2008 Green Car Of The Year

Here’s some more news from the 2008 Los Angeles Car Show. The 2008 Green Car of the Year award goes to Volkswagen for its new Jetta TDI, a turbo-charged low sulphur diesel powered car. With mpg ratings of 30 city and 41 highway this vehicle outperforms some hybrid vehicles with a simpler and less-expensive powerplant. The base MSRP is $21,990 and the direct injected 2.0L four-cylinder puts out 140hp.

The award was created in 2005 by the Green Car Journal and was voted on by nine jurors including representatives from the Sierra Club, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Jay Leno and Carroll Shelby.

To prove the performance (and marketability) of this new vehicle Volkswagen is sponsoring the Jetta TDI Cup at Virginia International Raceway. They’ve given a bunch of young drivers the chance to come together, get racing instruction with 30 identically prepared clean diesel vehicles (and a carbon free footprint) and compete for $100,000.