Green Car Journal has honored winners of its highly-anticipated 2018 Green Car Awards™ at the 2018 Washington Auto Show, capping off the final awards of the magazine’s 2018 award program that also included presentations at shows in Los Angeles and San Antonio, Texas. In Washington, the Cadillac CT6 Plug-In was recognized as 2018 Connected Green Car of the Year™, while the Kia Niro was named 2018 Green SUV of the Year™ and the Karma Revero as 2018 Luxury Green Car of the Year™. These three awards speak to the increasing attention automakers are placing on environmental performance in the important luxury, connected, and crossover/SUV markets.
The Connected Green Car of the Year™ award acknowledges advanced and environmentally positive vehicles with on-board systems that connect vehicle to driver, to the world, and to the road. For a growing number of drivers, this is becoming just as important as driving with a lighter environmental impact.
Cadillac’s CT6 Plug-In rose to the top amid finalists that included the BMW i3, Nissan LEAF, Tesla Model X, and Volvo S90 T8. The luxury plug-in hybrid sedan provides up to 31 miles of battery-electric driving and an overall range of 430 miles. It excels with its connectivity, driver assist systems, and on-board electronics. Driver assist systems include Forward and Reverse Automatic Braking that respond to an impending collision and apply brakes as needed, plus Pedestrian Braking. Adaptive Cruise Control automatically accelerates and brakes to maintain a driver-selected following distance to the vehicle ahead, while Lane Keep Assist gently steers the car if the system determines a driver is unintentionally leaving a lane. A head-up display and enhanced night vision are also provided.
Presenting a new and affordable option for those who seek the functionality of a small crossover with impressive levels of driving efficiency, the Kia Niro was selected as 2018 Green SUV of the Year™ over finalists Chevrolet Equinox, MINI Cooper S E Countryman ALL4, Mazda CX-5, and Volvo XC60 T8. The Niro comes in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions, with the hybrid delivering up to 52 city and 49 highway mpg. Although designed to be at the affordable end of the automotive spectrum, an impressive array of standard and available features is offered including a rearview camera and 7-inch infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus driver assist technologies like blind-spot warning with rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, and automatic emergency braking.
Honored as Green Car Journal’s 2018 Luxury Green Car of the Year™, the Karma Revero achieved this distinction in an impressive field of luxury vehicles that included the BMW 530e, Cadillac CT6 Plug-In, Lexus LS 500h, and Porsche Panamera 4 E-Hybrid. The Revero features a stunning design and the industry’s largest solar roof. The plug-in grand touring car is built on an aluminum spaceframe and powered by two high-power electric motors that deliver a combined 403 horsepower and satisfying levels of driving performance. This range extended luxury electric car drives 50 miles on battery power and 300 miles overall with electricity created on board by its engine-generator. Inside its comfortable and accommodating cabin, driver and passengers are treated to an elegant leather interior accented with reclaimed wood trim and the latest in high-tech displays and instrumentation.
These 2018 Green Car Awards™ winners and finalists reflect the expanding efforts being made by automakers worldwide to not only meet government and state mandates for more efficient and alternative fuel – in this case electrified – vehicles, but also their response to market forces that are demanding these vehicles. The result is a competitive automotive landscape that’s ‘greener’ than ever, something that bodes well for buyers seeking vehicles offering the driving performance and features they desire, with the added benefit of significantly improved environmental impact.
