EL SEGUNDO, Calif. -

Motor Trend has chosen the recipient of its Car of the Year Award, revealing the winner Wednesday at the Los Angeles International Auto Show.

Taking home the honor is the 2012 Volkswagon Passat, after being judged in categories including advancement in design, engineering excellence and safety, among others.

The Passat — produced in the automaker’s factory in Chattanooga, Tenn. — beat out competitors from a field of 35 all-new, or thoroughly  redesigned 2012 model-year vehicles.

The 2012 Motor Trend Car of the Year award was presented to Jonathan Browning, president and chief executive officer of Volkswagen of America, during the automaker’s press conference at the 2011 LA Auto Show.

“Volkswagen is extremely proud to receive this honor,” said Browning.

“This recognition from Motor Trend is a testament to the engineering integrity of the Passat and validates our strategy of providing a US-built, German engineered midsize sedan at a price in the heart of the midsize segment,” he continued.

Today’s announcement marks only the second time Volkswagen has won Motor Trend’s highest honor, the first being in 1985 for the then American-built GTI.

So why exactly was the new Passat chosen as the magazine’s 2012 Car of the Year?

Candidates were subjected to an evaluation process that included Motor Trend performance tests, track-based ride and handling evaluations; as well as real-world driving on city streets, freeways and two-lane roads, the company explained.

When describing the newest recipient of the award that has been around for more than six decades, Motor Trend editor-in-chief Angus MacKenzie had this to say: “The well-equipped Passat is a breakthrough car for Volkswagen, as it has been designed to suit the North American market and is being built in a brand-new, state-of-the-art assembly plant in Chattanooga, Tenn.

“It has one of the roomiest interiors in its class, a wide choice of powertrains and a well-tuned chassis. A compelling new entry in the toughest, most competitive vehicle segment in the U.S. today, it’s a terrific all-around family sedan,” he continued.

MotorTrend also broke down what it thinks are the best elements of the Passat, regarding the six key criteria considered for the Car of the Year Award, along with commentary from some industry experts and award panel judges.
                     
Advancement in Design

“The Passat’s styling is clean and simple, but executed with a precision normally seen on expensive luxury cars,” company officials noted. “Like the exterior, the Passat’s remarkably roomy interior is clean and simple, with clear instrumentation and easy to use controls.”

Car of the Year judge Tom Gale, Chrysler’s former design chief, noted, “…like the Audi A6, what is remarkable is the restraint shown with the handling of the design. Clean, beautiful surfaces have been refined for an engaging result.”

—Engineering Excellence

“With options that include a 2.5-liter five-cylinder gas engine, a powerful V-6 or a highly efficient turbo diesel — each with the option of marriage to a standard transmission or the seamlessly smooth dual-clutch auto-manual unit — Motor Trend found the powertrains of the Passat to be perfectly matched to the car,” officials contend.
 
Engineering expert Chris Theodore noted of the combination, “…without the compromises that mainstream green vehicles impose — a true technological achievement.”
 
—Efficiency

“The new 2012 Passat makes great strides in its efficiency thanks to the versatile powertrain. The standard 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine returned 26.5 mpg in testing while the optional turbo-diesel returned an average of 34.3 mpg. The Passat had the best fuel economy stats of this year’s finalists over the course of 11 mixed-driving loops,” commented company officials.
 
—Safety

“Between government mandates and consumer expectations, pretty much every car in this segment gets a standard complement of passive safety gadgets that include six airbags, stability control, tire-pressure monitoring, ABS and brake-assist, among numerous other electronic aids,” Motor Trend staff noted.
 
Motor Trend technical editor Frank Markus offered his opinion, as well, saying, “The Passat, which seemed just as at home on an American interstate as it would the German autobahn, scored highly for its ability to help drivers avoid a crash in the first place. What’s more fun to talk about under the safety rubric is how well the Passat’s chassis is tuned to keep it out of trouble, because well-driven, agile cars are less likely to plow into things than poorly controlled, flabby, clumsy ones.”
 
—Value

“By investing in a new facility in Chattanooga, Tenn., to build the Passat, VW has reduced the potential for currency fluctuations to negatively impact the price, as happened with the previous imported model,” the publication explained.
 
“With initial costs lower and overall ownership costs suppressed — thanks to improved build quality and VW’s Carefree Maintenance Program — the 2012 Volkswagen Passat stands as a great value in a market segment driven by price-conscious consumers,” officials continue.
 
—Performance of Intended Function

“The 2012 Passat was intended to be an affordable, roomy, efficient mid-size sedan for the American family, and the car delivers perfectly on its mission statement,” Motor Trend concluded.

Car of the Year judge Chris Theodore summed it up, saying, “I was expecting a large, cost-reduced VW that had lost its Fahrvergnügen, but it’s still there, just cloaked in Brooks Brothers.”

In other recent news from VW, it was also announced Thursday that the OEM has snagged a ALG Residual Value Award, as well.

VW’s  Golf TDI Clean Diesel won top honors in ALG’s Alternative-Fuel vehicle category, marking the second consecutive year that the compact clean diesel-powered car has received this award.

“The ALG Residual Value Awards recognize the brands and individual vehicles that truly deliver quality and value to the American consumer,” said Frank Trivieri, vice president of sales operations at Volkswagen of America. “We’re honored to win the Alternative-Fuel award for the Golf TDI, and thrilled to receive it for two years in a row.”

To read more about winners of the ALG Residual Value Awards, see the Auto Remarketing story here.