(April 6, 2012) NEW YORK —  The up! has been named "World Car of the Year" by a jury of 66 top journalists from 25 countries at the New York International Auto Show. The Volkswagen up! city car was selected out of three finalists to secure the internationally recognized prize.

The other finalists were the Porsche 911 and BMW 3-Series.

"This award shows once again that in the up!, our designers and engineers have created a vehicle that has been thought through in minute detail. A vehicle that sets standards in its class for efficient use of space, safety, motoring fun and environmental compatibility," said Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen AG.

Since its launch in December, the up! city car has been making waves. Within just a short time of its launch, it topped new vehicle registrations in Germany and consumer protection organization Euro NCAP awarded the city car a top score of five points and the "Advanced Award" for its city emergency braking system.

The up! has garnered other accolades, including the "iF design award in Gold," the "2011 Goldene Lenkrad" (Golden Steering Wheel) and three awards from British motoring magazine "What Car?: Car of the Year", "City Car 2012" and the "Safety Award."

On a minimal footprint the up! provides plenty of space for four people, as well as the debut of a new generation of three-cylinder gasoline engines.