Green Car Journal has released the names of the five cars that made its short list for 2010 Green Car of the Year. The winner will be announced at the L.A. Auto Show in early December.

Without further ado, here are the nominees:

• Audi A3 TDI (clean diesel)
• Honda Insight (hybrid)
• Mercury Milan Hybrid
• Toyota Prius (hybrid)
• Volkswagen Golf TDI (hybrid)

I’ve driven the Honda Insight and VW Jetta TDI (not the new-to-the-U.S. Golf), and reviewed them for Good Green Cars. The Mercury Milan Hybrid is a sister car to the Ford Fusion Hybrid, which I’m testing this week and will write up in a day or two.

What do you think, GoodGreenCars.com readers? Which one would get your vote? Or would you vote for a different car entirely? Leave your nominees in the comments.

Photo by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

Small-car, clean-diesel enthusiasts will be glad to hear that the 2010 Volkswagen Golf TDI will be sold in the U.S. next year. Why should you be glad? Well, for starters, it was name the “World Car of the Year.” Here are the deets, if you’re in the market for a fuel-efficient car while you wait for the Nissan Leaf to be available in your town:

• Two doors for $17,490; four doors for $19,190
• 2.0-liter TDI clean diesel engine
• 140 hp, 236 lb-ft of torque
• 30 mpg city, 41 mpg highway
• 0-60 mph in 8.6 seconds
• CFC-free air conditioning standard

The Volkswagen L1 diesel hybrid concept created quite a stir at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show — which despite a slew of high-end exotics was more green than ever this year. Volkswagen says its one-liter concept car would be the most fuel-efficient car in the world. Actually, they say it is the most fuel-efficient car in the world, but I’ll withhold that title until the car leaves the “study” stage and reaches production.

The L1 is light, thanks to a carbon fiber body; compact like a VW Fox, and short, with a height similar to the low-slung Lamborghini Murcielago, according to Volkswagen. The hybrid has an electric motor and a teeny diesel-powered engine, plus start-stop technology for further fuel savings.

The VW L1 Concept by the numbers:

• 837 pounds
• 12.5 feet long; 3.75 feet wide
• 170 mpg combined

No more! GM has launched The Lab, a site where your feedback on its eco cars of the future is taken into account. Right now, the discussion is centered on two vehicles: the Bare Necessity Truck and Bare Necessity Car. It turns out the people want a no-frills, fuel-sipping platform that can be customized by the buyer.

Users who create a profile can log in and volunteer for focus groups, leave comments, and let GM know what you want in a greener car or truck (small diesel engine, anyone?) and what you’ll pay to get it.

Automotive News, and industry publication, recently did a rundown of the upcoming cars from Japanese manufacturers. Here’s the latest in green cars from the Land of the Rising Sun (and Rising Fuel Economy):

Honda:

• Rumor has it that an electric vehicle from the company could be unveiled this fall and see production in 2015
• The hybrid version of the Honda Fit has been canceled
• The CR-Z hybrid sport coupe will go on sale in Spring 2010

Infiniti:

• The company may introduce a diesel engine in the U.S., like it sells in Europe
• We’ll see an Infiniti hybrid in 2 or 3 years,probably in an M-class sedan

Lexus:

• The Lexus HS dedicated hybrid debuted in January this year, and goes on sale this month
• A hybrid version of the ES will be added in 2012

Mitsubishi:

• The U.S. will get the I-MiEV electric car in 2012
• A larger I-MiEV II with more cargo space could debut in 2012, too

Nissan:

• “By the middle of the next decade, or 2015, something on the order of 10% of our volume will be EV,” said Brian Carolin, senior VP for North American sales and marketing
• The all-electric Leaf will go on sale in 2011, and be built in the U.S. in 2012
• The 370Z sports car might get a hybrid version for 2012

Scion:

• 2011 iQ: The tiny, gasoline-powered car is expected to get 60 mpg and go on sale in the U.S. in fall 2010

Subaru:

• Has neither a hybrid nor a clean diesel in its plans for the next few years

Toyota:

• A two-door Prius could see production in 2012 or 2013
• Toyota is considering hybrid versions of the Yaris, Avalon, and Corolla
• The Sienna minivan will get a hybrid version in 2012

Image of the I-MiEV by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

It turns out it’s no big secret, the SmartWay Transportation Partnership. The agency has partnered with the trucking industry to reduce fuel consumption and polluting emissions, including carbon dioxide. The aim is to save 3.3 to 6.6 billion gallons of diesel fuel per year, which amounts to about 150 million barrels of oil.

