To begin this article I would like to quote a phrase from legendary oil baron Paul Getty “if it appreciates, buy it. If it depreciates, lease it”. This quote reflects with perfection the state of the automotive market these days, whereas when you buy a new car the minute you drive out of the dealer it starts to depreciate.

Depreciation is one of the worst nightmares for fleet managers across the globe. Car leasing and other auto finance options like contract hire, lease purchase and hire purchase are solution to this problem. In short, when you lease a car you will pay a set monthly fee for something that is depreciating.

It is arguable that car leasing is not as good as it seems, paying for something that is not actually yours and is loosing value either way might not sound like the brightest idea. But there are other benefits that make car leasing for business owners more attractive than actually buying a new one.

First you can renew your fleet every 2 to 4 years depending on your leasing contract, monthly payments are on average 40% lower than a normal car loan, there is no need for huge up-front deposit, just to highlight a few.

Now that the benefits of business car leasing are highlighted I will get down to the real purpose of this article. Here is a list of what I think are the best Audi Models business owners and fleet managers alike should consider leasing.

Audi A3

Offering one of the most extensive variety of models from all the Audi range the Audi A3 has all the practical benefits a company car should have. The Audi A3 offers luxury combined with sportiviness mixed with the latest fuel efficiency technologies developed by Audi, not to mention the lowest CO2 emissions rates in the premium segment. Audi A3 leasing prices start at around £240 a month.

Audi A4

Another vehicle from Audi with an extensive range of models that go from the traditional saloon all the way to ultra-sportiviness of the RS family. The Audi A4 boasts modern, ultra-stylish looks and advanced technology. Audi’s traditions of perfect performance, luxurious interiors and high safety levels are perfectly displayed on the Audi A4. Leasing an Audi A4 starts at around £300 a month.

Audi A5

For many, the Audi A5 revolutionised the whole Audi Range. Never a model received so many variants in such a short period of time. In less than 3 years the Audi A5 range was extended all the way to newly launched Audi RS5, including two cabriolet versions, A5 and S5. The Audi A5 is the ideal vehicle for the new generation of young business owners who are looking for an executive mid-size vehicle that has all the luxurious features of bigger models with the power and performance of a sports car. Leasing an Audi A5 could cost as little as £350 a month.

Audi A6

The Audi A6 offers unrivalled beauty, cutting edge technology and the powerfulness a high-end business man vehicle should have. In all areas, from styling, performance and handling to value, safety and environmental responsibility, it simply excels. Depending on the year and model you could lease an Audi A6 for only £329 a month.

Audi A8

One of the most luxurious saloons in the world, a car perfectly made for business men that are on the move constantly. Equipped with all the latest Audi driving enhancing technologies the Audi A8 redefines luxury and comfort in the premium segment. The new Audi A8L W12 has definitely set new luxury standards with its reclinable back seats that provide more space for the rear passengers not to mention the optional factory installed WLAN hotspot for Wi-Fi access. Leasing an Audi A8 for your business could cost a bargain of only £629 a month.

To learn more about Audi Lease & Audi Contract hire and other Audi Finance options please contact Audi Nationwide or follow us on Twitter

For those of that are no familiar with the acronym BIVSA, it stands for British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards. The A5 Cabriolet is one of four Audi models to be honoured as best-in-class in the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards 2010. The A4, Q5 and S8 were also winners in their respective categories.

Audi has yet again been amply rewarded for its uncompromising approach to car security with four category trophies in the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards, held recently at the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham, Berkshire.

Audi models were voted best-in-class in four of the specific model categories assessed by the experts using the New Vehicle Security Rating process that awards star ratings based on ‘theft of’ and ‘theft from’ protection. The Audi A4 Saloon, Audi A5 Cabriolet, Q5 compact SUV and Audi S8 luxury high performance saloon all achieved higher NVSR scores than their respective competitors. Since the awards began in 2006, the Vorsprung durch Technik brand has secured no less than 15 category wins, bearing testament to its absolute commitment to security.

This meticulous approach has not only brought outstanding anti-theft protection for Audi customers, but has also helped to ensure that their insurance premiums are the lowest in the premium sector, according to data sourced from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) group ratings database.

