green

Green Car Journal has named the the finalists for its 2010 Green Car of the Year award, and it’s a sweet list that includes two diesels and three hybrids. Some of the cars are obvious, but one or two might surprise you.

Green Car Journal focuses on the intersection of automobiles, energy and the environment, and it has been covering the green car and alt-fuel movement almost from the beginning. Only those cars you can actually buy here in America are considered for the award. What’s more, the judges include environmentalists to ensure the cars are eco-friendly and certified gearheads to ensure they’re rides you’d actually want to buy. The panel that named the Volkswagen Jetta TDI as last year’s winner (that’s it being revealed in the pic) included Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, and car fanatics Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby.

This year’s finalists, in alphabetical order, are…

  1. Audi A3 TDI
  2. Honda Insight
  3. Mercury Milan Hybrid
  4. Toyota Prius
  5. Volkswagen Golf TDI

“We’re seeing the trend for ‘green’ cars emerging at all levels, from entry-level cars to luxury models, and even performance cars and SUVs/crossovers,” said Ron Cogan, editor of Green Car Journal. “Plus, an array of technologies and fuels as well as strategies like lightweighting and reducing rolling resistance are being applied to the challenge. Greater choice provides buyers a personal stake in lessening environmental impact, and that’s important.”

The five finalists are a varied group. This is the first time Audi has made it in with its sporty and clean diesel A3 TDI, a car too long kept from America’s shores. Defending champ Volkswagen is back its new Golf TDI. Honda’s new hybrid, the Insight, goes toe-to-toe with its arch-rival, the Toyota Prius. The sole representative of American manufacturers is the Milan Hybrid, an upscale mid-size sedan.

Take a gander at the finalists and use the poll below to place your vote. You vote won’t count in the Green Car Journal tally, but it’ll be cool to see how your vote stacks up against the judges.

audi_a3_tdi

2010 Audi A3 TDI.
Photo: Audi

honda_insight

2010 Honda Insight. Check out our review of the Insight.
Photo: Honda

milan_hybrid

2010 Mercury Milan Hybrid. Check out our review of its sister, the Fusion Hybrid.
Photo: Ford

2010_prius

2010 Toyota Prius. Check out our review of the Prius.
Photo: Toyota

golf_tdi

Volkswagen Golf TDI. This is actually the European-spec Golf BlueMotion diesel, but VW’s press site didn’t have any pics of the 2010 Golf TDI. But you get the idea.