DETROIT (Reuters) - Automobile Magazine on Wednesday named the Volkswagen AG GTI as its 2007 car of the year, one of a series of year-end industry awards that automakers use to support their marketing efforts.
Gavin Conway, editor-in-chief of Automobile Magazine, said the sporty version of the VW Golf, now in its fifth generation, was the unanimous pick of the magazine's senior editors because of the way it combined performance and affordability.

Starting at under $23,000, the 2007 GTI has a 200-horsepower, four-cylinder engine that takes the 2-door version to 60 mph (97 kph) in 6.6 seconds. The GTI also gets highway fuel economy of 30 miles to the gallon, Conway said.
"It's a great car to drive as well as being an easy car to live with," he said.
Conway said he expected that the selection would generate some controversy among the readership of the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based magazine, with some readers questioning why it had not opted for a far more expensive car.
But, he said, the magazine had wanted to highlight "a more responsible approach to performance driving," taking into account factors such as fuel economy.

The magazine, owned by Primedia Inc., named the Aston Martin V8 Vantage its design of the year.
Conway said Aston Martin, a unit of Ford Motor Co., deserved credit for building its $110,000 two-seater sports car in a way that harkened back to classic designs while incorporating more stringent safety regulations.
"Without question, the V8 Vantage is the best Aston Martin ever produced," Conway said in a statement, calling it "arguably the best-looking design car in the last couple of decades."

Automobile Magazine, which has a circulation of 550,000, is one of several industry publications that offer various car and truck of the year awards.
Automakers compete fiercely for the honors and tend to quickly work them into their own advertising in a bid to sway potential buyers.
Motor Trend, also owned by Primedia, last month named the Toyota Motor Corp. Camry its 2007 car of the year.

Copyright 2006 Reuters

This is great news for VW. Golf GTI is the best sport hatch of our time.

Most certainly a worthy winner, congratulations Volkswagen.

No surprises here - phaeton, how are sales of the GTI worldwide? Twice of the MkIV?

Most likely, 1 in 10 new Golfs are GTIs

Official Press Release

VOLKSWAGEN GTI NAMED AUTOMOBILE MAGAZINE 2007 AUTOMOBILE OF THE YEAR

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Volkswagen of America, Inc. announced today that the sporty GTI has been named AUTOMOBILE Magazine 2007 Automobile of the Year. The magazine profiles the GTI in its February 2007 issue, on stands now, and presented Volkswagen with a trophy at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

AUTOMOBILE Magazine commended the GTI’s high-tech, 200-horsepower 2.0T four-cylinder engine that produces 207 ft.-lbs. of torque, noting that its DSG™ gearbox “is simply the best automatic-type transmission we’ve ever driven.”

The 2007 GTI is a solid and aggressive sports model with an available automated manual DSG® transmission that utilizes direct shifting, which essentially automatically depresses clutch-shift points more efficiently and quicker than even a professional driver can. For those driving enthusiasts who want the unique control of a clutch, the GTI comes with a standard six-speed manual transmission. Top speed is electronically governed at 130 miles per hour in the U.S.

First introduced in the U.S. in 1983, the GTI quickly drew admiration for its combination of sporty performance and practicality. The 2007 GTI is Volkswagen’s definitive return to its groundbreaking, hot hatch sports car concept, offering enthusiasts a modern and dynamic extension of the automaker’s original “pocket rocket.”

The GTI starts at $22,730. AUTOMOBILE Magazine notes that the GTI “feels like it has more build quality than anything within miles of its price point.”