The 2015 European Car of the Year award winner has been announced, with the Volkswagen Passat taking top honors at the Geneva Motor Show.
58 journalists from 22 countries, as well as a panel of experts submitted their votes during a live ceremony at the motor show, where the Passat was crowned king for 2015. Chair of the judging panel Hakan Matson explained the decision, saying,
“It is truly impressive that Volkswagen managed to win the title for the third time in six years. The Passat has many strong points, including its design, overall quality, safety, spacious interior, and several useful innovations such as the Trailer Assist. With all these features the model clearly deserves to be Car of the Year 2015.”
Key criteria that are taken into consideration for the award are aspects such as innovation, emission ratings and economy, safety, driving characteristics, design and value for money. The new Passat outshone them all with 340 points. Prof. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen, said,
“We are extremely proud of this accolade. 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 latest Citroen C4 Cactus came in at second place with 248 points, while the smart new Mercedes-Benz C-Class was warded third with 221 points. The 2015 European Car of the Year voting results were as follows.
- Volkswagen Passat, 340 points
- Citroën C4 Cactus, 248 points
- Mercedes-Benz C-Class, 221 points
- Ford Mondeo, 203 points
- Nissan QASHQAI, 160 points
- BMW 2 Series Active Tourer, 154 points
- Renault Twingo, 124 points
