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Volkswagen Passat Named AAOW 'Vehicle of the Year'

8 January 1998

Volkswagen Passat Named AAOW 'Vehicle of the Year'

    DETROIT, Jan. 8 -- African Americans On Wheels magazine
selected the Volkswagen Passat today as its "1998 Vehicle of the Year."
    The honor was presented at a gala reception at the magazine's Second
Annual Golden Wheel Awards program, at the Museum of African American History,
which precedes the opening of the North American International Auto Show.  The
Vehicle of the Year award is one of four selected by a panel of automotive
journalists from across the country.
    The winner was selected on a point system based on safety, security, and
other characteristics of interest to urban motorists.  The panel gave
20 points for its first choice, 15 for second and 10 for third.
    "The VW Passat stood out on all of the judges' score cards as one of the
best redesigned cars introduced in 1997," said Randi Payton, publisher and
editor-in-chief of African Americans On Wheels.
    To compete more competitively with other mid-range vehicles, Volkswagen
redesigned the Passat, its flagship car.  The biggest difference between the
Passat and its rivals is its luxury flavor.  The vehicle is recognized by how
great it feels on the road, which is attributed to a revised front suspension.
The Passat is powered by a 5-valve-per-cylinder, turbocharged 4-cylinder
engine that produces 150 horsepower.
    African Americans On Wheels magazine is a quarterly, 40-page supplement to
33 black newspapers and zoned editions of three daily publications: The
Detroit News and Detroit Free Press and The Washington Post.

SOURCE  African Americans On Wheels