Volkswagen Honored With Top Industry Award for Commitment to the Environment

Passat Wins for 4th Consecutive Year; New Beetle for 2nd

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., March 25 -- Volkswagen's Passat and New Beetle recently earned dual Automotive Market Environmental Superiority (AMES) Awards for the 2003 model year, distinguishing them as two of the most environmentally sensitive cars available in the United States. This year's awards were jointly announced by AMES Award LLC, the automotive industry's leading authority on environmental performance, and R. L. Polk & Co., a trusted source for registration-based marketing solutions.

The Passat, a winner in the compact car category, has been honored in each of the four years the AMES Awards have been presented. The New Beetle, recognized in the sporty car category, earned its second consecutive AMES Award.

AMES Award winners represent the upper quartile of environmental performance in each of eight car and nine light truck vehicle-utility classes. Vehicles are evaluated through a life cycle assessment, which determines the total environmental impact of an automobile from the extraction of the raw materials through fabrication to final disposal. The evaluation also includes tailpipe emissions and fuel economy in developing a vehicle's environmental superiority rating.

William Mattick, president and CEO of AMES Award LLC, says, "By choosing an environmentally superior vehicle that meets their utility needs, consumers can make an important contribution to reduce the potential of global warming and subsequent climate change."

Said Steve Keyes, director of corporate communications for Volkswagen of America, Inc., "This honor underscores Volkswagen's ongoing commitment to the environment via leading-edge technology and engineering. The right 'nuts and bolts', if you will, to preserve our air and water."

Founded in 1999 and headquartered in Novi, Michigan, the privately held AMES Award LLC has emerged as the automotive industry's authority on vehicle environmental performance. The AMES Awards are the first consumer-friendly, industry-compatible measure and the only rating of vehicle environmental performance available to consumers at the brand model level.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. 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 of America and its affiliates employ approximately 3,000 people in the United States and are responsible for the sale and service of Audi, Bentley, Lamborghini and Volkswagen products through retail networks comprising approximately 800 independent U.S. dealers.

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