The Volkswagen Polo has been adjudged as the 2010 World Car of the Year. The supermini narrowly edged the Toyota Prius and the Mercedes E-class to take home the coveted trophy.

The Volkswagen Polo was chosen from an initial entry list of thirty entries nominated by 59 World Car jurors from 25 countries throughout the world.

The jurors have observed that “Holding its own in the most competitive market segment, the all-new Polo MkV is one of VW’s star performers. Boasting best-in-segment packaging and handling, the Polo blends classy looks, reliability and quality, and has consistently been one the market’s best-sellers.“

In the Performance category it’s the Audi R8 V10 that was declared as the 2010 World Performance Car. The Audi was chosen from an initial entry list of 16 entries, which later boiled down to the Ferrari California and Porsche 911 GT3 giving company to the Audi R8 V10 as the top three finalists. The candidates for the World Performance Car award had to demonstrate a specific and overt Sports/Performance orientation, and the car with an edge on these grounds would be declared as the ultimate performance car.

As for the 2010 World Green Car award, it’s the Volkswagen BlueMotion (Golf, Passat, Polo) that took the top honours. For the World Green Car award, the jurors felt that it was not necessary to add an electric motor and a heavy battery pack to achieve class-leading efficiency. Based on Volkswagen's common-rail diesel engines, the BlueMotion models are among the most fuel-efficient vehicles. And as far as internal combustion engines go today, these are the ultimate models that money can buy.

The annual World Car awards are now in their seventh year and have become one of the world's most prestigious, credible and significant programs of its kind. The awards were inaugurated in 2003, and officially launched in January 2004, to reflect the reality of the global marketplace, as well as to recognise and reward automotive excellence on an international scale.