By Kevin Akor
WOLFSBURG, Germany (chatnewstv.com) — The Volkswagen Group has secured a historic 10 category wins in the 50th edition of the “Best Cars” reader poll conducted by German trade magazine auto motor und sport, the company said Monday.
The annual poll, regarded as Europe’s largest car reader survey, drew about 95,000 participants this year, with 480 models competing across 13 categories.
In the overall rankings, the Volkswagen brand claimed three victories, including one for Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. Porsche secured two class wins, while Audi topped one category. In the import rankings — where German brands are excluded — Škoda led with three awards, and Bentley won one category.
“The Best Cars Award is one of the most important people’s choice awards for the automotive industry in Europe,” Oliver Blume, CEO of Volkswagen Group, said in a statement. “The historic result, with ten awards and more than one in three podium positions, is of great value to us.”
“The awards show that our product offensive is working and that our models are very well received by customers,” Blume added. “The strong vote reinforces our ambition to be the global automotive technology driver.”
Among the Group’s winning models were the Volkswagen Polo in the small cars category, the Audi Q3 among compact SUVs, the Porsche 911 in both the convertibles and sports cars segments, the Volkswagen ID. Buzz in the vans category, and the Škoda Octavia in the compact class import ranking. Other winners included the Volkswagen T-Roc, Škoda Kamiq and Kodiaq in SUV segments, and the Bentley Continental GT in the luxury import class.
The reader poll began in 1976 under the title “The Best Cars in the World,” initially featuring 60 cars in six categories. This year’s 50th anniversary edition marked the largest field in the poll’s history.
Volkswagen Group said it has launched around 60 new models over the past two years as part of a broad product renewal across brands and powertrains. The company plans to introduce more than 20 additional models this year, including new electric vehicles in China and a four-model all-electric urban car family in Europe.
Headquartered in Wolfsburg, the Volkswagen Group operates 115 production facilities across 27 countries and sells vehicles in more than 150 markets worldwide. In 2024, the Group delivered 9 million vehicles globally and reported sales revenue of €324.7 billion.
