The annual Green Car of the Year is an award from the Green Car Journal, for all of those who do not know, and I can not imagine that there are lots of you out there. As you know, the annual winner is selected by a panel that hosts 11 members who are automotive and environmental experts. This year it is, once again, going to be a tight race for the winner, just like last year when the winner was Chevrolet Volt. The panel decided to narrow the list to five finalists for 2017 which all hope that they will bring this prestigious award home and add it to the trophy case.
The list is as follows:
BMW 330e iPerformance
The German wonder uses a turbocharged inline-four and an electric motor together producing 248 HP (184 kwW) and can travel 71 MPGe when driving only on battery power.
Chevrolet Bolt
This model is trying to follow the footsteps of it predecessor bringing to the table 238 miles of pure electric range. Not bad!
Chrysler Pacifica
Here we have the first minivan in a long time that has been up for this prestigious award. The Pacifica has a wide range of engine options, but most considerable is the plug-in hybrid with 80 MPGe efficiency.
Kia Optima
The Optima’s with its new design and sleek look isn’t the only new feature for company’s best-selling sedan. It also has a range of efficient engines and plug-in hybrids that can offer its driver up to 27 miles (43 kilometers) of pure electric driving justifying the nomination.
Toyota Prius Prime
Here we have the evolution of the original Prius that offers 22 miles (35 kilometers) of pure electric range on a single charge and impressive fuel economy results.
According to the reports, the Green Car Journal will announce the winner at the Los Angeles Auto Show on November 17th where we will be able to see a few “other green transportation announcements.” The star that is among the jury is everybody’s favorite Jay Leno who is, together with a number of environmental experts and efficiency organizations, going to choose the winner of the mentioned award. But wait, this isn’t everything, because together with the 2017 Green Car of the Year Award, finalists for the Washington Auto Show Green Car awards including Green SUV of the Year, Connected Green Car of the Year, and Luxury Green Car of the Year will also be announced.
