For the second year in a row, a clean diesel has nabbed the 2010 Green Car of the Year award, awarded annually at the Los Angeles Auto Show.  This time, Audi’s new A3 TDI–which hit showroom floors just last month–took home the prize, and was chosen by a panel of eco and auto experts including Jay Leno and Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club.

The Audi A3, which was up against five hybrid and advanced diesel finalists, is the latest offering that promises drivers both luxury and efficiency, without sacrificing pedal-to-the-metal performance.  It’s tried and true technology; in fact, TDI clean diesel technology was developed by Audi 20 years ago.  Today, the TDI 2.0 engine garners 42 mpg on the highway–the best of any luxury car sold in the U.S.–and 50 percent better than a comparable gas engine.  The EPA estimates that if one-third of Americans drove cars that ran on clean diesel, the U.S. would use 1.5 million (million!) fewer barrels of oil each day (day!).

With a base price that won’t make you faint: $29,950, the 50-state certified Audi A3 is making us swoon.  Since the global introduction of the A3 in 1996, the five-door car that created the “premium compact car” segment has reached sales of more than 1.9 million worldwide.  With its sleek, European appeal, we’re sold.  To check out specs for yourself, visit www.audiusa.com.