Business & Money | Thursday 2 July, 2015 2:44 am |

The Volkswagen brand was one of the big winners in this year's Plus X Awards, picking up no less than six accolades. A special award went to the brand's design team. In the official citation the judges said: "Over many decades, Volkswagen has developed a brand identity and has not lost sight of this in the face of contemporary trends. In fact, quite the opposite. From the big picture down to the smallest detail, from the silhouette to the increasingly important light signature, coherent concepts unite functionality and emotion. And they do so on a large scale. Volkswagen's design team has proved, especially with the 'C Coupé GTE' concept car just recently unveiled in Shanghai, how scalable and yet refined the company's current styling is."

In addition, the Plus X top accolade of 'Best Product of the Year' went to two Volkswagen models: by virtue of "its perfect workmanship and timeless interior and exterior design" the Passat Variant was crowned 'Estate Car of the Year 2015/16'. The Golf Sportsvan too, which according to the jury "provides that decisive additional space and functionality and elevates motoring to a level that customers value", received the prestigious Plus X Award as 'Compact MPV of the Year 2015/16'.

In the 'High Quality, Design and Ease of Use' category, the innovation award was also given to the Passat Saloon, Passat Variant and Golf Sportsvan.

The international Plus X Awards were launched in 2004 and annually recognise the most innovative and future-proof products that have at least one extra feature and thus emphasise a product's added value. The entries were judged by an international, independent jury from 27 business sectors