WASHINGTON, Jan. 31, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Mazda's highly-efficient SkyACTIV technology has been named Green Car Journal's 2013 Green Car Technology Award^™ winner at the Washington Auto Show (WAS). The inaugural Green Car Technology Award^™ winner was announced at a press conference held in the Washington Auto Show's Advanced Technology Superhighway (ATS) exhibit area during the show's second Policy Day. Accepting the award was Peter Donnelly, Regional General Manager of Mazda North American Operations Northeast Region.

Mazda SkyACTIV rose to the top amid a field of 10 nominees from major automakers. Nominees include Fiat MultiAir; Fisker EVer Powertrain; Ford Auto Stop-Start, EcoBoost, and Energi technologies; Honda Eco Assist; Mazda SkyACTIV; Nissan Easy-Fill Tire Alert; Tesla Powertrain; and Toyota RAV4 EV Powertrain. These nominees are distinguished as Green Car Journal's 'Top 10 Green Car Technologies for 2013.' Each of these technologies is incorporated in current model vehicles and helping achieve ever-higher levels of efficiency and lower environmental impact today, a requirement for consideration in the award program.

"We were pleased that the Green Car Journal selected The Washington Auto Show as the venue to announce its inaugural Green Car Technology Award," said Robert Fogarty, president of Sport Automotive and  WAS Show Chairman.

The inaugural Green Car Technology Award^™ is an important addition at the Washington Auto Show and an ideal complement to the show's ATS Lounge. Advanced technologies are key to the auto industry's challenge of meeting federally mandated 54.5 mpg fleet-wide fuel economy by 2025 while decreasing petroleum use and CO2 emissions. The Green Car Technology Award^™ recognizes the year's most prominent technology identified by Green Car Journal.

"The approach that Mazda is taking by incorporating its full suite of efficient SkyACTIV technologies in its all-new models is important," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. "Optimizing the entire vehicle, from engine and transmission to chassis, body structure, and all the components large and small that make up a modern vehicle is truly paramount. This holistic philosophy epitomizes the ideal in delivering the enabling technologies so important to creating the efficient, fun-to-drive models required for a more environmentally compatible driving future."

Mazda's 2013 CX-5 is the first model to be designed with the automaker's full suite of SkyACTIV technologies, a move that enables this crossover vehicle to achieve a milestone 35 highway mpg. Green Car Journal testing has shown this vehicle's ability to net an even higher 40 mpg on extended highway drives without effort. The new 2014 Mazda6, with its gasoline SkyACTIV-G and clean diesel SkyACTIV-D powerplants, is the next all-new model to benefit from this technology and the SkyACTIV philosophy.

The Mazda6 SkyACTIV and a selection of models representing technology finalists for the Green Car Technology Award^™ will be on display at the Washington Auto Show in the ATS Lounge on the main show floor.

About Green Car Journal
The award-winning Green Car Journal has focused on the intersection of automobiles, energy, and environment since its launch in 1992. As part of its mission, the magazine hosts events, produces ride-and-drives of advanced and clean fuel vehicles, and conducts various outreach efforts to educate consumers on better and more environmentally positive vehicle choices. Additional information about Green Car Journal can be viewed at www.greencarjournal.com.

About WANADA and The Washington Auto Show
The 2013 staging of the 71st Washington Auto Show in Washington, DC offers a showcase of more than 700 vehicles from over 43 domestic and import manufacturers. The 2013 Washington Auto Show opens to the public from Feb. 1-10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center and is produced by the Washington Area New Automobile Dealers Association (WANADA). Founded in 1917, WANADA represents more than 225 franchised new vehicle dealers and 75 kindred-line members operating in and around the Capital Beltway, representing the metro Washington, DC auto market.

SOURCE Washington Auto Show 2013