Commenting on this impressive achievement, Director of Audi UK Jeremy Hicks said: “The plaudits recognising the efforts of Audi AG’s security team in making the Audi range as secure as possible just keep on coming year after year. With their help Audi customers not only benefit from exemplary protection, but also from the lowest-in-sector insurance premiums that their meticulous approach has made possible.”

Award-winning security is achieved right across the Audi range through features including Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser technology with interior ultrasonic protection and anti-tow sensors, Thatcham Category 4 locking wheel bolts and extensive covert and overt marked parts.

To learn more about Audi Lease & Audi Contract hire and other Audi Finance options please contact Audi Nationwide or follow us on Twitter

Audi range insurance premiums are lowest of the ‘Big Three’. Award winning security measures and competitive repair costs cut insurance premiums for Audi drivers

Audi drivers can expect to pay considerably less to insure their cars than owners of equivalent models from the German premium sector brands, according to data sourced from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) group ratings database.

Managed by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham on behalf of the ABI and Lloyds Syndicates, the insurance group ratings database has been updated monthly with new car insurance rating data since the 1980s, and includes all trim levels, variants, body styles and engine types. This data has been used to calculate average insurance group ratings for Audi models and their equivalents wherever applicable from German premium sector competitors. In virtually every range, Audi models post considerably lower average ratings than competitors, meaning that owners will generally pay lower insurance premiums.

These ratings are defined using a system which allocates penalty points to each vehicle based on a number of factors, including the purchase price, the cost of key parts and the ease, and cost, of repair following an independent crash test undertaken by the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR).

The higher the outright purchase price or parts and labour charges, and the more costly and labour intensive the crash repair, the higher the points tally, and consequently the higher the insurance group rating.

Crucial security performance
Security performance is of course also a critical factor in determining each rating, and four British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards and three What Car? Magazine Security Awards for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ attest to Audi expertise in this area. Held by Audi for four consecutive years since 2006, the top BIVSA award for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ highlights the fact that the brand offers more ranges in which every variant has achieved the maximum five star rating for ‘theft of’ security and of at least four stars for ‘theft from’ security than any other entrant.

Award-winning security protection is achieved right across the Audi range through features including Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser technology with interior ultrasonic protection and anti-tow sensors, Thatcham Category 4 locking wheel bolts and extensive covert and overt marked parts.

To learn more about Audi Lease & Audi Contract hire and other Audi Finance options please contact Audi Nationwide or follow us on Twitter

Currency exchange rates necessitate adjustment of Audi pricing which in a number of cases is offset by enhanced equipment.

With effect from Tuesday May 25, retail prices for most models within the UK Audi range will increase as a result of prevailing currency exchange rates. Their impact has necessitated an average rise of around two per cent, which in some cases will be partially offset by specification improvements.

New customer orders placed up to, and including, May 24 will be fixed at currently advertised 2010 Model Year prices.

Among the core models in the Audi range, the three-door A3 and five-door A3 Sportback hatchbacks are subject to an increase of 1.9 per cent, the A4 Saloon and Avant rise by 2.4 per cent (in SE form) and the Audi A6 Saloon and Avant by 2.0 per cent.

Audi A5 Sportback, Coupe and Cabriolet models increase by 2.5 per cent, 2.4 per cent and 2.2 per cent, Audi Q5 and Audi Q7 by 2.0 per cent and 0.6 per cent, TT Coupe and Roadster by 0.9 per cent and Audi R8 V8 and Audi R8 V10 by 3.0 per cent. Recently announced prices for the A1 hatchback, the R8 Spyder, the RS 5 Coupe and the A8 remain as before.

In a number of cases the increases go hand-in-hand with improvements. The TT range, for example, has been visually enhanced for the 2011 Model Year, and features a newly introduced and significantly more efficient Turbo FSI petrol engine and recuperation technology that boosts economy virtually across the board. The Q5 adds an engine start-stop system for four-cylinder models that also works in favour of improved fuel economy, and the Audi Q7 is revitalised by even more frugal new petrol and TDI engines and a new eight-speed tiptronic transmission.

For Audi lease and contract hire for company cars contact Audi Nationwide.

