BMW does so many things so well, that it's getting difficult to pin down exactly where the company excels and where it might be somewhat lagging. In every motorized category, excepting the one in which the company actually began, making spare parts for piston-powered aircraft engines, BMW not only makes "world class" parts and whole assemblies, they actually set the standard for "world class" in motorcycles and automobiles. It's not unusual, when at a new vehicle introduction for the media, for company executives to speak at length about how and why they "benchmarked" BMW for one, or several, aspects and/or systems of their own new car. BMW makes their eponymous brand of car, as well as Mini and Rolls-Royce. Is there any other company, in any manufacturing discipline, whose corporate pendulum swings a swath so wide from one side to another? From Mini to Rollers, with their BMW cars located somewhere in the middle, this company is truly remarkable. Now, an award for BMW in a new, somewhat unexpected, arena --- That of the "World Green Car of the Year." (Photos - Top, BMW 118d, named "World Green Car of the Year" at the 2008 NY Auto Show, Below, Chevrolet Tahoe SUV at the late-2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, named "Green Car of the Year" ... Hey, now! Wait a minute!).
Allow us a laugh, at Chevrolet's expense, because Chevy's full-sized, gigantic Tahoe SUV, was 
named "Green Car of the Year" by a magazine called Green Car Journal at the most-recent Los Angeles Auto Show. We supported the choice at the time, and we still do, and not only because Green Car Journal's editor, Ron Cogan, is an old friend of ours. Cogan, and several others on the voting panel, saw Tahoe as a good choice because, 1) The huge SUVs are going to be produced and purchased for the foreseeable future in the US, and, 2) The revolutionary "dual-mode hybrid automatic transmission," developed by GM, BMW and Daimler, doubled Tahoe's in-town mileage. But a small-ish BMW diesel (!), something we're not used to seeing in the US, winning "World Green Car of the Year" is a no-brainer which doesn't need a five-minute explanation, like the Tahoe's win does. And it usually takes me a bit longer than five-minutes when explaining (defending?) the magazine's choice of the Tahoe. Now, "here's the rest of the story," as radio old-timer Paul Harvey might say, directly from BMW, with, as always, all the fun "Euro-isms" kept intact:
BMW’s award-winning EfficientDynamics programme has been honoured with a global brand. A jury consisting of 47 motor journalists from 24 countries has awarded the BMW 118d, a model that displays all facets of what BMW terms EfficientDynamics, with the “World Green Car of the Year” at the New York International Auto Show 2008. (Photo - BMW 1-series, just reaching BMW dealerships in the US; no plans announced as yet for the second-generation direct-injection diesel 118d to come to the US).
Judges of the World Car of the Year Awards praised BMW and its 118d for offering buyers a model with a range of innovative technologies that reduce fuel consumption and cut CO2 emissions as standard. The three- and five-door BMW 118d record an impressive 62.8mpg on the combined cycle with CO2 emissions of just 119g/km – putting it into the Band B category for Vehicle Excise Duty. The BMW 118d now costs just £35 (USD $70)a year to tax.
To help it achieve these impressive figures, EfficientDynamics technologies such as Brake Energy Regeneration, Auto Start-Stop and Electric Power Steering are employed to cut fuel bills and emissions. An optimum gearshift change indicator is included to encourage economical motoring.
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