Automotive Brand Contest 2015: German Design Council honours Volkswagen brand with eight awards in all

Since 2011, the German Design Council has been organising the “Automotive Brand Contest” every year as a brand and design award for the automotive industry. This year Volkswagen is again among the major winners, because a total of eight models have been honoured by the expert jury – with two models receiving the coveted top rating “Best of Best”.

The Sport Coupé Concept GTE, which was among the show highlights at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, received the “Best of Best” ranking in the “Concepts” category. The four-door, four-seater study inspired the international jury of the German Design Council, who in their presentation speech praised the Sport Coupé Concept GTE as a “protagonist of the new, progressive and highly individual Volkswagen design language”.

The top honour “Best of Best” also went to the interior of the Passat production model, which impresses with its clarity of style and high-quality materials. The jury justified its verdict as follows: “With its aesthetic exclusivity, its dynamic precision and lightness of character, it sets new standards in the design of production vehicles.”

Furthermore, the honour “Special Mention” was awarded to the Golf GTE* in the category “Exterior Volume Brand”. The groundbreaking drive system of the Golf GTE is also reflected in the design of the vehicle. This can be seen both in the dynamic front with the distinctive LED light signature in the bumper as well as in the rear section with its sporty design, including features such as dual chrome tailpipes and two-tone spoiler.

The following Volkswagen models have additionally received the rating of “Winner”:

• Cross Coupé GTE in the Concepts category

• XL Sport in the Concepts category

• Passat in the Exterior Volume Brand category

• Touran in the Exterior Volume Brand category

• Golf GTE in the Interior Volume Brand category

The festive prize-giving ceremony for the “Automotive Brand Contest” is taking place on 15 September, the first press day of the International Motor Show (IAA) in Frankfurt.

*Golf GTE: Fuel consumption in l/100 km. 1.5 (combined); CO2 emissions in g/km: 35 (combined); efficiency class: A+