Jonathan Browning, president and CEO of Volkswagen Group of America, left, and Frank Fischer, who heads the Chattanooga, Tenn., Volkswagen plant, stand with the Passat, awarded the 2012 Car of The Year by Motor Trend magazine, stand with the car at the Los Angeles Auto Show Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2011. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)The Chattanooga-made Volkswagen Passat was named today as Motor Trend's Car of the Year.
The all-new Passat was picked at the Los Angeles Auto Show.
The Passat and 34 other vehicles were among the vehicles identified by the magazine as contenders for the top spot.
The other vehicles included compact sedans, two full electrics, three hybrids along with several midsize sedans.
Motor Trend has called the Passat "Volkswagen's strongest entry to date in the midsize sedan segment" and cites the car's design specifically aimed at the American market.
The Passat TDI, a diesel version also produced in Chattanooga, is one of the finalists for the Green Car of the Year Award.
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