Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY declared the 2012 World Green Car

Out of an entry list of 23 new vehicles from across the globe, ten cars were short listed from which three finalists were chosen for this year’s World Green Car Award. The Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY, the Ford Focus Electric, and the Peugeot 3008 Hybrid made were the top three contenders for the award and the three-pointed star brand’s car took the top honours in the category.

The four-cylinder S-Class that is powered by a 2.1-litre diesel turbocharged motor producing 206PS of power and 500Nm of torque, which is commendable for the world’s cleanest engine. The start-stop system installed in the car helps it to restrict emission to just 149g/km of CO2.

For a car to be eligible as a nominee of the award, it had to be either an all new vehicle or substantially revised, into production and available for sale to the public in quantities of ten or more in at least one major market from January 1, 2011 to May 30th, 2012. Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology with major focus at emission regulation were the factors on which the final judgment was made.

Vehicles were selected and short listed with the help of an international jury panel comprising of 64 auto-journos from 25 countries across the globe including ZigWheels Editor-in-Chief Adil Jal Darukhanawala, who has been on the jury for the past three consecutive years.

The awards was declared at a press conference hosted by Bridgestone Corporation at the New Yourk International Auto Show The Chevrolet Volt won the World Green car award last year, while the Volkswagen BlueMotion took the honor and the Honda FCX Clarity bagged the award in 2010 and 2009, respectively.