Volkswagen’s 2009 Jetta TDI has been named as the ‘Green Car of the Year’ at the LA Auto Show on Thursday by the Green Card Journal.

Green Car Journal is a quarterly magazine and it covers developments in environmental friendly cars and fuel-efficiency.

The Journal said that it was the first time that the award was being given to a diesel vehicle.

Ron Cogan, the editor and publisher of the magazine, says: “It indicates that clean diesel has arrived, as people have been hearing about this for years.”

The Jetta TDI was debuted in LA a year back, and it covers 41 miles per gallon on the highway, the Environmental Protection Agency estimates.

A manufacturer’s suggested retail price for the sedan is $21,990, while a SportWagen version will be available starting at $23,590.

Company’s Chief Executive Stefan Jacoby says that the company is planning to increase production of the car.

“The Jetta TDI is a real alternative to hybrids. Diesel is being very much promoted in the United States. It decreases fuel consumption as well as environmental friendly and a real fun to drive,” he added.

Diesel vehicles are quite popular in European markets, but they are slow to catch on in the U.S. and it is somewhat due to hard emission requirements in some states like California.