Autoblog

The onslaught of COTY awards continues, and the Toyota Camry Hybrid can add another trophy to the case after being named 2007 Green Car of the Year yesterday on the last day of the 2006 LA Auto Show. The Camry Hybrid and its purely petrol sister car also won Motor Trend's golden calipers earlier this month.

Sponsored by Green Car Journal, the GCOTY award is voted on by four of the magazine's editors and a host of outside judges including none other than the guru of gasoline, Carroll Shelby. Other cars in contention included the Honda Civic GX, Lexus LS450H, Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec and Saturn Vue Green Line. AutoblogGreen was on hand during the press conference and learned from one of the judges that the Camry Hybrid's mainstream appeal was a big factor in the decision. This was the second time Green Car Journal has given the award, with last year's inaugural CGOTY award going to Mercury Mariner Hybrid.

The award was accepted by Ed La Rocque, Toyota's national car marketing manager, who immediately dedicated the award to Dave Hermance, Toyota's lead engineer on hybrid projects who died in a private plane crash less than a week ago.

[Source: AutoblogGreen]