2014 Honda Accord Named Green Car Journal's 2014 Green Car of the Year Winner

LOS ANGELES--Nov. 21, 2013: After giving heavy consideration to each of the five finalists nominated for the Green Car of the YearŽ program, Green Car Journal named the 2014 Honda Accord winner of its prestigious award for 2014. This award honors the 2014 Accord model in all its iterations, including the Accord, Accord Hybrid, and Accord Plug-In. The announcement was made live from the LA Auto ShowŽ floor, in front of a crowd of thousands of esteemed international journalists and industry VIPs on Nov. 21.

Honda's Accord emerged on top of an exceptional field of finalists including the Audi A6 TDI, BMW 328d, Mazda3, and Toyota Corolla. According to Green Car Journal editors, the Accord has evolved in important ways to meet the needs of an increasingly sophisticated and changing market that seeks ever-higher fuel efficiency, lower CO2 emissions, and improved environmental impact, without sacrificing the features and driving experience expected by new car buyers. The 2014 Honda Accord brings notable efficiency with its conventional gasoline powerplants, and now ups its game with highly-efficient Accord Hybrid and Accord Plug-In hybrid choices that achieve up to 50 highway mpg or, in the case of the Plug-In, 115 MPGe, the highest of any mid-size hybrid sedan in the country.

"Honda's 2014 Accord clearly leads by example in the 'green' space and is a deserving winner of the 2014 Green Car of the YearŽ honor," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com. "Mainstream buyers have long found the Accord a popular choice because of its efficiency, functionality, safety, and value. With the addition of exceptional hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions to the already-fuel efficient Accord line, Honda's Accord becomes an even more compelling choice."

In the Green Car of the YearŽ program, Green Car Journal editors identify five finalists after an extensive vetting process and the winner is selected by a majority vote of the Green Car of the YearŽ jury. Nominees are exemplary in that they forward environmental performance in meaningful and quantifiable ways while also presenting an accessible choice to enough consumers to make a real impact on the environment. Vehicles that are all-new or in the earliest stages of their model lifecycle carry additional weight, with models vetted in a previous award year considered only if significant changes to that model have occurred. Green Car of the YearŽ honors are reserved for production vehicles on sale by January 1 of the award year.

"Having our most popular model, the Accord, honored as the 2014 Green Car of the YearŽ is a tribute to the company's long-term commitment to offer advanced fuel-saving technologies in mainstream vehicles," said Mike Accavitti, senior vice president of Automobile Operations for American Honda. "Offering fuel-efficient 4-cylinder and V6 engines alongside class-leading hybrid and plug-in hybrid models, the 2014 Accord family provides environmentally conscious shoppers more options than ever before."

Invited 2014 Green Car of the YearŽ jurors include leaders of many of the nation's most notable environmental and energy efficiency organizations including Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society; Kateri Callahan, president of the Alliance to Save Energy; Matt Petersen, board member of Global Green USA; Frances Beinecke, president of the Natural Resources Defense Council; and Dr. Alan Lloyd, president of the International Council on Clean Transportation and former head of the California Air Resources Board and Cal/EPA. Auto enthusiast and Tonight Show host Jay Leno and Green Car Journal editors round out the jury.

"When you consider the Honda Accord's cost and the mileage it delivers with standard and hybrid power, you're not only economically ahead of the game but also improving environmental impact by using less petroleum and cutting CO2 emissions," said Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society and a Green Car of the YearŽ juror since the award's inception.

Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important 'green' vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.

Last year, the Green Car of the YearŽ winner was the Ford Fusion. Previous winners include the Honda Civic Natural Gas (2012), the Chevrolet Volt (2011), the Audi A3 TDI (2010), the Volkswagen Jetta TDI (2009), the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid (2008), the Toyota Camry Hybrid (2007), and the Mercury Mariner Hybrid (2006).