Europe’s ‘Car of the Year 2015’ is a Volkswagen: the new Passat won the prestigious award, which is presented every year by the international ‘Car of the Year’ jury. The winner was announced before the Geneva International Motor Show.
“We are extremely proud of this accolade,” said Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, at the prize- giving ceremony in Geneva.
“In the new Passat we have again succeeded in developing a car that sets the standards for its class in terms of technology and quality. This honour is a tremendous confirmation for the work of our engineers, designers and the entire team. The new Passat shows that the Volkswagen brand has the right answers to the challenges of our time.”
Heinz-Jakob Neusser, a member of the board of management, Volkswagen Brand for the Development Division, who received the award for the new Passat, said: “We are delighted by the honour of Car of the Year 2015.
“This accolade has a very special significance for us because it is awarded by independent international trade journalists. In addition, the honour is known to have a high standing for our customers.”
One of the oldest and most well-known awards in Europe, Car of the Year has been honouring the best new releases in the car industry every year since 1964.
The jury, consisting of 58 European motoring journalists from 22 countries, had nominated seven candidates ahead of the final. In the preceding months, these candidates had undergone detailed testing, comparisons and evaluations based on criteria such as economy, comfort, safety, driving characteristics, functionality, design and technical progress.
In the 52nd edition of the traditional competition, the new Passat clearly triumphed over its six rivals in the final with a total score of 340 points.
Two current Volkswagen models have already received the coveted award in the past, namely the Polo in 2010 and the Golf in 2013. In addition to the ‘Golden Steering Wheel 2014’ and ‘Auto Trophy 2014’, the top position as ‘Car of the Year’ was preceded by several accolades at home and abroad.
The new Passat, in all its versions, is one of the most successful mid-class cars in the world and with 1.1 million units (in 2014), one of the highest-volume series of the Volkswagen Group worldwide.