Volkswagen shows no sign of slowing when it comes to award ceremony success. Barely a week has passed into the new year and the brand has already been decorated by carwow, WhichEV and Company Car and Van. This follows a successful 2020, where over 20 titles were presented to the brand, with the ID.3 enjoying particular admiration from many publications.
Yesterday at the carwow 2021 Car of the Year Awards two Volkswagen models were successful in taking the silverware home. The first was the new Golf R, named ‘Most Wanted’, while the ID.3 was given the title ‘Best Family Electric Car.’ Commenting on the Golf R’s success Editorial Director, Mat Watson, said: “Going by the amount of traffic it gets to our news pages, the forthcoming Volkswagen Golf R is going to fly out of showrooms. It is a 320hp German pocket rocket that will do 0-60mph in 4.7 seconds, helped by its standard four-wheel-drive system. In a very un-Volkswagen-ey, move it even has a ‘Drift’ mode.”
Just a few days earlier, the ID.3 received its first accolade of the year, this time from WhichEV in its 2021 awards celebrating the best EVs over the 12 months. ‘The Best Newcomer EV’ title was given to the ID.3, while it also received an honourable mention in the ‘Best Hatchback EV’ category. Editor at WhichEV, Dr James Morris, said: “With Volkswagen’s considerable investment in EV manufacturing and plans for lots of other new pure electric models, the ID.3 is just the beginning of a bright electric future for the German automaker.”
The latest Golf found success on the same day, at the 2021 Company Car & Van Awards. The best-selling hatchback was named ‘Medium Car of the Year’. Editor, Andrew Walker, said: “The eighth version of the iconic Golf is a runaway success. Classy interior, on trend-tech and excellent road manners, all combine to offer a five-door hatch that feels almost perfect in every way. A runaway winner.”
Overall, 2020 proved to be another successful year for the Volkswagen trophy cabinet. It began at the What Car? Awards in January where the Polo was named ‘Best Small Car’, while the T-Roc R and Touran took price-point trophies in their respective classes. Also in January were the Diesel Car & Eco Car Used Car Top 50 2020 Awards, where the Scirocco, Tiguan, Passat and Golf all made the list, while the Golf GTE was named ‘Best Used Plug-in Hybrid’.
The up! found huge success in 2019 as Volkswagen’s most decorated model, and this continued into 2020 with three further titles. Auto Express named it ‘City Car of the Year’, while at the Sun Motor Awards the up! GTI was given the title ‘Best Value’. At the same time The Sunday Times Motor Awards named the pint-sized GTI ‘Value Car of the Year’.
Further success was bestowed on the brand by The Sunday Times when it not only named the new Golf ‘Family Car of the Year’, but awarded it ‘ST Car of the Year’ too, a joint prize with the Porsche Taycan. Not finished there, the publication continued to name Volkswagen its ‘Manufacturer of the Year’.
The Golf found further success through the year with a ‘Used Car of the Year’ award from AM. Furthermore, the just-launched Golf GTI was named ‘Best All-Rounder’ at the Autocar Britain’s Best Car Awards.
However, it was the ID.3 that was the biggest winner in 2020. In February GQ named it ‘Best Family Car’ at its Car Awards. During November, Carbuyer awarded it ‘Best Family Electric Car’ and a month later DrivingElectric gave it the gong for ‘Best Electric Family Car’. To finish off the year, TopGear.com bestowed the MEB-based hatchback with the title ‘Game Changer of the Year’.
Sarah Cox, Head of Marketing at Volkswagen UK, said: “While 2020 was a very challenging year for everyone, it was also a very exciting year for Volkswagen with a host of new models launched. These included the latest generation of our icon, the Golf, as well as the hugely significant ID.3 – the first car to be based on the sophisticated all-electric MEB platform.
“It is fantastic to see these new arrivals being recognised by experts in the UK’s media through these many awards. And it is just as satisfying to see the rest of the range also receiving much-deserved recognition too, such as the up! and Polo.
“We look forward to further excitement in 2021 as we launch more thrilling models, such as the ID.4. And what a way to start the new year – with already four awards, just eight days in!”
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