Green Car of the Year Announcement Today
It wouldn’t be Los Angeles if “green” somehow didn’t figure in somewhere. Okay, the city isn’t exactly an Edenic paradise, but with lots of palm trees scattered about, nearby beaches, and beautiful mountains ringing the city, nature plays a big part in the appeal of the city. It is also the reason 
why Southern California have embraced environmental friendly policies – pollution can obscure much of what people see, a thick haze that blankets the city many days of the year.
Green Car Journal regularly chooses the leading vehicle each year that they believe demonstrates greenness – the best combination of fuel economy, lower emissions, advanced technology, and other environmentally friendly attributes. Later this morning, the magazine will announce their winner for the Green Car of the Year, choosing the winner from the following five finalists:
- BMW 335d
- Ford Fusion Hybrid
- Saturn VUE 2-Mode Hybrid
- Smart ForTwo
- Volkswagen Jetta TDI
If I could vote for the vehicle I think should win, it would be one of the two hybrids, with the edge going to the Ford Fusion Hybrid. Nine jurors including Jay Leno, automotive icon Carroll Shelby, and representatives from the Sierra Club, Ocean Futures Society and other groups will decide the winner, but not me.
The Smart ForTwo, besides its size, only achieves 33/41 fuel economy, while the new Ford Fusion Hybrid is expected to get at least 39 mpg around the city. Plus, its seats five passengers, it can go up to 47 mph on electric power before the engine kicks in, and can travel as far as 700 miles between fill ups, better than the Saturn.
The diesels are interesting, but their fuel economy numbers aren’t that great. Plus, diesel fuel costs a fortune and you pay a premium to buy a diesel over a gas engine. To me, the Ford Fusion Hybrid is the best representation of all things green.
But, we’re still several hours away from an announcement and perhaps there will be a surprise in the form of a diesel offering winning the award. Stay tuned!
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November 20th, 2008 at 11:08 am
Nice covereage. One minor correction: the Fusion Hybrid does not have a 47-mile all-electric RANGE. Instead, it can accelerate go to 47 miles-per-hour before the gas engine must cut in. But probably not for much distance.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:37 am
You are correct, Michael. I amended the article to reflect the mph, not the range. I think the Fusion Hybrid has a leg up today. I’ll find out shortly and post that information here.
November 20th, 2008 at 11:58 am
They’re claiming substantially better EPA numbers than the Camry Hybrid. I’m very interested in learning how they achieved this–so hopefully you can find out.
On the range, I just assumed it couldn’t go that far since it’s not a plug-in and GM is struggling to get the Volt (with a much higher capacity battery pack) to go 40.