At last week’s Washington, D.C., Auto Show, three cars were named by Green Car Journal and Cars of Change as Green Cars of the Year for 2016.
In the Luxury car category, the XC90 T8 from Volvo, a brand now owned by China’s Geely, took the prize. The XC90 T8 is a seven passenger plug-in hybrid sport utility vehicle (SUV) that uses a two-liter supercharged and turbocharged Drive-E engine with a rear axle electric motor powered by lithium-ion batteries. This enables 17 miles of electric driving with additional range on hybrid power.
The Volvo topped four other finalists in the Luxury car category: the BMW X5 xDrive40e, Lexus RX 450h, Mercedes-Benz C350e and Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
In the Green SUV category, Honda Motor Co. Ltd.’s (NYSE: HMC) HR-V compact crossover was the winner. The HR-V is powered by a 1.8-liter gasoline powered engine and achieved a highway mileage rating of 35 mpg. Other finalists in the category were BMW X1 xDrive 28i, Hyundai Tucson, Mazda CX-3 and Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
In the Connected Green Car category, the all-new Chevy Malibu from General Motors Co. (NYSE: GM) took top honors. The Malibu features an efficient hybrid powertrain derived from the latest generation Chevy Volt that delivers an estimated 47 combined mpg. Finalists in the category were Audi A3 e-tron, BMW 330e, Toyota Prius and Volvo XC90 T8.
Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and Cars of Change, said:
These are stand-out vehicles in an increasingly sophisticated and appealing field of ‘green’ cars. To make the cut as a finalist is a real achievement in itself considering the considerable competition in the market today. Rising to the top as award winners means these three exceptional vehicles set a benchmark in the auto industry’s effort to create vehicles that are desirable and efficient, while also achieving environmental milestones so important for our driving future.
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