The Volkswagen Golf 7 has been awarded New Zealand Car of the Year 2013 by the AA and the New Zealand Motoring Writers Guild.
The Golf was awarded the Peter Greenslade Trophy during the awards ceremony at the Viaduct Events Centre last night. The trophy was named in honour of the late Peter Greenslade, one of New Zealand's most respcted motoring writers.
The Golf was recognised by the judges for its design, quality, willing engines and value for money, leading the way in compact car segment.
Volkswagen New Zealand Marketing Manager Michael Cope is very pleased with the final result and told Driven the real thanks needs to go Volkswagen themselves.
"It's fantastic to see the Golf winning this award and the real credit goes back to our factory in Germany. We have a great team of talented engineers and designers who have worked very hard to ensure the Golf continues to do well in all areas, and we are excited for what the future holds for the Golf range," said Cope.
The winner was selected from a list of 10 finalists voted by members of the guild. The finalists included the new Mazda 6, Holden VF Commodore, Holden Volt, Ford Kuga, Subaru BRZ, Subaru Forester, Volvo V40, Lexus IS and Hyundai Sante Fe.
To qualify as a contender, the car must have been driven by more than half of the Guilds members and have been launched onto the New Zealand market within October 1st 2013 and September 30th 2013.
Best in class awards were also given to cars which have stood out in their class within the last year.
Small car: Ford Fiesta
Medium car: Mazda 6
Large car: Holden VF Commodore
Sports car: Ford Fiesta ST
Small/Medium SUV: Mazda CX5
Ute: Ford Ranger
Large SUV: Range Rover
Compact: Volkswagen Golf
Luxury: BMW 5 Series
Safety: Volvo V40