Green Car of the Year Announced at LA Auto Show - It's a Diesel

In brief: For the second year in a row, Green Car Journal has named a German-made diesel car to be the Green Car of the Year, this time the Audi A3 TDI.

The word

The A3 TDI gets 42mpg and beat out three hybrids and another diesel to win the prize. It has nearly zero particulate emissions and was given praises such as "stylish" and "fun to drive" to boot.

The judging panel included people like Jay Leno, Jean-Michael Cousteau, and others.

The Audi A3 TDI beat out competition from the Honda Insight Hybrid, the Mercury Milan Hybrid, the Toyota Prius, and the Volkswagen Golf TDI. To be eligible for the prize, a vehicle must be currently available on the market.

The A3 diesel is a 2.0L direct-injection, turbocharged engine putting out 140 horsepower. Last year's winner was the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

And so ...

With a bad rap in America, diesel vehicles are not common, but in Europe, they are the most fuel efficient cars available.

Photo credits: Wired