The VW UP continues to impress and has been named the 2012 World Car of the Year. The award was given by a jury consisting of 64 international motor journalists from a number of countries and was announced at the New York International Motor Show.

Premium feel for VW UP

In 2011 the Nissan Leaf won the prestigious award, with the VW Polo winning it in 2010 and the Golf in 2009. Volkswagen have taken home the award in 3 out of the last 4 years, a rather impressive feat. This is what the jury had to say regarding the VW UP “Of note are the responsive steering, sophisticated suspension set-up, new efficient engines and the quality of materials and finish. Never before in this economy segment have owners felt so premium.”

Just behind the VW UP was the BMW 3-Series and the Porsche 911. In other awards, the Porsche 911 was named the World Performance Car of the Year, the Range Rover Evoque won the World Car Design of the Year and the Mercedes-Benz S250 CDi BlueEfficiency was named the Green Car of the Year.

Interestingly enough, VW South Africa have still not announced any plans to bring the UP to South Africa.