VOLKSWAGEN has taken more than 2,000 orders for the revised Passat due to go on sale in January, before prices have been announced and buyers have driven the car.

The news was revealed as Volkswagen's head of fleet, Vince Kinner, collected the ACFO Fleet Car of the Year Award for the current model at a presentation on Monday.

The winners were announced at the British International Motor Show (FNN October 20), and the Passat improved on last year's performance when it was tied with the Vauxhall Vectra for first place. He said there would be around 4,000 new right-hand drive Passats built by the time the car is launched in January, and prices were unlikely to be set until early in the new year.

Other awards were collected by Vauxhall fleet marketing director Keith Michaels, for the Astravan, winner of the Fleet Small Van of the Year title, and Ford commercial vehicles manager Mike Platt, for the new Transit, which won Fleet Large Van of the Year.