Volkswagen Passat TDI Named the 2013 Diesel Car of the Year
Rainer Michel of VW of America accepting the award from Jonathan Spira
The Volkswagen Passat TDI is the 2013 Diesel Car of the Year, according to the readers of The Diesel Driver magazine. The Volkswagen Passat TDI is the only diesel-powered sedan made in the U.S.A. that is currently on the market.
The Volkswagen Passat diesel received 20.3% of 6,147 votes cast by readers of The Diesel Driver.
The votes came from over 100 countries. Sixty-seven percent of the votes were cast by readers in the United States, 7% were from Canada, 5% came from Russia and 3% originated in Germany.
“The Volkswagen Passat TDI combines great fuel economy, luxury, and roominess, and fun in a single package,” said Jonathan Spira, editor of The Diesel Driver, in presenting the award to Rainer Michel, vice president of product marketing and strategy at Volkswagen of America, at the New York International Auto Show at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center.
“We’re thrilled that the readers of The Diesel Driver magazine have named the Volkswagen Passat TDI Clean Diesel its Diesel Car of the Year,” said Rainer Michel, vice president of product marketing and strategy, Volkswagen of America. “Volkswagen is committed to offering its customers around the globe the most state-of-the-art diesel technology, and this award for the German-engineered, American-built Passat TDI reinforces our continued commitment to bring American consumers an unrivalled range of diesel vehicles, from the Jetta to the Touareg.”
“Once again, our readers have spoken in the manner that Greg Spira, our late co-founder who also instituted the Internet Baseball Awards 20 years ago and later helped create the Diesel Car of the Year awards, had envisioned, namely that fans make the best jurors,” said David M. Goldes, group publisher at Accura Media Group, The Diesel Driver’s publisher.
Second place was earned by the Audi Q7 TDI with 19.2% of the vote. The Audi A3 TDI, with 11.4% of the vote, came in third.
Last year, readers of The Diesel Driver awarded the BMW X5 xDrive35d the title of Diesel Car of the Year.
Each year, The Diesel Driver’s readers select the Diesel Car of the Year and bestow recognition on the top three diesel automobiles offered in the U.S. For the 2013 Diesel Car of the Year, jurors (magazine readers) chose among 14 passenger vehicles and SUVs. Criteria ranged from fuel economy and greenhouse gas emissions to performance, handling, styling, comfort, and the overall package.
This year’s nominees included seven passenger cars, the Audi A3 TDI, the Mercedes-Benz E350 BlueTec, the Mercedes-Benz S350 BlueTec, the Volkswagen Beetle TDI, the Volkswagen Golf TDI, the Volkswagen Jetta Sedan TDI, the Volkswagen Jetta Sportwagen TDI, and the Volkswagen Passat TDI, as well as six SUVs, the Audi Q7 TDI, the BMW X5 xDrive35d, the Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec the Mercedes-Benz ML350 BlueTec, the Mercedes-Benz GL350 BlueTec, the Porsche Cayenne Diesel, and the Volkswagen Touareg TDI.
Voting started at 12:01 a.m. on January 8, 2013 and concluded at 11:59 p.m. on March 15, 2013.
The Diesel Driver is the world’s leading publication geared towards automotive enthusiasts interested in diesel-powered automobiles. The Diesel Driver offers in-depth road tests and reviews, diesel-oriented travel features, and features that focus on the latest in diesel technology.
(Photo: Accura Media Group)
