carl Pope, along with Green Car Journal editors.
"We're seeing the trend for 'green' cars emerging at all levels, from entry-level cars to luxury models, and even performance cars and SUVs/crossovers," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "Plus, an array of technologies and fuels as well as strategies like lightweighting and reducing rolling resistance are being applied to the challenge. Greater choice provides buyers a personal stake in lessening environmental impact, and that's important."
This year's finalists reflect this diversity. For the first time an Audi makes the final five with its sporty A3 TDI clean diesel. Volkswagen's new Golf TDI shows an expanding focus on clean diesel technology in the VW lineup. The Insight is a completely new hybrid sedan for Honda and the 2010 Toyota Prius is a totally redesigned, third-generation version of this popular hybrid model. The Milan Hybrid is Mercury's application of its advanced-hybrid technology in an upscale mid-size sedan.
About Green Car of the Year®
The GCOY 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, first with an industry newsletter and then with an award-winning auto enthusiast magazine. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. Subscription information, along with a downloadable sample issue, can be found at GCJUSA.com. Green Car of the Year® is a registered trademark of Green Car Journal and RJ Cogan Specialty Publications Group, Inc.
About the Los Angeles Auto Show
The 2009 Los Angeles Auto Show will be held on Dec. 2-3 for press and Dec. 4-13 for the public. Media registration is now open. This year, the Organisation Internationale des Constructeurs d'Automobiles (OICA), the world automobile trade association, has officially named the Los Angeles Auto Show as one of its sanctioned international exhibitions. For more information, please visit LAautoshow.com.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Dude 3:02PM (10/07/2009)
Most worthless award ever!
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James 3:11PM (10/07/2009)
I voted for the button...
Randy 12:18PM (10/09/2009)
There's got to be a starting point to fixing the world so it's not really "useless"!
There is a point to it! ya know?
Sea Urchin 3:05PM (10/07/2009)
I don't think VOTE button works.
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Ekauq 3:07PM (10/07/2009)
it's like voting for lazy people, no choices to make, just click the button
Stuka 3:10PM (10/07/2009)
You are only allowed to vote for the winner. So there is no point in placing the losers on the ballot :)
Fazzster 3:15PM (10/07/2009)
Clearly the winner is any VW/Audi product with TDI....
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tbirdfive0 3:19PM (10/07/2009)
So how do the Golf TDI and the A3 TDI get nominated (essentialy the same car) and only the Mercury Milan is nominated and the Fusion itsn't? BTW, the Fusion is a MUCH better looking car than the Milan. Maybe they nominated the Milan to make sure the award doesn't go to Ford.
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Rob 3:31PM (10/07/2009)
Who cares?
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Rob 3:33PM (10/07/2009)
Hi - I'm Carol Shelby. I have Z-MAX in me. I wouldn't drink it if I didn't believe in it!
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Matt 3:45PM (10/07/2009)
Go diesel go...don't let those smug fashion statements win a thing!
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Glock23 3:53PM (10/07/2009)
Diesel. It's whats for dinner.
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Snowdog 3:58PM (10/07/2009)
If you were giving me one, I would take the A3.
If I had to pay for it with my own money, none of the above.
With my one cash I would choose a simple 4cyl MT car that gets very good gas mileage on regular gas, with no turbos/batteries... Honda Fit or Ford Fiesta come to mind.
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emperorkoku 4:26PM (10/07/2009)
How do diesels even get nominated to begin with? First, they emit more CO2 per gallon than gasoline. Second, they emit more smog-forming carcinogenic particulates than hybrids (even if they finally are on par - just - with conventional gasoline motors).
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Glock23 4:35PM (10/07/2009)
How about the pollution in battery manufacturing? People who tout hybrids always seem to forget this point.
You may have less pollution when the hybrid is in service but a greater amount in the manufacturing process and recycling of old batteries.
When you look at the total life cycle, it's a lot closer than you might think.
emperorkoku 4:40PM (10/07/2009)
You know, I don't have the facts to disagree with you (even though I suspect you're wrong about the numbers involved in battery production - just look at laptops, and all the batteries in EVERY car on the road anyway), but let's just say I do agree with you.
The hybrid moves the pollution out of the neighborhoods, towns and cities we live in, and away to factories. So if they truly are close in terms of total-life-cycle pollution, I'd rather have the solution that moves the pollution away from me, not closer.
As an auto enthusiast I can see the appeal of diesels. (Although I'd rather have the upcoming CR-Z hybrid, I think, because I hate how diesels don't rev for crap.) But auto enthusiasts need to see that hybrids may be better, environmentally, in actuality, and leave it to the masses. Besides, I'm not going to buy a hybrid or a diesel, are you?
Glock23 4:55PM (10/07/2009)
The battery in a hybrid is much larger and uses way more chemicals than the standard car battery or a laptop. We are talking hundreds of pounds verses 20-30 pounds verses 8 ozs.
So in moving the pollution away from you, it's OK to pollute China and Japan (where most all hybrid batteries are built) just as long as we Americans don't have to deal with it? I don't think that is a very good attitude to have.
My point being hybrids are not some magic bullet and diesels don't deserve the bad rap they get (especially in the US). Looking at the whole picture, hybrids are just one method to conserve fuel and they do have shortcomings.
emperorkoku 5:08PM (10/07/2009)
Yes, I do think it's better to have the pollution over there than here - duh.
But hey, bring it over here! Reduces our dependence on foreign nations, and our Democratic president and congress will regulate the production enough that pollution will be less of a problem than with diesels. And we'll have more jobs!
Win win.
emperorkoku 5:12PM (10/07/2009)
And of course it's better to pollute Japan and China than us! Think about it logically:
If the amount of pollution if everyone drives diesels equals the amount of pollution if everyone drives hybrids, the pollution has to go somewhere, so where would you like it? You're telling me, out of some sense of righteousness, you'd RATHER have it here than there? You have to make a choice. Don't fight the hypo (that you set up by saying they have similar total-life-cycle amounts of pollution).
I'd rather have it over there. Hell yes.
Audi-Mad 7:23PM (10/07/2009)
Diesels use less fuel at any one time than a gasoline engine, so in real life terms the diesels are better. They do however produce more nitrogen oxide which is dealt with through the use of particulate filters in new diesel cars.
And whats up with all this "I do think it's better to have the pollution over there than here"
U do realise that its the same planet we all live on so the pollution will eventually find its way to you.