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2017-green-car-awards-washingtonFor a decade now, Green Car Journal has been presenting its Green Car Awards™ at the Washington Auto Show to recognize environmental achievement in the auto industry. The magazine’s most recent press conference during the 2017 Washington Auto Show’s second Policy Day found automakers honored for their efforts in three important categories. Named 2017 Connected Green Car of the Year™ was the Mercedes-Benz C350e, while the 2017 Green SUV of the Year™ was awarded to the BMW X5 xDrive40e and the 2017 Luxury Green Car of the Year™ to Acura’s new NSX.

Along with the award winners, 2017 Connected Green Car of the Year™ finalists included the Audi A3 e-tron, Honda Civic, Tesla Model X, and Toyota Prius Prime. Also identified as 2017 Luxury Green Car of the Year™ finalists were the BMW 740e xDrive, Jaguar XE 20d, Mercedes-Benz S550e, and Range Rover Td6, with 2017 Green SUV of the Year finalists including the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz GLE550e, and Nissan Rogue Hybrid. All offered either plug-in, efficient diesel, or advanced internal combustion power and each featured admirable levels of environmental performance.

2017-connected-green-car-of-the-year-1The Mercedes-Benz C350e, Green Car Journal’s 2017 Connected Green Car of the Year, offers drivers the luxury and driving enjoyment expected of a premium sedan, with the added benefit of plug-in hybrid power. Its overall driving range of 410 miles means there are no compromises. An estimated 11 miles of zero-emission driving is provided on batteries at an EPA estimated 51 miles-per-gallon equivalent.

Drivers are well-connected with an on-board Wi-Fi hotspot and an array of advanced, connected features including location-based, real-time traffic information and route guidance. Driver assistance systems play a major role in the C320e with data from radar sensors and stereo cameras enabling autonomous and semi-autonomous features. Among its capabilities is helping avoid collisions with vehicles ahead and in cross traffic at intersections, even applying full emergency braking if needed. On board systems can maintain a set distance from a vehicle ahead, even in stop and go traffic. Steering inputs helps drivers stay in their lanes.

2017-green-suv-of-the-year-1Green Car Journal’s 2017 Green SUV of the Year, the BMW X5 xDrive40e iPerformance, combines the versatility and luxury of a full-size, five-passenger SUV with the driving confidence of intelligent all-wheel drive. It offers desired levels of functionality and convenience expected of a full-size SUV, while also addressing efficiency and use of electrification.

A 241 horsepower, 2.0- liter TwinPower turbo four-cylinder engine and 111 horsepower electric motor enabling this nearly 5,000 pound plug-in hybrid SUV to accelerate from 0-60 mph in under seven seconds. It can travel 14 miles under electric power alone with a total driving range of 540 miles. To enhance all-electric driving, intelligent connectivity constantly monitors all factors affecting range including traffic conditions, route profile, and driving. Route guidance functions include displaying public charging station locations on a navigation map.

2017-luxury-green-car-of-the-year-1Winning the 2017 Luxury Green Car of the Year was achieved in style by the all-new NSX hybrid supercar. Promising the luxury of carving the perfect turn, riding on race-inspired suspension, and the exhilaration of breathtaking acceleration, the Acura NSX delivers the ultimate driving experience while also somehow netting some 31 percent better city mpg than the previous generation.

The NSX champions aerodynamics, hybrid drive, and lightweight materials like carbon fiber, SMC fiberglass, aluminum, and high-strength steel. Its mid-engine, twin-turbocharged V-6 connects to a nine-speed dual-clutch transmission integrated with a rear electric motor, with two additional electric motors powering the front wheels. The car’s 573 total system horsepower propels it from 0-60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. In a word, this hybrid supercar is ‘thrilling.’

mark-wallace-mercedes-green-car-awardsWinners and finalists for these three Green Car Awards are proof positive that it is no longer good enough to design and build vehicles with style, quality, functionality, and performance. It is necessary to do all this while also delivering much more, taking into account the need for highly-evolved models with improved efficiency, lower environmental impact, greater safety, and ever-expanding ways of connecting our lives and our vehicles to one another.

Hosting these Green Car Awards in Washington DC is appropriate considering the policies, regulations, and incentives that have historically come out of Washington DC that play a significant role in influencing the success and direction of lower emission, more efficient advanced technology vehicles. With its status as the largest public show in Washington and its proximity to the halls of power in the nation’s capital, the Washington Auto show is also the logical venue in Washington DC to honor environmental achievement in the auto industry.

 

green-car-awards-announcementFinalists for Green Car Journal’s 2017 Connected Green Car of the Year™, 2017 Luxury Green Car of the Year™, and 2017 Green SUV of the Year™ awards were announced at the LA Auto Show’s AutoMobility LA™ event in Los Angeles. Each of the finalists for 2017 Connected Green Car of the Year™ offers advanced connectivity and driver assistance systems combined with admirable levels of environmental performance. The finalists are the Audi A3 e-tron, Honda Civic, Mercedes-Benz C350e, Tesla Model X, and Toyota Prius Prime. Four are plug-in vehicles while one is powered by efficient gasoline internal combustion.

