And Now There Is One....BMW i8 Wins 2015 World Green Car Award

NEW YORK -- April 2, 2015: The BMW i8 was declared the 2015 World Green Car at a press conference hosted by the New York International Auto Show, Bridgestone Corporation, and Autoneum.

This is the second year in a row that the BMW Group has won the World Green Car title and the third time since 2010. The BMW i3 won the 2014 World Green Car award while BMW's BlueMotion technology won the award in 2010. In total, the BMW Group has won a total of four World Car Awards including the prestigious overall World Car of the Year in 2006 for the BMW 3-Series.

Ulrich Kranz, Director BMW i Model Line said, "We feel extremely honored, receiving this prestigious World Green Car award for the BMW i8. Together with the 2014 World Green Car Award for the BMW i3 it just confirms the rightfulness of our purpose-built strategy when it comes to electric cars. BornElectric instead of conversion is the way to go."

The BMW i8 was chosen from an initial entry list of 10 new vehicles from all over the world, then a short list of three finalists that included the winner as well as the Mercedes-Benz S 500 Plug-In Hybrid and the Volkswagen Golf GTE.

To be eligible for the 2015 World Green Car award, a vehicle had to be all-new, or substantially revised, in production and introduced for sale or lease to the public in quantities of at least 10 in at least one major market during the period beginning January 1, 2014 and ending May 31, 2015. Tailpipe emissions, fuel consumption, and use of a major advanced power plant technology (beyond engine componentry), aimed specifically at increasing the vehicle's environmental responsibility, were all taken into consideration.

Due to the complexity of some of the 'green' technologies, five green experts are appointed annually by the World Car Awards Steering Committee to extensively review all documentation and specs associated with each candidate. The 75 World Car Awards jurors then voted on the expert's recommendations in February and their ballots were tabulated by the international accounting firm KPMG.

The experts commented that, "The BMW i8 gasoline hybrid looks so cool, it should be the icon for all 'Green' cars..So it inspires Green Passion, which on paper looks like 155 mph on the i8's three cylinder turbo gasoline engine, four-wheel-drive and four seats. The i8 adds so much enjoyment to a sensible lifestyle that it needs to be recognized as a great Green Car."

The five green experts are in alphabetical order: Phil Berg (USA - PopularMechanics.com); Richard Bremner (U.K. Autocar magazine), Claus-Peter Koeth (Germany - automobil-industrie.de); Yumi Kawabata (Japan-environmental journalist) and John Voelcker (USA - GreenCarReports.com).

Previous World Green Car winners were the BMW i3 (2014), the Tesla Model S (2013), the Mercedes-Benz S 250 CDI BlueEFFICIENCY (2012), the Chevrolet Volt (2011), the Volkswagen BlueMotion (2010), the Honda FCX Clarity (2009), the BMW 118d with Efficient Dynamics (2008), the Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec (2007) and the Honda Civic Hybrid (2006).

The Road to the World Car began in Paris on October 2, followed by a stop in Los Angeles for a test-drive of the North American contenders in November, and the announcement of the "Top Three in the World" finalists at the Geneva International Auto Show in March. The journey has now ended today with the winners' declaration at the New York International Auto Show.

The Global Trends Report, co-presented by Prime Research and Autoneum, was presented just before the winners' press conference. Autoneum CEO Martin Hirzel said, "Smart efficiency is the most important trend in the automobile industry. With Autoneum's lightweight and multifunctional products for acoustic and heat management in vehicles, smart innovations are making an important contribution to the future of the automobile."

About World Car Awards

The World Car Awards (WCA) are more than just an awards program. The WCA's judging panel is made up of 75 prominent automotive journalists from around the world that form a global community of experts. The jurors ensure the integrity and credibility of the awards but also serve as an important resource for the industry with a focus on excellence and innovation on a global scale.