The Chevrolet Volt has been named the 2009 Green Car Vision Award winner by the auto enthusiast magazine Green Car Journal.

The award was presented at a press conference Feb. 3 at the Washington Auto Show.

Competition for the award was tight, with plug-in hybrid, range-extended electric, battery electric, and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles vying for the prize. Among them: the Fisker Karma, launching late this year; the Honda FCX Clarity, a sleek, fuel-cell sedan; the MINI E, an electric version of the conventional internal combustion MINI Cooper; and the Mitsubishi I-MiEV, a battery electric city car based on a popular internal combustion model in Japan.

"The Chevy Volt offers a bold and far-reaching approach that will bring an exceptionally fuel-efficient model to consumers at reasonable cost," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "Besides being a great design, the Volt promises exactly what many consumers are asking for -- a car capable of driving on zero-emission battery power most of the time at pennies per mile, with over 100 mpg possible on longer journeys when electric power from its range extender engine-generator is needed."

The Green Car Vision Award recognizes the most important vehicle in an award year that best envisions the road ahead, but is not yet on sale. It complements Green Car Journal's Green Car of the Year award, which by nature focuses on new vehicle models that lead the field in environmental performance and are available at new car showrooms today.

"Chevrolet's Volt is a milestone vehicle that re-thinks the drivetrain of the future," said Cogan. "The Volt is one of the most anticipated vehicles in the auto industry's 100-plus year history, and when it launches in 2010 it will surely be one of the most coveted vehicles on the road."

The Washington Auto Show runs Feb. 4 through Feb. 8 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.