Five cars will be squaring off later this week in Los Angeles, each seeking branding as the Green Car of the Year for 2009.

Slideshow: Take Green Car Finalists For Spin

Green Car Journal, which picked the Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid last year, recently announced the finalists: BMW 335d, Ford Fusion Hybrid, Saturn Vue 2-Mode Hybrid, Smart Fortwo and the Volkswagen Jetta TDI.

"There is a sea change occurring in the auto industry that's finding an ever-increasing number of 'green' cars being introduced at new car showrooms," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal and editor of GreenCar.com. "This is a real plus for new car buyers, since the trend will continue to gather momentum as automakers re-invent themselves in a changing auto market that's requiring higher efficiency and greater environmental performance."

The winner will be announced Nov. 20 at the Los Angles Auto Show.

The vehicles fall into at least one of three categories: compact, clean diesel or hybrid.

To choose the contenders, Green Car Journal sought vehicles that "exhibit characteristics that substantially raise the bar in environmental performance and were in production by Jan. 1 of the award year."

The publication also requires that the car be available for test drives by its reviewers in order to be eligible.

As Green Car Journal notes on its Web site, the production deadline and test drive requirement means several hot "green" cars didn’t make the cut this year, including Tesla Roadster, the electric MINI E and the Honda Insight.

The 2009 Roadster will not be in production until April 2009 and the electric MINI E and Insight have not been available for behind-the-wheel evaluation, Green Car Journal said.

The 2009 Green Car of the Year will be selected by a jury that includes Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, Jean-Michel Cousteau, president of Ocean Futures Society, and "Tonight Show" and auto enthusiast host Jay Leno.