Volkswagen of America, Inc. has announced that the 2015 Golf and 2015 Golf GTI have been named the 2015 North American Car of the Year. The Golf and Golf GTI were recognized for setting new benchmarks in their segments, including innovation, distinguished design, and available driver assistance features, as well as unmatched value.

“Volkswagen is thrilled to start 2015 with the Golf and Golf GTI taking home the incredible North American Car of the Year title,” said Michael Horn, CEO, Volkswagen Group of America, Inc. “This award highlights our achievements and hard work in the past year, and we are confident that the Golf family will continue to pave the way for the brand in the year ahead.”

The coveted 2015 North American Car of the Year award joins the list of a dozen accolades awarded to 2015 Golf models to date.
The German-engineered 2015 Golf family is currently available in four distinct versions: the sporty Golf GTI, the fun-to-drive Golf 1.8T, the Golf TDI Clean Diesel and the all-electric, zero-tailpipe emissions e-Golf. The seventh-generation surpasses its compact class peers with a host of newly available driver assistance features and excellent EPA estimated highway fuel economy.

The Golf family will soon welcome two new additions: the all-new 292-horsepower, all-wheel drive Golf R, which sold out a pre-order of 500 units in less than 11 hours; and the TDI Clean Diesel and turbocharged 1.8-liter TSI® Golf SportWagen models that go on sale in the spring.
The North American Car and Truck of the Year awards are announced each year at the beginning of media week at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit. In 2015, 57 North American Car and Truck of the Year jurors from newspapers, television and radio stations, magazines and websites across the U.S. and Canada weighed in to select the vehicle that most exceeded expectations in all areas, ranging from design and safety to innovation and economy. Three finalists are winnowed down from an expansive list of all-new or significantly redesigned cars introduced in the past year. All ballots are sent directly to and calculated by Deloitte & Touche.

This is Volkswagen’s second North American Car of the Year award, following in the wheeltracks of the New Beetle in 1999. The Passat was a finalist in 2012; the Golf/TDI/GTI a finalist in 2010; and the Jetta TDI was a finalist in 2009.

Voting for the North American Car and Truck/Utility of the Year occurs in three stages, each of which focuses the jury on a smaller number of vehicles. Early in the fall, the jurors consider all the new or substantially changed vehicles and pick a dozen or so cars and trucks, from what is called the long list, that they think deserve additional consideration. This vote results in what is called the short list. Early in December the jurors vote on those short-list vehicles, sending their ballots directly to Deloitte & Touche in Detroit. On those ballots jurors are given 25 points to distribute among the cars and 25 points to distribute among the trucks. However, no more than 10 points may be given to a single vehicle and those maximum points may be given to only one truck and one car. Jurors must use all their points.

-- Press release courtesy of Volkswagen