Volkswagen Golf Mark VI declared 2009 World Car of the Year

Not to be outdone by the North American Car and Truck of the Year awards from the Detroit Auto Show, the organizers of the New York Auto Show are heavily promoting their own ‘World’ and ‘Performance’ titles and today revealed the winners for this year’s awards.

We already saw the Nissan GT-R and Honda FCX Clarity take out the respective Performance and Green car titles, and now we can confirme that Volkswagen’s Mark VI Golf, which will be coming Stateside in just a matter of months, has been declared the 2009 World Car of the Year.

The Golf VI was chosen from an initial entry list of 51 entries nominated by 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries throughout the world. The jurors observed that, “The new Golf VI employs a Scirocco styled grille and headlights and larger tail lights. However, it also feels more expensive than other family hatches, thanks to its solid build and high quality cabin. Customers get a choice of nothing less than six engines including the punchy and efficient 158hp 1.4L TSI unit that features both a turbo and supercharger. The Golf is also available with VW’s new 2.0L common-rail diesel motor with either 108 or 138hp. It goes without saying that choosing between the slick 6-speed manual and superb DSG twin-clutch gearbox can be difficult. Sitting on an outstanding chassis, the VW is more refined than its rivals, especially when highway cruising. Wind, road and engine noise are kept to a minimum, making the Golf a relaxing long distance companion.”

The WCOTY organization has been choosing its award winners since 2005, starting with the Audi A6. Since then the BMW 3-series (2006), Lexus LS460 (2007), and Mazda2/Demio (2008) have won the overall award.

2009 Overall World Car of the Year finalists:
- Audi A4 / Avant
- BMW 7 Series
- Citroen C5 Sedan / C5 Tourer
- Fiat 500
- Ford Fiesta
- Honda Fit / Jazz
- Jaguar XF
- Mazda Atenza / Mazda6
- Nissan GT-R
- Toyota iQ
- Volkswagen Golf VI