External environmental awards
The Volkswagen Group’s models and its brands received numerous awards in 2015, in particular for alternative drive systems. Here are some examples:
AUTO TEST, the monthly consumer advice edition of AUTO BILD, and ÖKOTREND, the independent environmental research institution, presented awards for the most environmentally friendly cars in all classes in 2015. Two models of the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand won in their categories: the eco-up! in the small car category and the Golf GTE in the compact class. The Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid was voted number one in the SUV category. Assessment criteria included the manufacturer’s commitment to the environment and social responsibility, and the environmental impact of the vehicles across their entire lifecycle.
In 2015, for the third time in a row, the Swiss Transport Club (Verkehrs Club Schweiz) gave first place awards in its 2015 environmentally friendly car list to three Volkswagen Group models with natural gas-powered drives. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars’ eco-up! and its counterparts with identical construction from SEAT and ŠKODA were able to beat the competition due to the moderate level of noise they emit and excellent climate protection figures.
In the ADAC EcoTest, the Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand’s natural gas vehicles Golf TGI BlueMotion and eco-up! and the electric vehicle e-up! scored the top rating. The overall result of the ADAC EcoTest is composed of various ratings including the testing of emissions such as carbon monoxide, hydrocarbon, nitrogen oxides and particles in realistic driving cycles – some with the air-conditioning system turned on.
In the specialist magazine Car & Driver’s “Ten best 2016” competition, 231 models available on the Brazilian market were assessed. The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand received the highest number of awards. Due to the new TSI Total Flex engine with 1.0 liter capacity, the specialist jury selected the move up! TSI as the “most sustainable model” and the speed up! TSI as the “best hatchback”. The TSI Total Flex engine is Volkswagen do Brasil’s latest engine.
The Volkswagen Passenger Cars brand’s Lamando and the ŠKODA Octavia were awarded gold medals in the China Eco-Car Assessment Program. The environmental characteristics of a vehicle – including aspects such as interior air quality, noise, potentially harmful substances and materials – are systematically and comprehensively assessed in the test.
The e-up! won in the electricity consumption category in the environmentally friendly car list of the German Automobile Association, Verkehrsclub Deutschland e.V. (VCD). The VCD assesses more than 400 current passenger car models and aims to give car buyers a scientifically based decision-making tool.
The Green Car of the Year Award from the US specialist magazine Green Car Journal, which we had received for the Volkswagen Jetta TDI and Audi A3 TDI models in 2009 and 2010, respectively, was revoked as a result of the diesel issue.