Calling them the year's "most stand-out vehicles with regard to energy efficiency, emissions and overall environmental compatibility," the editors of Green Car Journal have named the top 5 2007 models. Judges considered alternative fuel vehicles, hybrids and zero-emission models. The top 5 in alphabetical order include Honda Civic GX, Lexus GS450h, Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec, Saturn Vue Green Line and Toyota Camry Hybrid. The Camry Hybrid was named Green Car of the Year by the magazine last year at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

Related:

• Toyota Camry is Green Car of the Year
• Shameless but well-deserved plug for a friend: Green Car Journal

[Source: Green Car Journal]

I've been a charter subscriber to the Green Car Journal since it developed into a 4-color quarterly magazine in 2003. Not that I plunk down a check every year but I've known the editor, Ron Cogan, for a long time and he graciously keeps me on the comp list. Ron took a big risk moving his family to Central California and starting a newsletter in the early '90s that covered the infant EV and alternative fuel market. I was working on a high-performance magazine and driving speed-burning, gas-guzzlers then. I and many of his collegues wondered how a fuel-economy book would do in a time of $1.50 gas when everyone wanted a fullsize SUV. Now he's shown us all up by capturing a 2006 Eddie award for editorial excellence. The magazine has instituted a Green Car of the Year Award and is usually ahead of the game in landing high-profile interviews. Ron is often quoted in business publications as an expert in the field. Congratulations Ron, and the next lunch at Mo's is on me!

[Source: Green Car Journal via Market Wire]