DESIRABILTY DRIVES AUDI’S BEST EVER YEAR FOR UK SALES
06 January 2006 - Audi

When all the new car sales figures are collated and ratified most German brands will have done very well in the UK in 2005.

This is against the industry trend that saw 2005 UK car sales fall at their fastest rate for 11 years due mainly to retail customers deserting the showrooms. The overall market fall by over five per cent is the biggest drop since 1994 with sales skidding to under 2.5 million.

Of the German brands that have done very well, Audi have recorded their best year ever in the UK with over 81,000 sales, an increase of 100 per cent in just six years. They have now completed six consecutive years of record sales and for 2006 Audi have already started their latest sales offensive by introducing S line sports versions for their A3, A4 and A6 ranges.

In addition they will also be able to compete in sectors where they have had no representation. The new Q7 seven-seat SUV will go on sale in the summer of 2006 and the order books are already open. They will also enter the thoroughbred sports car market for the first time with the introduction of the new mid-engined R8 quattro. The eagerly awaited all-new Audi Allroad quattro will be introduced as well in 2006 along with additional derivatives for current model ranges.

Their great rivals, BMW will also post record UK sales, breaking the 100,000 barrier for the first time and VW should just about break even this year in the UK but they are now back in first place as the best selling brand in Europe.

Although Mercedes have had lean times due to outdated models, engines, reliability issues and indifferent customer service, their recovery programme now shows signs that they should be in a good position in 2006 to pull back the small loss in UK sales in 2005.

The British public have really taken a shine to the Audi brand hence the increase in their sales. Their marketing a brand awareness programmes are clearly aimed at the well off and to the emerging aspirational customers who either use company or family money to pay for their vehicles. Audi are not shy at cultivating a following in the upper crust of executive car users. Carefully targeted appearances at film premieres with courtesy cars, sponsorship of Polo, their own expensive jewellery range and even their own TV channel has pushed the Audi names right in front of the right people. Where as previously these customers would have been long term owners of BMWs, Mercedes, Jaguars and Range Rovers it is quite common these days to see the well-off driving an Audi of one sort or another, even ‘The Royals’ have succumbed to the up-market image that the Audi brand has carefully nurtured in the UK.

The Audi A6 range of saloons and Avant estates competes for sales against the BMW 5-Series and Mercedes E-Class and whilst the A6 isn’t as sharp to drive as the rear wheel drive 5-Series or as roomy as the E-Class it is the Audi brand that now makes these models
‘A must’ for the affluent sector of the UK society. No manor house, country estate or business executive’s car park is complete without one or two or three of them.

One of the latest additions to the A6 range is the Avant 4.2 quattro SE with adaptive air suspension. Whilst the A6 Avant range does start at a reasonable £26,950, once you start thinking about models such as the Avant 4.2 quattro, the price become £44,610. Then add in the new air suspension option, satellite navigation, TV, BOSE sound system and all the other executive toys, and my test car weighed in at a huge £52,970.

Most smart buyers, especially company car users will opt for either the 2.7-litre or preferably the 3.0-litre TDI diesel engines. However the Avant 4.2-litre, V8 petrol unit with Tiptronic six-speed automated transmission and quattro four wheel drive will be the Audi most seen outside private executive luxury homes and on country estates.

This muscular power unit produces 335PS and 420Nm of torque so it is fast, responsive, flexible and refined with a sporty exhaust tone. It will speed you on your way to 62mph in just 6.2 seconds, excellent for a large and heavy estate car, and the top speed is limited to 155mph. Fuel consumption, I do not use the word economy for obvious reasons, returns around 23.9mpg on a good day.

The power delivery to all four wheels is excellent due in part to the Tiptronic six-speed auto transmission with Drive and Sport modes that really makes best use of the massive amount of torque provided by the V8 engine. With that power on tap there are no unwanted gearchanges on winding roads.

The Quattro four-wheel drive system sharpens up the rather loose handling experienced with front wheel drive Audis. In normal conditions the power is split 50/50 between the front and rear wheels but the drive will automatically provide up to 75 per cent of the power to the front or rear axle in extreme acceleration conditions.

The speed related electronic power steering does not give the feedback or precise control of that used in the BMW 5-Series. It feels vague; you do not feel very involved when you drive this Audi in a spirited manner.

The new adaptive air suspension provides a cushioned ride ironing out the bumps and it adjusts automatically the ride height the faster you go. As an executive car it is a delight to ride in and far more comfortable than any luxury 4x4 SUV.

With a double floor load area providing up to 1,660 litres of space with a load area over one metre wide the A6 Avant is an impressive estate car.

The interior of the car is luxurious and comprehensively equipped throughout. The facia panel lights up at night like the flight deck of a Jumbo Jet and add in some of the costly options such as the DVD navigation system, TV and communication systems and you have a motoring package that cannot fail to impress your executive friends.

The high cost of purchase, expensive options and high running costs will not be considered as reasons not to purchase an executive car of this stature so the A6 Avant 4.2 quattro SE will become the car to have for those customers who want to flaunt their status or wealth.

MILESTONES: Audi A6 Avant 4.2 quattro SE. Price as tested £52,970. Engine: Petrol V8, 335bhp with 420Nm of torque. Performance: 155mph (governed), 0-62mph 6.2 seconds. Transmission: 6-speed Tiptronic with quattro permanent four wheel drive with variable power split. Luggage capacity: 565-1,660 litres. For: Aristocratic executive status, outstanding build quality, roomy cabin, refinement, comfort, huge load area. Against: High cost of options and high running costs.

Miles Better News Agency

www.audi.co.uk

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