The final three contestants for the World Green Car award presented by Bridgestone Corporation have been named as the Nissan Leaf, the BMW 320d EfficientDynamics and the Chevrolet Volt.
The winner, as voted for by leading automotive journalists from around the world, will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on April 21, 2011, during the second day of press previews.
Due to the complexity of some of the ‘green’ technologies nominated for the award, three green experts were appointed by the World Car Steering Committee which selects the finalists, to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate, in an attempt to fairly compare the cars. The final three cars all use very different powertrains; the Leaf is an all-electric model, the BMW car is an efficient diesel vehicle while the Volt has its innovative ‘range-extended’ drivetrain which combines an electric motor and a traditional petrol engine.
A jury of sixty-six voted in February to decide the final three nominees for the award, which forms part of the World Car Awards, with categories including World Performance Car and World Car Design of the Year award. The Nissan Leaf is also one of three finalists for the overall World Car of the Year Award 2011, along with the Audi A8 and BMW 5 Series.
Ryoji Yamada, General Manager of Brand Management at Bridgestone said: "We are very pleased and honoured to sponsor the 2011 World Green Car award. The environment is everyone’s responsibility.”
