FLEET WORLD HONOURS - Volkswagen takes award for the 2015 Passat.

The new Volkswagen Passat, which went on sale in the UK in January, has been named Best Upper Medium Car at the 2015 Fleet World Honours.  The trophy was presented at a ceremony held at the Royal Automobile Club in London today.

The Fleet World Honours are presented annually, and the judging process combines the expert opinion of the Fleet World editorial team with the objective values provided by a number of leading leasing companies and fleet data providers.

This year’s judging panel was chaired by Steve Moody, Editor of Fleet World, and includes John Kendall, Alex Grant and Ross Durkin from the Fleet World editorial team.

Judges were looking for vehicles which had a significant impact in the fleet market, offering the right combination of low running costs, environmental credentials and driver appeal.

Commenting on the Passat, Fleet World Editor, Steve Moody, said: ‘Smaller, lighter and more fuel-efficient than its predecessor, yet larger inside, the Passat shows premium quality isn't the reserve of the premium brands.  

The new SE Business trim offers all the essentials the fleet-heavy customer base demands, while the forthcoming BlueMotion version and plug-in hybrid can only build the Passat appeal.’

National Fleet Sales Manager, Mark Johnson, collected the award on behalf of the Volkswagen brand and said: ‘The new Passat is Europe’s Car of the Year for 2015 and we’re pleased to be able to add this Fleet World trophy to the cabinet.  

This car is hugely important to us and the most significant fleet vehicle we’ve launched in a number of years.  It’s great to see that since launch the Passat has proved its appeal to fleet managers and drivers in equal measure, and the range will be expanded further later this year with the addition of the BlueMotion, the Alltrack and the GTE plug-in hybrid.’