In contention for 2017 Luxury Green Car of the Year™ are the 2017 Acura NSX, BMW 740e xDrive iPerformance, Jaguar XE 20d, Mercedes-Benz S550e, and Range Rover Td6. This diverse group of premium ‘green’ finalists includes plug-in, hybrid, and advanced diesel vehicles. Also a diverse group, 2017 Green SUV of the Year™ finalists are efficient SUV and crossover models that achieve their efficiencies with plug-in, hybrid, and internal combustion power. Nominees include the BMW X5 xDrive40e iPerformance, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-9, Mercedes-Benz GLE550e, and Nissan Rogue Hybrid.

2017-washington-auto-show-logo-cropped-1Presented annually at The Washington Auto Show, the Green Car Awards™ honor the best-of-the-best in the important premium, connected, and SUV/crossover categories. Of particular importance is that these finalists achieve their environmental leadership in their own way. Hybrid power continues to be an important strategy in achieving greater environmental compatibility, along with plug-in hybrid, battery electric, and advanced gasoline and diesel propulsion.

The coordination of Green Car Awards™ announcements and joint exhibition of finalists is a significant new development between major auto shows on the auto show circuit. This milestone underscores the growing importance of “green” cars in the auto industry and how they are in turn creating synergies in complementary areas as well. Green Car Journal’s Green Car of the Year® has been a high-profile program at Los Angeles Auto Show’s press and trade days (now AutoMobility LA™) since 2005. Beginning in 2008, the Green Car Awards™ have been a key feature of The Washington Auto Show®, the “public policy show” on the auto show circuit that puts a priority on safety and sustainability. Award winners will be identified during a press conference on January 26 at The Washington Auto Show in Washington DC.

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New Acura NSX in Berlina BlackThe Acura NSX supercar is taking a long time to reach the reality of showrooms, years after the automaker’s late-2011 announcement that it would be offering a successor to the original NSX. It’s now expected to begin manufacturing in Marysville, Ohio in spring 2016. When it goes on sale in a time frame that sees competitors introducing early 2017 models, NSX fans will have been waiting over four years to witness the model’s rebirth. By all indicators it will be worth the wait.

Acura has taken a rather innovative approach in creating the NSX successor that replaces the previous generation last seen in 2005. The new NSX is an all-wheel-drive hybrid with power supplied by a 3.5-liter, mid-ship V-6 and three permanent-magnet synchronous AC electric motors. It will produce an expected 500-plus horsepower.

NSX Powertrain - Top ViewThe V-6 is all-new and shares nothing with other Honda/Acura engines. Its 75-degree 3.5-liter DOHC V-6 features dry sump lubrication, twin turbochargers, and intercooling. The engine is mated to a new, nine-speed dual-clutch transmission integrated with the rear electric motor. This motor, mounted at the front of the transaxle, can power the NSX up to 50 mph for only a few miles since the car’s lithium-ion battery is limited in capacity. The rear motor's primary purpose is to add torque when needed for maximum performance.

Up front there’s a Twin Motor Unit consisting of two smaller electric motors, each powering a front wheel via a planetary gearset. When used with the rear brakes, this provide a torque-vectoring capability. The driver can select between quiet, sport, sport-plus, and track modes to tailor the driving experience.

New Acura NSX in Berlina BlackMuch has been done to keep weight down and the center of gravity low. For starters, there is a carbon-fiber floor panel and part of the rear subframe uses proprietary aluminum-casting technology for stiffness and low weight. The aluminum-intensive space-frame structure is joined together by self-piercing rivets, flow-drill screws, welding, and much adhesive. High-strength steel is used in the super-thin A-pillars. The hood and doors are aluminum while the fenders are SMC, a common form of fiberglass. An aluminum or carbon-fiber roof can be ordered.

Performance is expected to include a 0–60 mph time of 2.7 seconds, 0–100 mph in 6.4 seconds, and a 190 mph top speed. Plus, as if that kind of performance excitement isn’t enough, an even hotter version is planned. For those who can afford the price of entry, the coming Acura NSX will mean that gasoline-electric hybrid power has never looked so good.

New Acura NSX

 

The Acura NSX Prototype Makes Its Public Running DebutThe all-new NSX hybrid supercar, to be motivated by an advanced powertrain combining torque vectoring all-wheel drive with hybrid efficiency, was recently shown in prototype form by Acura. The prototype maintains the low and wide stance of the original NSX with the dynamic and alluring proportions of the NSX Concept that debuted in 2012.

The new NSX design steps up this car’s game by combining supercar driving dynamics with advanced environmental performance. Its all-new Sport Hybrid SH-AWD (Super Handling All-Wheel Drive) powertrain features three electric motors, one integrated with the mid-mounted, direct-injected V-6 engine. Power is delivered through an all-new dual-clutch transmission (DCT) driving the rear wheels. Two independent electric motors drive the front wheels.

The Acura NSX Prototype Makes Its Public Running Debut

Multiple benefits come as a matter of course. Beyond the obvious advantages of gasoline-electric hybrid power, the system will enable instant delivery of negative or positive torque to the front wheels during cornering to achieve a level of driving performance unparalleled with current AWD systems. Electric-only front-wheel drive will be available for zero emissions driving.

Acura’s iconic supercar will be produced at the Performance Manufacturing Center now under construction in Marysville, Ohio. The original Acura NSX was built in Japan from 1990 until 2005. The new NSX is being developed by a global R&D team led by designers and engineers at Honda R&D Americas in Los Angeles and Raymond, Ohio. Honda’s engine plant in Anna, Ohio will assemble the advanced powertrain for the NSX. The Acura NSX is slated for launch in 2015 and will be exported to customers throughout the world.