Chevy Volt named Green Car of the Year

GM marketing chief Joel Ewanick poses with the Chevrolet Volt at the Los Angeles Auto Show today after the plug-in electric car was named Green Car of the Year today.

 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Chevrolet Volt plug-in electric car, the centerpiece of a revitalized General Motors Co., was named 2011 Green Car of the Year today during press previews at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

The highly anticipated Volt received the industry's top environmental honor the same day GM shares began trading on the New York and Toronto stock exchanges.

The Volt edged out the Nissan Leaf, Ford's Fiesta, the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid to win the award.

The panel for selecting the Green Car of the Year included "Tonight Show" host and car enthusiast Jay Leno, and car designer Carroll Shelby, among others.

The Volt is the first electric vehicle to win the award.

“This has been a long time coming,” said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. “The electric vehicles that were test marketed in the 1990s tantalized us, but were without a solid business case. What a difference a decade makes.”

source: http://www.autonews.com/