Volkswagen Golf BlueMotion Claims Another Green Award
Wednesday the 2nd of November has gone down as another red letter day in Volkswagen Golf's BlueMotion calender, thanks to AFCO members, who voted the BlueMotion Golf model Green Vehicle of the Year 2011. A very satisfactory day for Volkswagen was rounded off with the shortlisting of the Passat and Golf models in the Fleet Car of the Year award section, plus the Caddy being nominated for Small Van of Year too.
AFCO represents businesses that use cars or vans as part of their regular duties and is the largest UK organisation of its type. This latest award is a real feather in the cap of the BlueMotion Golf as, unlike many motor industry awards, this one was voted for online by the AFCO members themselves. There can be no higher endorsement of a product than one that comes directly from the customers who use it daily in their professional lives.
The award was presented at the Hilton Metropole Hotel in Birmingham, attended by over 200 AFCO members. This year is the 28th edition of the awards and with AFCO membership growing all the time it is a safe bet to say that it will not be the last.
Volkswagen could be forgiven for thinking that this won't be the last award the BlueMotion Golf scoops too, considering how this latest award is added to an already well stocked trophy cabinet.
AFCO's Green Vehicle of the Year 2011 title now lines up proudly alongside no less than 4 AFCO Car of the Year awards bestowed on the Golf. The BlueMotion model has also been judged as What Car? magazine's Small Green Family Car of the year and its green credentials are further underlined by Auto Express' Descision to hand the entire BlueMotion range its Green Award.
Key factors in the Bluemotion's success in the green department are carbon emissions as low as 99 g/km and a combined fuel economy of 74.3 mpg on the 1.6 litre models. These numbers will be music to the ears of businesses looking to be as cost effective as possible, although it's worth noting that these are not the only attributes it takes to win this award, as AFCO chairman, Julie Jenner explains:
"Fleet decision makers are reliant on motor manufacturers to deliver vehicles that are cost effective to operate, safe, reliable and environmentally-friendly." She went on comment on how the quality engineering of the Golf was crucial as: "vehicle downtime can be kept to an absolute minimum and fleet managers can focus on the efficient and effective operation of their vehicles to support their businesses."
Vicent Kinner, the Head of Fleet Services for Volkswagen UK, collected the award and beamed that he was delighted to claim the fifth green car accolade for the BlueMotion Golf and stated that: "It not only reinforces the strength of the Golf, but also underlines the popularity and success of Volkswagen’s BlueMotion." He reasoned that Volkswagen's scheme of "taking a popular, practical, conventional model and maximising everything about it" had produced an "environmental champion."