VW Golf crowned car of the year - Bankrate.com

The Volkswagen Golf was named the 2015 North American Car of the Year today at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

"Volkswagen’s family of hatchbacks represents one of the best values available for less than $30,000," says Erin Riches-Wong of Edmunds.com, one of the award jurors. "The GTI, in particular, is a steal, because you’re basically getting a luxury car -- with equal parts performance, comfort and utility -- for the price of a family car. We should all run out and buy one before VW rethinks its bargain pricing strategy on this car."

Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn stands with the 2015 Golf and Golf GTI.

Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn stands with the 2015 Golf and Golf GTI.

The prestigious award is unique in that it is given each year by an independent group of automotive journalists instead of a single media outlet.

Beat out finalists from Hyundai, Ford

The award assesses cars in the areas of innovation, comfort, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. In addition to the Golf, the finalists for the North American Car of the Year were the Ford Mustang and Hyundai Genesis. The jurors initially considered all cars that are new or substantially redesigned for the 2015 model year.

The Volkswagen Golf won with 256 points, followed by the Ford Mustang at 204 and the Hyundai Genesis with 110.

Priced as low as $18,000

The 2015 Golf is available in four different versions: the sporty Golf GTI, the Golf 1.8T, the clean diesel Golf TDI and the e-Golf, an all-electric version. Pricing starts at $17,995.

Volkswagen will add to the Golf lineup later this year. A Golf SportWagen will be available as a clean diesel or with a turbocharged 1.8-liter TSI engine. The company also will introduce a limited edition, 292-horsepower, all-wheel-drive Golf R. While both will go on sale this spring, the Golf R has already sold out of its current production run via advanced orders.

"This award highlights our achievements and hard work in the past year, and we are confident that the Golf family will continue to pave the way for the brand in the year ahead," Volkswagen Group of America CEO Michael Horn said in a statement.

In the 22-year history of the award, domestic automakers have won 12 times and foreign nameplates have won 10 times. This year was the second time Volkswagen won the award. It also won in 1999 for the New Beetle.

Volkswagen has been busy pursuing American buyers. It will build its new crossover at its factory in Tennessee. Read about it in VW to build new SUV in US.

Tara Baukus Mello writes the cars blog as well as the weekly Driving for Dollars column, providing both practical financial advice for consumers as well as insight into the latest developments in the automotive world. Follow her on Facebook here or on Twitter @SheDrives.

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