New Chevrolet Volt named Green Car of the Year

LOS ANGELES -- The Chevrolet Volt plug-in sedan was named 2016 Green Car of the Year Thursday at the Los Angeles Auto Show, winning the auto industry's most closely watched environmental honor.

Judges noted the 2016 model's "sleek and sporty design, more energy-dense batteries, new electric motors, and quicker acceleration."

The car has a more efficient 1.5-liter engine-generator that creates on-board electricity to power the Volt's motors for a total 420 miles.

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The Volt beat a field of finalists that includes the Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata and Audi A3 E-Tron.

The 2016 Volt is the second generation of the hybrid, which went on sale this fall with a range of 53 miles on electricity alone -- beating the automaker's prediction that the second-generation car would reach 50 miles under battery power.

"This is the first time in Green Car of the Year history that a vehicle has won the award in two succeeding model generations," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal. "Considering all the brands and models evaluated in the award program, that's quite a statement."

The Chevrolet Volt won 2011 Green Car of the Year, shortly after the original was introduced.

"Unlike the first generation where we had no owner base and had to figure it out, we now have a base of 80,000 loyal buyers," said Steve Majoros, marketing director for Chevrolet cars and crossovers.

The Volt will be a cornerstone of marketing campaigns, he said. Additionally, "we have a lot more plans for electrification."

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Since then, a raft of other environmental models have also gotten better in succeeding generations.

• Toyota Prius was redesigned for the 2016 model year.
• Honda Civic is now in its 10th generation and was nominated for getting the fuel economy of a hybrid with a conventional gasoline engine.
• Hyundai Sonata is available as a conventional, hybrid and plug-in hybrid that can go up to 24 miles on electricity alone.
• Audi E-tron is a plug-in hybrid. The five-door hatchback can go 19 miles on electricity alone after which the gasoline engine acts as a generator to continue driving.

Earlier this year, the Green Car Journal, which gives  the award rescinded the Green Car honors it had previously given Volkswagen in the wake of its diesel emissions scandal.

"Rescinding the Green Car of the Year awards for the VW Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI is unfortunate but appropriate," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal in announcing the move. "These models were selected as Green Car of the Year® above others for compelling reasons, including high fuel efficiency, reduced carbon emissions, a fun-to-drive nature, and the ability to meet 50 state emissions requirements with advanced diesel technology."