And Now There Is One...Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) Declared 2010 World Green Car

NEW YORK, April 1 /PRNewswire/ -- At a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and BASF SE at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan, New York, the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) was declared the 2010 World Green Car.

The Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) was chosen from an initial entry list of thirteen (13) contenders nominated by fifty-nine (59) World Car jurors from twenty-five (25) countries throughout the world.  

The World Green Car award is presented by Bridgestone Corporation (Japan) who announced their sponsorship earlier this year. Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Brand Management said, "We are very pleased and honored to sponsor the 2010 World Green Car of The Year.  The environment is everyone's responsibility. And throughout our global family of companies, we take this responsibility very seriously.  We believe it is our mission to serve society with superior quality... not just with eco-friendly products but also in the way we produce those products and the way in which we support our many communities with environmentally-friendly activities such as wildlife habitats and our Lake Biwa initiative in Japan."

"We hope that this sponsorship will help underscore to those in the automotive industry as well as to consumers that tires can help  vehicles be more fuel efficient. Through our environmentally friendly "Ecopia" tire brand we expect to help drivers achieve better mileage, and therefore contribute to a more sustainable mobile society."

Due to the complexity of some of the 'green' technologies, three (3) green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate.   They were asked to create a short-list of finalists for review by the fifty-nine (59) jurors in their second round of voting in February.  Their ballots will be tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.  The three green experts are in alphabetical order:

Sam Abuelsamid (representing North America) is the technical editor of several 'green' web sites including GreenFuelsForecast.com, DieselForecast.com and HydrogenForecast.com.  In 2006, he began writing for AutoblogGreen.com and Autoblog.com; becoming a full-time writer and photographer and editor in 2007.

Dean Slavnich (representing Europe) is editor of Engine Technology International (ETi) and its sister publication, Electric & Hybrid Vehicle Technology International (E&H).  Engine Technology International is widely regarded as the most readable, passionate and informative publication currently produced on the subject of OE engine and powertrain design, development and manufacture.

Tadashi Tateuchi (representing Asia) is the creator and chairman of the Japan Electric Vehicle (EV) Club.  He was awarded the Environment Minister's medal in 1998.  A juror on the Japan Car of the Year panel, he contributes regularly to Car Graphic magazine and the Japan Automobile Federation's monthly magazine.  

The fifty-nine (59) member jury chose the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo), the Honda Insight and the Toyota Prius as the top three finalists for the 2010 World Green Car award.

Jurors felt that "It is not necessary to add an electric motor and a heavy battery pack to achieve class-leading efficiency. Based on Volkswagen's common-rail diesel engines, the BlueMotion models are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles on the market. In fact, the Passat BlueMotion can travel just about 1,000 miles on one tank of fuel in the European cycle. As far as internal combustion engines go today, these models are the ultimate you can get."

Previous World Green Car winners are the Honda FCX Clarity in 2009, the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics in 2008, the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec in 2007 and the Honda Civic Hybrid in 2006.  

Prime Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to form a unique research partnership that will provide strategic reports in 2010, analyzing global automotive media coverage.  

Now in their seventh year, the annual World Car awards have become one of the world's most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind.

The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognize and reward automotive excellence on an international scale.   The awards are intended to complement, not compete, with existing national and regional Car of the Year programs.

The awards are administered by a non-profit association, under the guidance of a Steering Committee of pre-eminent automotive journalists from Asia, Europe, and North America.  Peter Lyon (Japan) and Matt Davis (Italy / USA) are the co-chairs; John McCormick (USA), Jens Meiners (Germany) and Gerry Malloy (Canada) are the directors.  There is no affiliation with, nor are the awards in any way influenced by any publication, auto show, automaker, or other commercial enterprise.

PHOTOS from today's press conference are available for download on our web site at www.wcoty.com > Award Photos.  Additional information?  Contact:  Beth Rhind, Executive Manager, E: [email protected], T: 1.705.924.3444.  

About BRIDGESTONE CORPORATION

Bridgestone Corporation, headquartered in Tokyo, is the world's largest tire and rubber company. In addition to tires for use in a wide variety of applications, it also manufactures a broad range of diversified products, which include industrial rubber and chemical products and sporting goods. Its products are sold in over 150 nations and territories around the world.

About PRIME RESEARCH

PRIME Research International, a global leader in strategic communication research and consultancy, has joined forces with the World Car Awards to provide strategic studies in the fields of automotive assessment criteria and automotive awards. PRIME Research is a well-trusted research partner for the automotive industry with a broad range of automotive clients. Its full picture approach, which provides strategic benchmark information and SWOT analyses on over 100 brands and over 10,000 different automobile models, sets the standard in automotive media research.    

About the 2010 NEW YORK INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW

Ushering in the latest motor trends, the 2010 New York International Auto Show will unveil an expansive collection of cutting-edge design and extraordinary innovation. More than four floors of displays from the world's automakers will feature the newest vehicles and futuristic concept cars.  More than 1,000 cars and trucks will be on display. NYIAS is North America's first and largest-attended auto show.  The first exhibition was held in 1900 at Madison Square Garden.  Today, the Show represents the nation's largest new vehicle market, accounting for over 840,000 new vehicle registrations in 2008. NYIAS is owned and produced by the Greater New York Automobile Dealers Association.

*The World Green Car award was established in 2004 and is part of the overall World Car of the Year Awards program that is international in scope.   It should not be confused with the Green Car of the Year® award handed out in the United States by Green Car Journal.

SOURCE New York International Auto Show