One Year On: New Golf is Winner of Two Dozen Awards

WOLFSBURG, GERMANY – Dec 4, 2013: The Golf's success story enters the seventh generation as the car continues to inspire both customers and the specialist media. The Golf has been honoured with two dozen prestigious awards over the past twelve months, most notably European "Car of the Year" and "World Car of the Year 2013". The new Golf also recently beat the competition in Japan, becoming the first imported car in the award’s 34-year history to claim the accolade and be named "Car of the Year 2013/2014 Japan" with a score that was streaks ahead of the field. Other awards include the Scottish “Car of the Year 2013", the "Golden Steering Wheel 2013", the "Auto Trophy", "Auto der Vernunft" (Car of Reason) and "Best cars of 2013". Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, CEO of Volkswagen AG, commented: "The Golf will remain the most important model and a powerful engine for the Volkswagen brand."

The 500,000th latest-generation Golf will be delivered in a few days' time just one year after the car was launched. These impressive sales figures exclude key countries such as China and the United States, where the bestseller is yet to make its debut. Moreover, an important derivative in the Golf family is waiting in the wings: the new Golf wagon will arrive on Australian shores early next year. "We are delighted the Golf has got off to such a brilliant start and is enjoying such a positive reception from customers. That is first and foremost due to a committed team. Our people very definitely went the extra mile for the Golf and have done a great job," Winterkorn added.

For years now, the Golf has been the best-selling car in Europe, enjoying this status in several individual countries and taking pole position, for example, in Belgium, Finland, Ireland, Croatia, Luxemburg, Norway, Austria, Switzerland and, of course, its home market of Germany.

The first generation of the Volkswagen Golf went on display at dealers in May 1974 as the successor to the legendary Beetle and has continued its predecessor's success story for almost 40 years. The Golf has lent its name to an entire vehicle class and has always been available in a range of variants. From the ultra-economical Golf TDI BlueMotion to the sporty GTI, from the two-door cabriolet to the versatile wagon, Volkswagen has exactly the right Golf to suit every taste. Customers are certainly convinced: Volkswagen celebrated the 30 millionth Golf in June 2013.