Volkswagen Passat CC picks up Red Dot Design award

The 2009 red dot design award winners were announced back in March, but last night the 'Best of the Best' award was handed out at a presentation in Essen, Germany, to Volkswagen for the Passat CC four-door coupe.

Essen's Aalto Theater hosted the ceremony, where VW designer Martin Kropp accepted the award on behalf of Exterior Design Studio 1. The Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, one of Europe's oldest and most highly reputed design centers, has awarded its red dot 'Best of the Best' award since 2000.

The red dot award is just the latest award the CC has collected for its exterior design. Other awards already nabbed include the IF Product Design Award 2009 and the Australian International Design Award.

The process behind choosing the winners for the red dot awards is exhaustive, with design experts from all over the world collaborating to evaluate each entry in the competition's numerous categories. The design experts are changed each year to keep the selection process as impartial as possible and ensure that the awards remain an effective indicator of good design.