The also-rans include the BMW 328d, the Audi A6 TDI, the Toyota Corolla in Eco trim and the Mazda3 with i-ELOOP and Skyactiv technologies. The judging pool, which include editors from Green Car Journal along with Jay Leno, Jean-Michel Cousteau and others, are not simply looking for the best or coolest “green car,” but the most efficient vehicle that they believe will sell well. When it announced the finalists, Green Car Journal said:
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.
Speaking at the award ceremony this morning, Green Car Journal editor Ron Cogan (pictured, right) praised the 50-mpg Accord Hybrid for bringing easy fuel efficiency to the masses. Last year, the various Ford Fusion models (plug-in hybrid and hybrid) won the Green Car of the Year award, and the year before that it was the Honda Civic Natural Gas. In 2011, the Chevrolet Volt snagged the title.
Green Car Journal Reveals Winner During LA Auto Show® Press Days
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 21, 2013 /PRNewswire/ — After giving heavy consideration to each of the five finalists nominated for the Green Car of the Year® program, Green Car Journal named the 2014 Honda Accord winner of its prestigious award for 2014. This award honors the 2014 Accord model in all its iterations, including the Accord, Accord Hybrid, and Accord Plug-In. The announcement was made live from the LA Auto Show® floor, in front of a crowd of thousands of esteemed international journalists and industry VIPs on Nov. 21.
Honda’s Accord emerged on top of an exceptional field of finalists including the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. According to Green Car Journal editors, the Accord has evolved in important ways to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated and changing market that seeks ever-higher fuel efficiency, lower CO2 emissions, and improved environmental impact, without sacrificing the features and driving experience expected by new car buyers. The 2014 Honda Accord brings notable efficiency with its conventional gasoline powerplants, and now ups its game with highly-efficient Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-In hybrid choices that achieve up to 50 highway mpg or, in the case of the Plug-In, 115 MPGe, the highest of any mid-size hybrid sedan in the country.
“Honda’s 2014 Accord clearly leads by example in the ‘green’ space and is a deserving winner of the 2014 Green Car of the Year® honor,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. “Mainstream buyers have long found the Accord a popular choice because of its efficiency, functionality, safety, and value. With the addition of exceptional hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions to the already-fuel efficient Accord line, Honda’s Accord becomes an even more compelling choice.”
In the Green Car of the Year® program, Green Car Journal editors identify five finalists after an extensive vetting process and the winner is selected by a majority vote of the Green Car of the Year® jury. Nominees are exemplary in that they forward environmental performance in meaningful and quantifiable ways while also presenting an accessible choice to enough consumers to make a real impact on the environment. Vehicles that are all-new or in the earliest stages of their model lifecycle carry additional weight, with models vetted in a previous award year considered only if significant changes to that model have occurred. Green Car of the Year® honors are reserved for production vehicles on sale by January 1 of the award year.
“Having our most popular model, the Accord, honored as the 2014 Green Car of the Year® is a tribute to the company’s long-term commitment to offer advanced fuel-saving technologies in mainstream vehicles,” said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of Automobile Operations for American Honda. “Offering fuel-efficient 4-cylinder and V6 engines alongside class-leading hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, the 2014 Accord family provides environmentally conscious shoppers more options than ever before.”
Invited 2014 Green Car of the Year® jurors include leaders of many of the nation’s most notable environmental and energy efficiency organizations including Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Matt Petersen, board member of Global Green USA; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Dr. Alan Lloyd, president of the International Council on Clean Transportation and former head of the California Air Resources Board and Cal/EPA. Auto enthusiast and Tonight Show host Jay Leno and Green Car Journal editors round out the jury.
“When you consider the Honda Accord’s cost and the mileage it delivers with standard and hybrid power, you’re not only economically ahead of the game but also improving environmental impact by using less petroleum and cutting CO2 emissions,” said Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society and a Green Car of the Year® juror since the award’s inception.
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.
Last year, the Green Car of the Year® winner was the Ford Fusion. Previous winners include the Honda Civic Natural Gas (2012), the Chevrolet Volt (2011), the Audi A3 TDI (2010), the Volkswagen Jetta TDI (2009), the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (2008), the Toyota Camry Hybrid (2007), and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (2006).
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. Today, the magazine is considered the premier source of information on high fuel efficiency, low emission, advanced technology, and alternative fuel vehicles. CarsOfChange.com presents ‘green car’ articles online along with a focus on infotainment and connectivity. 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 and Connected Car Expo
Founded in 1907, the Los Angeles Auto Show is the first major North American auto show of the season each year. Press Days for the 2013 LA Auto Show® will be held on Nov. 20 and 21. The show will be open to the public Nov. 22 – Dec. 1. The Connected Car Expo (CCE) will be the first expo to unite automotive and technology professionals in an effort to increase development and foster relationship-building in the connected car industry, providing attendees with access to the key players and top media constructing the future of the connected car. CCE will debut on Nov. 19, and continue in conjunction with the 2013 LA Auto Show Press Days. The LA Auto Show is endorsed by the Greater L.A. New Car Dealer Association and is operated by ANSA Productions. To receive the latest show news and information, follow LA Auto Show on Twitter at twitter.com/LAAutoShow or via Facebook at facebook.com/LosAngelesAutoShow and sign up for alerts at www.LAAutoShow.com. For more information on CCE please visit http://connectedcarexpo.com/.