How can they get there? There are a few strategies, some of which are easier to do than others:

• Limit the amount of time truck engines are left to idle
• Improve aerodynamics to increase fuel economy
• Better trip planning to use less fuel
• Automatic tire inflation systems
• Use trucks with hybrid powertrains, or at least start-stop technology

The EPA keeps a long list of SmartWay Transport partners, which includes hundreds of trucking companies. If your green business has grown to the point where you need to get product further than the craft fair downtown, this may be a good resource. Consumers like me notice those little SmartWay stickers, you know.

Audi TDI clean diesels reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 20% and increase fuel efficiency by up to 30% over gasoline-powered cars, according to the company. “Audi’s contribution will provide necessary support to our voluntary carbon offset program’s reforestation and forest protection projects, but it will also help us to bring the benefits of the project to a new audience of supporters,” said Zoe Kant of the Nature Conservancy in a press release.

If you’re a Facebook user and you want to take part in the program to offset your own carbon emissions and get that extra $1 donation per person from Audi, visit www.causes.com/natureconservancy.

Remember when I said diesel prices were lower than gasoline for the first time in years? Remember when I wondered if that would change American diesel buying habits? Well, it has, apparently. Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are both reporting increases in sales of their clean-diesel vehicles.

If you’re in the market for a clean diesel car, here are the 50-state diesels available right now, with their starting MSRP:

• Audi Q7, SUV, $50,900
• Mercedes R320 BlueTec, crossover, $49,100
• Mercedes ML320 BlueTec, SUV, $48,600
• Mercedes GL320 BlueTec, SUV, $58,200
• Volkswagen Jetta TDI, sedan, $22,700
• Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen TDI, wagon, $23,870
• Volkwsagen Touareg 2 TDI, SUV, $42,800

Each of these is available from the manufacturer as of today, and are eligible of a federal tax credit of about $1000. Check FuelEconomy.gov for details.

Image of a BMW diesel at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

We already knew that the Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric car would go on sale in July 2009, but we didn’t know how much it would sell for. I, for one, would never have guessed that the price tag would be a whopping $45,660. There’s a lot of new tech packed into that teensy package.

Other high-tech electric cars are expected to reach the $40,000, including the anticipated Chevy Volt and the already announced Subaru Stella, which starts at $49,255, according to the New York Times’ Wheels blog.

What other cars cost about $50,000? Let’s take a look:

• 2010 Lexus RX Hybrid: $41,660
• Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTec clean diesel: $48,600
• Volkswagen Touareg 2 TDI clean diesel: $42,800

But all of these, for their steps in a green direction, require fossil fuels in one form or another and emit CO2 to a greater or lesser degree. The i-MiEV will be all-electric and zero-emissions.

Image of the Mitsubishi i-MiEV by Kristen Hall-Geisler.

I’ve long said that the future of the automobile won’t rest on any one new technology. Volvo apparently took this to heart and threw several of the latest alternative-fuel technologies into one model, which could appear on the market as soon as 2012.

There were few details released, but here’s what we know about the first model to embody Volvo’s “Drive towards Zero” mission:

• It will use a diesel engine and lithium batteries
• It can run on battery power alone for about 30 miles
• Emissions would be below 50 grams of CO2 per km
• The new technology will make the car really expensive, so Volvo is encouraging governments to offer subsidies and incentives

Photo of the concept Volvo hybrid courtesy of Volvo Cars.