The Volkswagen Passat Estate 2.0 TDI 4Motion has been awarded the Overall Winner in the inaugural Towcar Awards 2007. Volkswagen proved itself worthy of the award as it was able to beat 50 other cars that were also tested for the competition. It was voted and judged by experts from What Car?, Practical Caravan, and The Camping and Caravanning Club.

50 cars participated in UK’s biggest and most extensive towcar testing program. These cars were put through their paces for their towing ability and other things as well such as driving performance when not towing, practicality, value for money, and their safety – and these were some of the criteria for the judging process.

Also, these cars were tested to help buyers choose the right match for their caravans or trailers. There were five categories for by kerbweight(the unladen weight with all alowances for a driver and fuel). Those who won in each category are the following:

Category – Model – Retail Price – What Car? – Target Price

Up to 1425 kg – Volkswagen Golf 1.9 TDI Match – £16,067 – £15,168
1425-1574 kg – Volvo V70 D5 SE – £28,815 – £25,931
1575-1724 kg – Volkswagen Passat 2.0 TDI Sport 4Motion Estate – £22,337 – £21,256
1725-1900 kg – Audi Allroad 3.0 TDI Quattro Tiptronic – £36,925 – £34,448
Over 1900 kg – Land Rover Discovery TDV6 HSE Auto – £43,812 – £40,890

These cars within their categories were greatly recommended:

Best Budget Buy – Kia Rio 1.5 CRDi LS
Best Compact 4×4 – Land Rover Freelander 2.2 TD4 HSE
Best large MPV – Ford Galaxy 2.0 TDCi Ghia
Money-no-object – Range Rover TDV8 HSE

Green Award – Kia Cee’d 1.6 CRDi LS

“After five days of intensive testing, the Volkswagen Passat Estate emerged as a clear winner. It makes great sense whatever you’re towing, but just as crucial are its abilities in everyday driving and the fact that it’s a sound ownership proposition,” said Steve Fowler, Editor of What Car?

Editor of Practical Caravan, Carl Rodgerson said, “Choosing the right towcar is a tricky business as a car dealer is hardly going to pop a towball on the back so that you can go for a spin with your caravan or trailer. These Awards are designed to remove that uncertainty by putting all the leading models through Britain’s most comprehensive towcar test programme. An excellent car doesn’t automatically make a great towcar but you can be confident that the winners of the Towcar Awards are brilliant all-rounders that offer value, practicality and economy as well as superb towing ability.”

Cars that earned a thumbs up from the road testers from What Car? are the only ones who were selected for the week-long test program. As much as they are good with towing, these cars also got to be good to drive solo and to live with.

These vehicles were put through a series of devised tests for acceleration and braking, hill start, maneuverability, practicality, and stability and these tests all took place at the Motor Industry Research Center(MIRA) in Warwickshire.

Director for Marketing and Communications for The Camping and Caravanning said, “It is essential that consumers have all the relevant information at their fingertips in order to make an informed decision about the purchase of a new vehicle, especially when a considerable amount of money is at stake. This awards programme is the largest of its kind and is instrumental in opening up the minefield of information about not only the best cars for towing but also the best all round vehicles. The Club welcomes the results and is thrilled to be part of these awards.”

Volkswagen Transmission Shanghai Co. Ltd. awarded the Timken Company the 2006 Excellent Supplier Award for their supply of needle roller bearings to Volkswagen Transmission. Timken is proud to receive that as there were only two suppliers to win the award.

Timken’s Wuxi plant in China began to work with Volkswagen in 2003 and its business with Shanghai has grown fast with their annual sales doubling between 2005 and 2006. “From the beginning, Timken has been dedicated to serving Volkswagen globally, including in growth markets like China,” said Kevin Raketich, general manager of Timken’s Asian automotive business. “Timken engineering, sales and manufacturing teams are positioned throughout the world to meet the needs of our global customers wherever they operate,” Raketich added.

The Timken Company also supplies the German-based Volkswagen AG with their products such as needle and tapered bearings for transmissions and needle bearings for finger followers, which are engine valve train components, aside from its business with Volkswagen Transmission.

Volkswagen Transmission asked for assistance in the reduction of bearing noises which were caused by another supplier’s products, and it was the engineers from the Timken Company who helped formulate a solution. Timken serves their customer’s local operations with much attention to service and this was what made Volkswagen system performance improve. Also, as part of their commitment to helping Volkswagen, they held annual evaluations in their Wuxi plant to hear the suggestion made by Volkswagen. The suggestions were mostly about service improvements and products. The plant also takes part in the customer quality improvement programs.

The Timken Company first had its advanced technology and innovation in China in the year 1992. They established their Asia Pacific headquarters in Shanghai and also developed a network of sales offices for the majority of the China region for them to serve local and international customers. Their offices could be found in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenyang, Wuxi, Chengdu, Hong Kong, and Taipei.

They also invested in large scale manufacturing sites in Yantai, Chengdu and three other sites in Wuxi. They were also able to establish logistics and industrial service centers for them to meet the needs of Chinese customers. Asides from these ventures they made, they also opened a specialist engineering training facility for the owners and engineers in China. Its goal was also to share technology and knowledge with their Chinese customers.

Volkswagen Transmission in Shanghai is a joint project between Volkswagen AG and two other leading China car manufacturers – Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation and First Auto Works. This venture manufactures the transmission for a number of well-known models of Volkswagen in China, including Bora, Golf, Polo, and Octavia.