Five Finalists for Green Car of the Year Announced

On November 17 at the LA Auto Show, the Green Car of the Year Award will be given out for the seventh year. The five finalists for that prize have been announced and they represent a cross-section of what's available in cleaner cars these days.

All-electric models are represented by the Ford Focus Electric and the Mitsubishi i. The Mitsubishi i is wildly popular in Asian markets and although it hasn't hit U.S. markets yet, it will be available by the contest's January 1 deadline.

The new Prius v is the only hybrid contender, but is being recognized as a new extension of the popular brand to a larger customer base.

The Honda Civic Natural Gas was chosen because it runs off cleaner burning compressed natural gas, a fuel that is pretty much ready for mainstream if cars are built to use it.

Finally, the Volkswagen Passat TDI takes up the final space in the contest. The TDI is diesel vehicle that boasts great fuel economy and fewer emissions.

These five were also chosen as Green Car Journal's top cars for 2012.

via LA Auto Show

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Notes
written by Captain TickTock, October 26, 2011

The Mitsubishi pictured is the i-MiEV.

TDI simply means turbo-diesel, which has been around for years. The VW Passat you refer to is probably a Blue Motion model, which is an efficient turbo diesel coupled with Stop/Start among other things.

...
written by Erik, October 27, 2011

Very excited for the Prius. Great vehicle, and one of the most popular hybrids here in the states.

Oxymoronic
written by Mark, October 28, 2011

The only green car, is no car at all. The batteries, and their components, are even more environmentally dangerous than burning fuel. Diesel is still a petroleum product. Until the world embraces clean biofuels, and true sustainability, I cannot see that any type of car could be considered 'green'.

@Mark
written by Mike, October 29, 2011

You are quite correct. Blogs like this one seem to cater for people who like the concept of 'green' but are still at heart the same old consumers hankering for the latest and greatest gadget or technology. If it is in some way attributed as 'green' then that is the green light justification for a purchase. Marketers know this and specifically target this market. Blogs like this one, often mindlessly publish PR greenwash from corporations thus helping to sustain the status quo.

-1

...
written by Rex K. Thomas, November 02, 2011

Cars do not have to be built in any special way to run on natural gas. Any gasoline powered vehicle can easily and cheaply be converted to run on natural gas, propane, or even hydrogen.

No cars
written by jp, November 02, 2011

I agree with Mark and Mike; but reality is that most areas in the US do not have a usable public transportation system. In some areas, suburbs offer the only affordable housing option for a family that can not fit in a city studio or 1 bedroom apartment. And finally, if you live in the US West Coast, you need a car for those weekend outings to the mountains, etc, where biking is out of the question and bus/train service is non-existent.

TDI Clarification
written by Patrick, November 03, 2011

Correction: TDI stands for Turbo Direct Injection, which has not been around as long as turbo indirect injection. Just to let you know.

nothing is clean @mark,@mike
written by Dan, February 20, 2012

enviromentaly speaking, nothing is completely safe for nature , biofuel crops destroy many forests in brasil and other countrys, batteries are made with non-biodegradable material`s, so we do what we can.. this technology partially remove`s us from the contaminant equation,

think about it, there is no brain wash

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