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2009 World Car of the Year: Volkswagen Golf 6

And the prize goes to... Volkswagen Golf 6! The contest is over and after a bitter struggle, this year's prize went to the German built Golf 6. The announcement was made at the Jacob Javits Centre in Manhattan, at a conference hosted by the 2009 New York Auto Show.

The Volkswagen Golf VI was chosen from an initial entry list of fifty-one vehicles nominated by fifty-nine World Car jurors from twenty-five countries. Each juror was appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the basis of his/her expertise, experience, credibility, and influence.

"We are honored that our new sixth generation Golf was named World Car of the Year. The Golf is an iconic nameplate for the Volkswagen Brand and is known throughout the world. The Golf is Volkswagen's best selling nameplate with more than 26 million units sold in over 120 countries," Stefan Jacoby Volkswagen Group of America CEO said at the event.

The 2009 World Car of the Year Awards also designated the winners of the other sections of the competition. The 2009 World Car Design of the Year was awarded to Fiat 500. “Icon is an overused word in the automotive world, but the Fiat 500 dating from 1957 genuinely deserves the sobriquet," motivated the jurors their choice.

The 2009 World Performance Car award was snatched by Nissan GT-R, as it was the vehicle that embodied the most of the requirements needed to receive this title. “Nissan GT-R stole the headlines in the sports car world in 2008. This GT-R – the R35 – throws even former GT-Rs into the weeds via an all-new 3.6-liter bi-turbo V-8 providing 480 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque," said the jurors.

The Honda FCX Clarity surpassed rival competitors Mitsubishi iMIEV and Toyota iQ and became this year's World Green Car award winner. The jurors considered that "the FCX Clarity is an utterly real, hydrogen-fuelled luxury sedan that provides the amenities people expect in a premium car with 430 km range, fuel consumption of about 3.3 litres/100 km (72 mpg US) equivalent and zero tailpipe emissions."
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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