The list of nominees for the 2018 Green Car of the Year award, which will be handed out in late November during the Los Angeles Auto Show press preview, is dominated by Asian automakers, including two nominations for Honda.
The 2018 models include the Honda Accord, Honda Clarity, Hyundai Ioniq, Nissan Leaf and Toyota Camry, according to Green Car Journal. Noticeably absent from the list? Tesla Model 3.
The all-new 2018 Accord champions style, efficiency, and performance with three advanced new power plants – two direct-injected and turbocharged 4-cylinder engines and the third generation of Honda’s two-motor hybrid powertrain.
“Both turbocharged engines utilize high-efficiency low-inertia turbos, variable valve timing and high-accuracy direct injection to deliver immediate and powerful response, plus impressive fuel efficiency,” the nomination said.
(Honda investing big in future of Accord. To see more, Click Here.)
The nomination of Honda’s 2018 Clarity noted it features an appealing design with and spacious interior.
“It’s distinguished as the only model offering electric, plug-in hybrid or hydrogen fuel cell power. While electrical energy is delivered in different ways by each of these advanced vehicles, all are driven by an electric motor. The Clarity plug-in hybrid earns an EPA rated 47 miles of battery electric range and a total driving range of 340 miles,” the nomination said.
The 2018 Hyundai Ioniq comes in three variations including electric, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid choices, “each with its own unique styling cues and character,” the nomination said. The Ioniq Electric delivers an EPA rated 124 miles of battery electric driving range and 136 combined MPGe fuel efficiency. The Ioniq hybrid gets 59 highway mpg, while the Ioniq plug-In drives 27 miles on battery power and features a total driving range of 654 miles.
The 2018 Nissan Leaf offers new styling, more range, and a full suite of Nissan Intelligent Mobility technologies. This second generation, all-electric Leaf “is sportier with excellent aerodynamics,” the award nomination noted. “Its 150-mile battery electric range makes it a solid competitor in the electric vehicle market, an important consideration for a model that’s been the best-selling affordable electric worldwide since its 2010 debut.
The fifth nominee for the Green Car award is Toyota’s eighth generation Camry sedan, which nomination noted, is sportier and more dynamic with edgier styling while also delivering efficiency with three new powertrains – a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, 3.5-liter V-6 and a hybrid powered by the automaker’s next-generation Toyota hybrid system.
(Nissan expects 2018 Leaf to turnover new buyers. For the story, Click Here.)
“The Camry Hybrid approaches the combined fuel efficiency of Toyota’s Prius by delivering up to 53 highway mpg,” the nomination said.
“This year’s Green Car of the Year finalists reflect the continuing evolution of the automobile and the drive toward ever-greater environmental compatibility,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and GreenCarJournal.com.
“Each addresses environmental performance in distinct ways, using battery electric propulsion, highly-efficient internal combustion alone or combined with electric drive, and even hydrogen fuel cell power. Importantly, these are exciting and fun-to-drive models offering consumers varying ways to drive ‘green’ that fit their unique needs and sensibilities, and are readily available to the mass market.”
Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important “green” vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, and now AutoMobility LA, since its inaugural award was announced in 2005.
(To check out TDB’s first drive in the new Toyota Camry, Click Here.)
Over the years, an increasing number of vehicles have been considered for the Green Car of the Year program, which reflects the auto industry’s expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact.
