This is an important time for ‘green cars,’ even amid some of the most challenging times the auto industry has ever seen. The reasons are clear. In many ways, ‘green’ cars represent the future of the auto industry and the products that will enable our mobility in the years to come.
It’s no longer an option for automakers to address the efficiency and environmental impact of new models, but rather an imperative. It will become even more so as environmental performance, in all its forms, becomes a greater touchstone for new car buyers.
In fact, environmental performance already is viewed as an important measure of a new car. While not yet on par with more traditional touchstones such as safety or quality, environmental performance – especially when it includes higher fuel economy and lower carbon emissions – has taken on greater meaning in this era of high and unstable fuel costs.
Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year® program is the industry leading measure of environmental progress, identifying the one vehicle model that offers the most significant achievement in this area during the new model year. This year, GCOY nominees included a diverse crowd, among them the BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and smart fortwo.
The winner, just announced at the Los Angeles Auto Show, is the 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. This is the first time that a clean diesel model has been awarded the title Green Car of the Year®.
The 2009 Jetta TDI breaks new ground in the field of clean diesels, achieving emissions certification in all 50 states without the use of special additives or extraordinary measures. It provides five passenger functionality with welcome levels of power and a satisfying driving experience. Importantly, it also achieves estimated highway fuel economy of 41 mpg with greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a rarified fuel economy number typically achieved by only the most efficient gasoline-electric hybrids. The clean diesel Jetta TDI matches this efficiency with a powerplant that’s more straightforward and affordable, allowing the Jetta TDI an affordable $21,990 price tag.
Selecting the 2009 Green Car of the Year® was a jury including four Green Car Journal editors and a larger number of invited jurors including automotive icon Carroll Shelby; auto expert and ‘Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno; Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope; Natural Resources Defense Council president Frances Beinecke; and Ocean Futures Society president Jean-Michel Cousteau.
