VW Passat named European car of the year
Volkswagen's new large car shows a clean pair of heels to Citroen C4 Picasso and Mercedes C-ClassA 58-strong judging panel has determined that the new Volkswagen Passat is Europe's car of the year for 2015.
The Volkswagen, which will shortly offer a plug-in hybrid version, the Passat GTE (pictured), was hailed by the journalists taking part in the selection process for its "quality and functionality".
Now built on Volkswagen's MQB modular platform that also underpins the Golf 7, the Passat has moved ahead of the previous generation model – still on sale in Australia – through major advances in both weight reduction and body stiffness. The judges also acknowledged the new Passat's space efficiency.
"We are extremely proud of this accolade," said Professor Martin Winterkorn, Volkswagen CEO during the award 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."
The Passat scored 340 points from the judges, nearly 100 points ahead of second-placed Citroen C4 Picasso (248) and nearly 120 points ahead of the Mercedes-Benz C-Class (221).
New driver-assist and safety technology introduced to the Passat range include: Active Info Display, extendable head-up display, app-based Rear Seat Entertainment for tablets, Front Assist with City Emergency Braking and Pedestrian Monitoring, Emergency Assist (vehicle stops in emergency), Trailer Assist (assisted manoeuvring with a trailer) and Traffic Jam Assist. Volkswagen claims the last three features are world firsts.
The new model is due to arrive in Australia from the fourth quarter of this year, but Volkswagen's local arm has no plans to add a hybrid model to the range.
Pictured: Martin Winterkorn and Heinz-Jakob Neusser, Member of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Brand for the Development Division
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