New VW Up! named What Car? Car of the Year 2012

Even before it has hit UK roads, the new Volkswagen up! has claimed top honours at the prestigious What Car? awards, being named Car of the Year for 2012 as well as best City Car. Taking the Car of the Year title for the sixth time makes Volkswagen the most successful manufacturer at the What Car? awards since they began in 1978.

It was a highly successful night for the manufacturer overall at the motor industry's annual 'Oscars' held at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London, with the Golf returning as winner of the Small Family Car category for the sixth time overall and fourth consecutive year, and Volkswagen also taking the coveted Safety Award.

Commenting on the awards, What Car? editor-in-chief Chas Hallett said: 'The Volkswagen up! sets new standards for a car at £10,000. It's a city car that can seat four adults, while offering new levels of refinement, quality and maturity at this price; none of its rivals feels quite so grown-up. Buyers will be looking for even more for their money than ever in 2012, so the up! is a worthy winner of the What Car? Car of the Year.'

Once again, the What Car? editorial team found the evergreen Golf hard to fault, and summed up by saying: 'The Golf now has four wins in a row in our Small Family Car category - proof that Volkswagen got the package just right. This is a particularly demanding category, but the Golf has all the right ingredients: it's practical, comfortable and good to drive, holds its value well and is economical. It's really all the car most people will ever need.'