Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Hyundai are the finalists for the 2nd annual Nielsen Automotive Green Marketer of the Year award. The award recognizes the brand that made the greatest strides in gaining consumer awareness and positively shifting consumer perceptions for the automotive industry’s environmentally friendly initiatives.

Nielsen’s latest automotive industry overview tracked the online conversations, and the steadily declining price, of diesel over the last 12 months. Though diesel has been a hot topic within alternative fuel buzz at times, a downward trend in discussion over the past year speaks to a decline in consumer interest.
Findings & Analysis:

Total diesel buzz decreased 28% from June ‘08 to June ‘09, while diesel fuel fell by $2.15 per gallon or 45%
Domestic trucks and German cars are most prominently mentioned within diesel buzz
Mercedes-Benz and BMW are gaining share of diesel …