For the first time, a clean diesel model was named the Green Car of the Year. The winner, 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI, took the Most Efficient Compact category in the EPA and Energy Department’s list of the most fuel efficient automobiles. Jetta was awarded by the Green Car Journal at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

According to Green Car:

The 2009 Jetta TDI breaks new ground in the field of clean diesels, achieving emissions certification in all 50 states without the use of special additives or extraordinary measures. It provides five passenger functionality with welcome levels of power and a satisfying driving experience. Importantly, it also achieves estimated highway fuel economy of 41 mpg with greatly reduced greenhouse gas emissions. That’s a rarified fuel economy number typically achieved by only the most efficient gasoline-electric hybrids. The clean diesel Jetta TDI matches this efficiency with a powerplant that’s more straightforward and affordable, allowing the Jetta TDI an affordable $21,990 price tag.

Selecting the 2009 Green Car of the Year® was a jury including four Green Car Journal editors and a larger number of invited jurors including automotive icon Carroll Shelby; auto expert and ‘Tonight Show’ host Jay Leno; Sierra Club executive director Carl Pope; Natural Resources Defense Council president Frances Beinecke; and Ocean Futures Society president Jean-Michel Cousteau.

This year’s nominees for the CGOY include the Ford Fusion Hybrid, BMW 335d and the Saturn Vue2. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency states the Jetta is capable of achieving an average fuel consumption rating of 6.19 L / 100 km in the city and 5.35 L / 100 km on the highway.

This year, the VW Jetta TDI set a new and impressing fuel efficiency world record in a trek through 48 states. Jetta achieved an average of 4 L / 100 km. The EPA added that if one out of three vehicles in the U.S.A. were equipped with a diesel engine, the country can save 1.4 million barrels of oil each day.

Photo Credit: auto123