Fantastic award for Volkswagen: the city specialist up! TSI has won the “Wertmeister 2019” award (value champion) in the city car category. Each year, the automotive magazine AUTO BILD honors the vehicles with the most stable residual value in several vehicle segments. The award was presented to Holger B. Santel, Head of Sales and Marketing Germany, at a ceremony in Berlin yesterday evening.
“We are delighted to have won this award. It confirms that choosing our high-quality cars not only brings loads of driving fun, but also makes good long-term economic sense”, Santel said.
Highest residual value after four years
The award is based on the residual value of the vehicle after four years as a percentage of the price for a new car. For the city car category, the calculation is based on annual mileage of 11,000 kilometers. The high up! version of the up! TSI beat off the competition with a residual value of 57.07 percent of the new price (residual value: €8,700 Euro, new price: €15,245).
Residual value calculated in cooperation with Schwacke
AUTO BILD calculates the residual values in cooperation with vehicle valuation specialist Schwacke. The residual value is not only of interest to customers, but is also important for car makers and banks, because it plays a role in determining leasing and financing rates. Being a “Wertmeister” is – quite literally – a valuable asset. The methodology is based on a number of factors in addition to vehicle parameters; these include general economic development and market and customer trends.
Wertmeister 2019: Volkswagen up! is the city car with the most stable residual value. 
Award launched in 2004
AUTO BILD and Schwacke presented the “Wertmeister” award for the 16th time this year. Winners are chosen in 13 vehicle classes – from city cars such as the up! to large SUVs. Volkswagen won the “Wertmeister” award in the large SUV category last year with the Touareg 3.0 V6 TDI.
