Volkswagen has won the international competition "Golden Drop of Oil 2008" for its innovative engine-gearbox combination, the powerful 90 kW TSI engine and the new 7-speed DSG gearbox. The energy and environment prize is awarded annually by the German automobile club "Kraftfahrer-Schutz e. V. (KS)". The club awards this prize for technical developments in passenger cars which make a significant contribution towards reducing fuel consumption and safeguarding the environment.

The jurors honoured the two new technical developments from Volkswagen as an intelligent combination which, together, achieve noticeable savings in fuel and emissions. It was emphasised that this technology is used in numerous models from the compact class through the small car segment.

The jury of the "Kraftfahrer-Schutz e.V." car club includes independent experts from many fields including science, engineering, journalism and politics. The award was presented today in Munich to Dr Tobias Loesche-ter Horst, Head of Volkswagen petrol engine pre-development. This marks the fifth time that Volkswagen has received this award. In the past, the Golf Ecomatic won the prize in 1994 and the three-litre Lupo in 1996.

In the combination of the 90 kW TSI and the new 7-speed DSG (dual clutch gearbox), the two innovations show their strengths: fuel consumption and emissions are significantly reduced. The class leader Golf requires only 5.9 litres per 100 kilometres, which corresponds to CO2 emissions of 139 g/km. Compared to similar predecessors with automatic gearboxes, fuel consumption is reduced by more than 20 percent (7.6 litres/100 km previously as opposed to 5.9 litres/100 km now). At the same time, mid-range torque could be increased by around 60 percent.