AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that its 2008 GTI was once again awarded a "Motorist Choice Award" from IntelliChoice.com and AutoPacific, Inc. The Volkswagen GTI is the top choice for the Image Compact Car category. The award, which recognizes the most satisfying cars and trucks that are also the least expensive to own is based on a combination of IntelliChoice.com's cost of ownership data and AutoPacific's customer satisfaction survey data, creating a final score. "The GTI demonstrates what this brand is all about -- offering affordable German Engineered vehicles that are fun-to-drive," said Stefan Jacoby, president and CEO, Volkswagen of America, Inc. "We're extremely pleased that the enthusiasm of owners, combined with the low cost of ownership, has earned the GTI a Motorist Choice Award two years in a row." AutoPacific surveys 38 product-focused attributes, generating a score between five and 25, allowing for a maximum possible score of 950, which is then normalized to 1000. This score, merged with IntelliChoice.com's seven scored attributes including depreciation, financing, fuel, insurance, maintenance, repairs and state fees, develops the final score and ranking of the Motorist Choice Awards. Volkswagen of America, Inc. Volkswagen of America, Inc. includes Electronic Stability Program (ESP) as standard equipment on all its 2009 vehicles. As a result, Volkswagen is one of the only original equipment manufacturers to offer an electronic stability control system on their entire product line - ahead of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) deadline requiring vehicles in the 2012 model year to include stability control systems. Volkswagen's ESP technology works in conjunction with anti-lock brakes and helps reduce loss of control and rollovers to avoid crashes. NHTSA predicts nearly 10,000 lives could be saved each year if automakers included stability systems as standard equipment. Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Va. It is a subsidiary of Volkswagen AG, headquartered in Wolfsburg, Germany. Volkswagen is one of the world's largest producers of passenger cars and Europe's largest automaker. Volkswagen sells the Rabbit, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, GTI, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, GLI, Passat, Passat Wagon, Eos, Routan, Tiguan and Touareg through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. Visit Volkswagen of America online at vw.com.
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