Volkswagen wins the "Golden Drop of Oil 2008" award for energy and environment

The energy and environment prize is awarded annually by the German automobile club "Kraftfahrer-Schutz e. V. (KS)". The club awards this prize for technical developments in passenger cars which make a significant contribution towards reducing fuel consumption and safeguarding the environment.

The jurors honoured the two new technical developments from Volkswagen as an intelligent combination which, together, achieve noticeable savings in fuel and emissions. It was emphasised that this technology is used in numerous models from the compact class through to the small car segment.

The jury of the "Kraftfahrer-Schutz e.V." car club includes independent experts from many fields including science, engineering, journalism and politics. The award was presented recently in Munich to Dr Tobias Loescheter Horst, Head of Volkswagen petrol engine pre-development. This marks the fifth time that Volkswagen has received this award.

In the combination of the 90 kW TSI and the new 7-speed DSG (dual clutch gearbox), the two innovations show their strengths: fuel consumption and emissions are significantly reduced. The class leader Golf requires only 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 139 g/km. Compared to similar predecessors with automatic gearboxes, fuel consumption is reduced by more than 20% (7.6 litres/100 km previously as opposed to 5.9 litres/100 km now). At the same time, mid-range torque could be increased by around 60%.

Mr. Hans-Dieter Keller, Managing Director of Volkswagen Middle East, commented on the award:

"This award is a testament to our intensive and global commitment in developing high-quality engines that are economical and that conserve resources. Through our dedication we have managed to be innovation leaders in the area of sustainable mobility with our low-consumption and low-emission power trains. The "BlueMotion", "TSI", "TDI" and "DSG" names and thus the Volkswagen brand itself is now fast becoming synonymous for environmentally-compatible, innovative and ground breaking technology."