IF there’s any proof that the car business in the US is booming—in contrast to the gloom in recession-hit Europe—the glitz and the number of new-car launches at the ongoing Los Angeles Auto Show should be incontrovertible. But besides the return of affluence, what’s also apparent is the carmakers’ continued thrust toward environment-friendly products.

And in both areas, Ford shines. The company not only boasts one of the industry’s freshest model lineups but also one of the “greenest,” with its 2013 Ford Fusion emerging as the US’ Green Car of the Year.

The Fusion, which Ford said will get up to the equivalent of 100 miles per gallon, beat a shortlist that included the Toyota Prius c, the Mazda CX-5 SkyActiv, the 2013 Dodge Dart Aero and the its C-Max sibling.

“We’ve moved our brand from laggards to leaders in fuel economy,” said Ford General Marketing Manager David Mondragon, calling the Fusion’s fuel consumption figures “eye-popping.”

“We are very honored,” he added, after a blue Fusion was unveiled on the second day of the LA show, which runs through December 9.

The 2013 Fusion will be available with five different fuel systems, including three gas engines with varying fuel efficiency technology, a hybrid that gets 47mpg and a plug-in hybrid expected to get over 100mpg equivalent.

“There’s no overstating the importance of what Ford has done,” said Ron Cogan, publisher of Green Car Journal and founder of the annual Green Car of the Year award. “Many have long envisioned new car showrooms where a model could be purchased with one of many distinctly different and efficient power trains, selected to satisfy a buyer’s needs and desires.”

Carmakers have for years been trying to introduce more fuel-efficient models with electric and hybrid electric-gas power systems, but take-up has been slow, hampered notably by the cost compared to traditional gas vehicles.

The 2013 Fusion will start at $21,700, “priced to encourage the kind of sales volume that can truly influence environmental improvement,” said the award’s organizers. Last year the Honda Civic Natural Gas won the LA green car award, after the Chevrolet Volt in 2011.