The Chevy Volt, being driven in this picture by President Obama, is competing with the Nissan Leaf for the most "Car of the Year" awards. Image from Wikimedia Commons.

Various cars are being dubbed Car of the Year by various agencies, foundations and publications. No real consensus actually exists for what constitutes a true car of the year, but that doesn’t stop awards from being bestowed. This year seems heavily tipped in favor of green vehicles.

Volt named Car of the Year

The two most hotly anticipated green vehicles, the Chevrolet Volt and the Nissan Leaf, are both getting attention from various Car of the Year-award-bestowing bodies. The Volt won Car of the Year at the Los Angeles Auto Show, according to Wired. The award is certainly a victory for General Motors. Chevy Volt Car of the Year awards were also given out by Motor Trend and Automobile magazines, which are prestigious in the industry. The judging panel at the Los Angeles Auto Show included Jay Leno and performance guru and automotive legend Carroll Shelby. The Nissan Leaf and the Chevy Volt, both green vehicles, differ in that the Volt is a plug-in hybrid, and the Leaf is totally electric.

Leaf also named Car of the Year

The Nissan Leaf was named the 2011 European Car of the Year, according to The Telegraph. The European Car of the Year is selected by a voting panel from numerous European automotive journals. There were 58 judges from 23 countries. The Nissan Leaf is one of the first all-electric vehicles manufactured on the scale of a major car manufacturer (notwithstanding golf carts), and it has been in a near dead heat with the Chevy Volt in most American Car of the Year vote counts at auto shows. The 2011 Detroit Auto Show promises to be a huge showdown of the two cars.

World award next year

The votes are being compiled for the World Car of the Year, which won’t be announced until spring of 2011. Though serious authorities are weighing in on what will be the best cars in 2011, it seems the best car of a year shouldn’t be picked until years later. The makes and models that last are the cars that should be recognized.

Sources

Wired

The Telegraph