Jetta oiler takes Green COTY
Jetta TDI wins US Green car of the yearUS publication Green Car Journal has given its Green Car of the Year award to Volkswagen's Jetta TDI at the Los Angeles International Motor Show.
The Jetta -- essentially a Golf with a boot conceived for the trunk-loving US market -- beat a diverse field including BMW's 335d, Ford's Fusion Hybrid sedan and the smart fortwo.
This is the first time the award has gone to a diesel model. As the only clean diesel sedan to meet stringent emissions certification specs across all of the US's 50 states, the Jetta won because it is also "fuel efficient, affordable -- and dare we say 'fun'," said the journal.
Ron Cogan, editor of the journal which has been in publication since 1992, told press the Jetta "raises the bar significantly in environmental performance" with EPA fuel economy ratings of 31 mpg (7.6L/100km) in the city and 41 mpg (5.7L/100km) on the highway.
This, he said, means the Jetta TDI achieves "the kind of fuel efficiency offered by gasoline-electric hybrids but in a more affordable way," Cogan said.
The award is expected to help raise the profile of diesel power for passenger cars in the US, a market where it currently accounts for less than one per cent of sales.
Alongside Green Car Journal editors, the jury represented a diverse set of motoring interests, ranging from former racer and legendary civilian powermonger Carroll Shelby through tonight-show host and outspoken motoring enthusiast Jay Leno to Ocean Futures Society president Jean-Michel Cousteau.
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