(RIALTO, Calif.) Two Audi A3 TDI cars, named “2010 Green Car of the Year” will make a stop at Rialto Civic Center, 150 S. Palm Ave., at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 20 as they wind down a three-day journey from Eureka to San Diego.

Rialto is one of three stops on the journey, which its organizers are calling the Green Car Tour. After leaving Eureka the morning of Oct. 18, the cars will also visit Sacramento that day and San Francisco on Oct. 19, before heading to Rialto and their final tour destination, San Diego, on the last day of the trip.

Rialto’s stop celebrates the city’s future with Rentech which, as one of the Green Car Tour organizers, is supplying the RenDiesel® fuel that will power these Audi A3 TDI cars on their cross-state journey.

“Rialto will be the only stop in the six-county Southern California Association of Governments region,” said Rialto City Council Member Deborah Robertson, who will emcee a ceremony welcoming the Audi A3 TDI cars and the tour participants to Rialto.

“The organizers could have chosen to drive straight down Interstate 5 from San Francisco to San Diego, but because Rentech is manufacturing this high-quality alternative fuel in Rialto, the Green Car Tour is coming here.” Robertson said.

The Rialto Renewable Energy Center is a plant where it will manufacture RenDiesel® and other synthetic fuels from urban green waste, such as yard clippings.

“The Rialto Renewable Energy Center will create more than 1,000 jobs, which will significantly stimulate the local and state economies. In addition, it will provide renewable fuels and power, reducing greenhouse gas emissions to clean the air, said Rentech President and Chief Executive Officer D. Hunt Ramsbottom.

“San Bernardino County provides great economic opportunity and Rialto is an ideal home for our renewable fuels and power manufacturing center,” Ramsbottom continued.

“We would like the opportunity to recognize the efforts of Rialto, San Bernardino County, and the South Coast Air Quality Management District to create healthy, sustainable communities and encourage economic investment as well as the success of California’s environmental policies.”

Rialto wants to see many businesses like Rentech come to its city, Robertson said.

“We see Rialto as an ideal location for businesses advancing in green technology applications,” she said. “We recognize the economic benefits they bring to our city and the environmental benefits they bring to our region.”

Other Green Car Tour organizers are Audi and the Green Car Journal, a magazine devoted to informing readers about cars that are better for the environment than most because of better fuel efficiency and less pollution. The official tour sponsor is Robert Bosch LLC, a manufacturer of injectors, fuel pumps and engine controls that help diesel-powered cars achieve high fuel efficiency and low emissions.

The Audi A3 TDI, which can run on RenDiesel® or regular diesel, gets 42 miles per gallon.

After completing the tour in San Diego, the cars will head north on Oct. 21 to the Peterson Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, where an A3 TDI will be added to its alternate power exhibit. Green Car Journal will then announce the nominees for
2011 Green Car of the Year, which will be named in Los Angeles on Nov. 18.

At each stop on the tour, representatives of Audi, Rentech, and the Green Car Journal will meet with elected officials or their staff, members of the media, and business and community leaders.

About Rialto
Although the City of Rialto is located in the middle of one of the nation’s fastest growing regions, it has retained a small town atmosphere and similar quality of life. Rialto is an ethnically diverse and progressive community, which boasts several unique community assets including its own police and fire departments, a city-owned fitness center, performing arts theater, nine beautiful parks, a community center and senior center. Rialto is near mountains, beaches, deserts and other recreational areas.

Rialto’s housing mix and home costs are some of the most affordable in the southern California region. First-time homebuyers find Rialto more affordable than almost any other comparable community in the region. Executives and those seeking high-end homes also find they can purchase much more home for their money in Rialto. This lower cost translates into more discretionary income for residents, thus benefiting retailers and service providers.

For more information about Rialto, go to www.ci.Rialto.ca.us or call (909) 820-2525.