Volkswagen's e-up! wins top green motoring award

Volkswagen's forthcoming e-up! electric car The forthcoming new e-up! electric car may not be on sale yet, but that hasn’t stopped it from being one of two new Volkswagen models that’s picked up an award from website NextGreenCar.com.
The all-electric up! city car, full details of which will be announced next month, has picked up the Next Generation category, while the super-frugal and super-practical new Golf Estate BlueMotion won the Small Family Estate award.  Its hatchback sibling, the Golf BlueMotion, was commended in the Small Family Car category.
The e-up! is the new electric version of Volkswagen’s multi-award-winning city car.  The e-up! has all the attributes that make its petrol-powered sibling such a success – room for four adults and their luggage, nippy handling and the equipment and feel of a much larger car.
The e-up! is powered by an electric motor that delivers a maximum output of 60 kW / 82 PS and 210 Nm / 155 lbs ft of torque.  It accelerates from rest to 62 mph in 12.4 seconds and achieves a top speed of 81 mph.  With its 18.7 kWh lithium-ion battery it has a range of around 100 miles. The e-up! can be charged at any standard 230-Volt socket, or via a DC fast-charging station, in which case the battery can be charged to 80 per cent full in under 30 minutes.  UK sales are due to start later this year, with the first deliveries in early 2014.
The forthcoming new Golf Estate BlueMotion has a 1.6-litre diesel engine producing 110 PS, has a six-speed manual gearbox, and is expected to achieve a combined fuel consumption of just 85.6 mpg (equivalent to 87 g/km of CO2).  Despite this frugality, it still has the same load-lugging capacity as every Golf Estate, with a load area that expands from 605 litres to 1,620 with the rear seats folded.  The new Golf Estate BlueMotion goes on sale in the UK before the end of the year.
Commenting on the awards, Simon Lynch, Volkswagen Product Marketing Manager said, ‘We’re delighted to receive these awards, which recognise the breadth of Volkswagen’s product range.  Whether customers want a zero-emissions electric vehicle or a capacious yet frugal family estate, our vehicles show that going green doesn’t come at the expense of comfort, safety or practicality.’