PoloDriver

Polo in European Car of the Year 2010 winner shock. Yes, the fifth-generation of Volkswagen’s supermini has gone and done it. Snatching victory from the clutches of the Toyota iQ, the Polo was announced the winner today in Madrid. Beating 33 contenders for the title, it drove over the six other finalists with its total of 347 points.

We’re still reeling in surprise. Volkswagen must be more than happy – it’s the latest accolade for its new baby and will do nothing to harm already booming sales. It’s not the first time a Volkswagen has taken the gong (the last was the Series 3 Golf in 1992 which beat the Citroën ZX and Vauxhall Astra), but it is a CoTY debut win for the Polo. It beat the innovative Toyota iQ by a mere 10 points.

Fifty-nine European motoring journalists make up the voting committee with 25 points to allocate each. The Polo received 25 selections as the number one car, 5 more than the iQ and received 59 scoring votes in total from the 59-strong judging panel; the baby Toyota ended up with a very close 58.

Professor Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management, Volkswagen Group said: ‘The new Polo stands for German engineering craftsmanship and superior cutting edge technology. The fifth-generation Polo was designed to address customer expectations with even greater uncompromising standards. That is why we are naturally very pleased to see our efforts validated in the form of this award.’

Hakan Matson, president of the jury, had this to say at the award ceremony in Madrid: ‘It was the Polo’s comprehensive safety equipment and its advanced range of engines that impressed us the most. On the Polo BlueMotion, Volkswagen was also able to add a very fuel-efficient yet affordable car to its car programme.’

The full list of winners in order of their placings in the final reckoning is as follows:

1 Volkswagen Polo, 347 points
2 Toyota iQ, 337 points
3 Vauxhall Astra, 221 points
4 Škoda Yeti, 158 points
5 Mercedes E-class, 155 points
6 Peugeot 3008, 144 points
7 Citroën C3 Picasso, 113 points