Volkswagen Diesel Car Wins "Green Car of the Year"
US: November 21, 2008
LOS ANGELES - A clean-burning diesel sedan, Volkswagen AG's Jetta TDI, won
the "Green Car of the Year" award at the Los Angeles auto show on Thursday,
the first time a diesel-powered car has taken the industry's top
environmental honor.
"This signals that clean diesel has arrived," said Ron Cogan, editor of
Green Car Journal, the trade magazine that awards the prize.
Diesel, a conventional combustion approach long favored by Europeans, has
been making inroads into the US market as a here-and-now option to make
engines run more economically and pollute less.
The use of diesel for passenger cars had long been stalled in the United
States because of unacceptably high tailpipe emissions, but advanced
technology has allowed so-called clean diesel vehicles to filter out more
pollutants and for the first time meet smog pollution laws in all states.
Diesel engines have also suffered an image problem in the US market due to
an association with the underpowered versions sold in the 1970s. The
technology has been largely limited to large trucks in the United States,
even though it is a perennial top seller among passenger cars in Europe.
Volkswagen's US chief, Stefan Jacoby, said diesels have emerged as an
alternative to hybrids such as Toyota Motor Corp's popular Prius.
"It's a breakthrough in this country," Jacoby said. "I don't want to say
it's better than other technologies, but it's a real alternative to hybrids.
It brings fuel consumption down, it's environmentally friendly, and -- this
is a difference with a Prius -- this is really fun to drive."
Volkswagen's five-passenger Jetta TDI, which boasts a fuel efficiency of 41
miles per gallon, starts at $21,990, compared with $17,340 for a traditional
Jetta.
The Jetta TDI beat out finalists including BMW's 335d diesel sport sedan,
Ford Motor Co's Fusion Hybrid passenger sedan, General Motors Corp's
crossover Saturn Vue 2 Mode Hybrid, and the smart fortwo mini car.
"This is the vehicle that stood out among all of the five finalists as the
one that really exhibited the greatest environmental achievement," Cogan
said. "You get 30 percent better fuel efficiency, on average, with a diesel,
and a commensurate reduction in greenhouse gases."
Diesel, however, costs almost $1 more per gallon than gasoline in some parts
of the United States.
So far the Jetta TDI, which went on sale in August, has sold out, said
Jacoby. "The Jetta TDI and Sportswagen don't see recession," he said.
Jacoby said diesels could represent up to 30 percent of sales for Volkswagen
models like the Jetta, on which diesel is an option. That would mean a sales
target of 30,000 to 35,000 Jetta TDI per year in the United States.
The panel of judges that awarded the "Green Car of the Year" prize included
famed car designer Carroll Shelby, late-night talk show host Jay Leno and
representatives from environmental groups the Sierra Club and the Natural
Resources Defense Council, among others.
(Reporting by Nichola Groom; editing by Gunna Dickson)
Story by Nichola Groom and Kevin Krolicki
REUTERS NEWS SERVICE
|