Volkswagen 2010 Jetta SportWagen Honored With TOP SAFETY PICK Award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

HERNDON, Va., June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen has received the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK award for 2010, the highest rating possible from the non-profit research organization. The annual award recognizes those vehicles that perform best in protecting passengers in the Institute's front, side, and rear crash test evaluations, and the newly required roof-strength test evaluations. Another requirement is that the vehicles have electronic stability control (branded Electronic Stabilization Program® / ESP® on Volkswagen vehicles).

"The Jetta sedan was the first car to ace the Institute's tough side impact test in 2005 and one of our first TOP SAFETY PICK winners," said IIHS president Adrian Lund. "Now the Jetta SportWagen is a top performer across the board with the addition of our rigorous new rollover test. Volkswagen is committed to offering its customers state-of-the-art safety performance that goes beyond basic federal standards."

"From the initial vehicle designs in Germany, all the way to the production plants, Volkswagen upholds safety to the highest level of importance," said Mark Barnes, COO, Volkswagen Group of America. "To have such a distinguished group as the IIHS recognize the 2010 Jetta SportWagen with the TOP SAFETY PICK award is a realization of the care, safety, and precision we strive for with every Volkswagen we build."

Beyond their fun-to-drive dynamics and fuel-efficient engines, every 2010 model year Volkswagen vehicle includes, as standard, Volkswagen's Prevent and Preserve Safety System. Composed of more than 40 different features, the Prevent and Preserve Safety System helps keep drivers and passengers safe during normal driving conditions, and reduces the severity and consequences of a possible crash. The Jetta SportWagen comes standard with an Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS), Electronic Differential Lock (EDL), Engine Braking Assist (EBA), ESP, up to eight airbags (depending on model), and more.

In addition to the Prevent and Preserve Safety System, the entire 2010 Volkswagen lineup includes the no-charge Carefree Maintenance Program. With it, all of the scheduled maintenance for the vehicle, as described in its maintenance booklet, is covered for the length of the New Vehicle Warranty -- three years or 36,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

The 2010 Volkswagen Jetta SportWagen (starting at $19,265) is available now at Volkswagen dealerships across the U.S.

For more information, please visit www.vw.com, or media.vw.com.

About Volkswagen of America, Inc.

Founded in 1955, Volkswagen of America, Inc. is headquartered in Herndon, Virginia. 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 sells the Golf, GTI, New Beetle, New Beetle convertible, Jetta, Jetta SportWagen, Eos, Passat, Passat Wagon, CC, Tiguan, Touareg and Routan through approximately 600 independent U.S. dealers. All 2010 Volkswagens come standard-equipped with Electronic Stabilization Program. This is important because the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called ESC the most effective new vehicle safety technology since the safety belt. Visit Volkswagen of America online at www.vw.com or www.media.vw.com to learn more.

About the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is an independent, nonprofit, scientific, and educational organization dedicated to reducing the losses - deaths, injuries, and property damage - from crashes on the nation's highways. To learn more about the IIHS, please visit www.iihs.org.

SOURCE Volkswagen of America, Inc.