Volkswagen and Ford collect ACFO awards

Volkswagen and Ford have been presented with their ACFO Car and Vans of the Year Awards after fleet operators voted their vehicles top of the market on a wide range of key issues including operational performance, whole-life costs and driver appeal.

Ford scored a double win again, with the Ford Transit Connect named as “Fleet Light Van of the Year” for the fifth time while, for the 13th year in succession, the all-round excellence of the ubiquitous Ford Transit won ACFO’s “Fleet Panel Van of the Year” Award.

Meanwhile, the Volkswagen Golf range won the ACFO “Fleet Car of the Year” Award for the first time. This Award underlines the trend across the UK fleet market for fleet operators and individual drivers to opt for lower medium sector models that are fuel-efficient and CO2-friendly and able to undertake the wide range of tasks expected of company cars. The Golf is the fourth winner in a line of smaller-sized models, reflecting the overall sentiment in this sector.

Vincent Kinner, head of fleet services at Volkswagen UK, said on collecting the award: “I’m delighted to accept this award. Winning reinforces the strength of the Volkswagen line-up. What’s more, 2008 will see the Golf and Passat ranges expand yet further with the addition of BlueMotion models. Behind our products is also a very strong team of support staff who ensure the quality of aftersales care matches the inherent quality of our cars.”

Ford’s director, fleet operations, Kevin Griffin said: “The new Transit family has won more than 17 awards since its launch but none of them more important to us than these. We talk about vans all day long, but the people who drive and operate them all day long are the ones who really know why we have won.

“Listening to drivers and fleet customers has been our strength and the reason we sell more vans than anyone else. The Transit will continue to evolve to keep drivers comfortable and safe but there’s one thing that won’t change: we will keep listening to ACFO’s members to ensure we make our vans the best ones to work with.”

Ford’s two awards were presented by Julie Jenner, chairman of ACFO, to James Read, manager - rental, remarketing and direct sales, Ford of Britain.

Julie said: “These Awards continue to represent the true face of fleet operations, rather than showroom appeal. By voting for a lower medium sector model as ACFO Car of the Year for the fourth year in succession, fleet operators are sending a clear message to the Government that companies are looking to operate the most environmentally-friendly vehicles available subject to them being fit-for-purpose and offering excellent whole-life costs.”

However, fleet operators did not just vote for the Golf based on its ‘green’ and benefit-in-kind performance, but also on a string of other factors fundamental in the fleet vehicle decision-making process.

Julie explained: “Our members are continually evaluating vehicles and use their expertise to assess cars and vans against a wide range of real-life criteria including whole-life costs, operational performance, safety on the road and suitability for various business uses. In addition to these fleet appeal factors, driver appeal is also critical and the Golf clearly delivers this. The whole support package from the manufacturers and their dealer networks are also very important factors.”

Referring to Ford’s dominance of the light commercial vehicle Awards, Julie said: “Ford says the Transit is the ‘backbone of Britain’ and for many fleets the Transit and the Transit Connect have become the absolute linchpin of their business operations. Ford’s continued leadership of the UK light van market is underscored with another double success in our annual Awards.”

ACFO believes that its Fleet Car and Vans of the Year Awards are highly prized by vehicle manufacturers, because they are based on members’ detailed day-to-day operating experience of vehicles actually in use in their fleets, over a minimum12-month period. This provides a clear separation of the ACFO poll from many others as success relies on hard, practical experience in all aspects, including dealership backup.