What’s the ideal company car like? A vehicle that has high fuel efficiency, low CO2 emissions which means less taxes and the best long-term quality. The Audi A6 fit these characteristics with perfection; add to that the fact that the Audi A6 is the most reliable business sedan and viola: the ideal company car.

The Audi A6 long-term quality and reliability has been confirmed for the second year in a row by the Faults Report 2010 published by the inspection company DEKRA. Audi’s business sedan was awarded the title “Best of all Classes” with a score of 88.1%.

DEKRA Faults Report awards the models with the lowest fault rate over a high mileage, thus rewarding high long-term quality. Besides the fact that this special evaluation is an excellent marketing for the question in question, but also provides buyers with an important purchase guide.

For the first time DEKRA is also awarding cars with the lowest fault rate overall. With 97.3% the Audi A4 came second grabbing another accolade for the Ingolstadt carmakers.

Earlier this year the Audi A6 also landed the top spot in the ADAC breakdown statistics in the prestigious field of the “Upper Midsize/Full-Size” segment, reassuring even further the A6’s long term quality.

To make it even more tempting for companies, Audi offers exclusive finance options, Audi A6 leasing and contract hire options.

As an Audi dealer we are a bit suspicious of affirming that the Audi A6 is the ideal company car. So why not share your thoughts and opinions with us? Is the Audi A6 the ideal Audi company car?

Audi couldn’t ask for a better year to celebrate its 100 years of car making history, and what a year it has been for the Ingolstadt Company so far. Awards of all sorts, special marquees at renowned auto shows like the Goodwood festival of Speed and the Frankfurt Auto Show, not the mention the introduction of highly efficient engines, new models and ultra-innovative concept cars.

Last week, Audi just added two new accolades to its collection, the first comes from the biggest internet poll in the automotive industry, the online auto portal “AutoScout24″ conducted its 8th Internet Auto Award and guess what, Audi achieved an amazing total of four first places.

The Audi A3 defended its title in compact class and finished top for the second year in a row, while the Audi A4 reigned in the midsize class. In the upper midsize class the Audi A6 knocked down some tough competition to finish first and last but not least the Audi R8 topped the sports cars and coupe category.

The Autoscout24 poll is aimed to find Europe’s most popular cars, the voting was carried out in several languages, voter could choose from 331 vehicles in 9 categories and over 250,000 votes were computed.

Meanwhile the assembly line for the Audi A3 and Audi A3 Sportback won the Automotive Lean Production Award for streamed line production processes and exemplary excellence via efficient and economical approaches.

If you want to find out what is Audi’s secret to such a highly efficient assembly line don’t miss our next post were we’ll look into detail at the Audi A3 assembly process.

As Peter Kössler, Plant Manager at the Audi Ingolstadt site said:

“Today’s state of the art is only temporary – tomorrow we will be even better.”

When it comes to fuel efficiency, low CO2 emissions and high performance, Audi leads the way among the premium car manufacturers. To confirm the efficiency excellence of its models, Audi has put 20 models to the test in a long distance trip through Europe which the company named “Efficiency Challenge A to B”.

“Audi’s Efficiency Challenge A to B” will cover exact 4,182Km through Europe in 9 days, from A on the Lofoten archipelago in Norway to Bée on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy.

To prove that efficiency is a standard in every Audi, the company is not only putting to test its optimised fuel efficient models but also the top sporty models of each line, in total Audi has lined up five model series for this Efficiency Challenge.

The Efficiency challenge will also mark the day view for the ultra-efficient Audi A3 1.6 TDI with CO2 emissions of only 99g/Km who will be joined by other models including the more sportive S3 Sportback.

Other models taking part on “Audi’s Efficiency Challenge A to B” are the Audi A4 TDI e, the 333hp Audi S4, Audi A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI, the Audi A5 Sportback 3.2 FSI. Representing the Audi Q7 family will be the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro and the more powerful Audi Q7 6.0 TDI quattro.

The TT range is also taking part on the Challenge with models like the Audi TT 2.0 TDI quattro and the top of the range Audi TT RS.

This Efficiency Challenge will also serve to highlight even further the effectiveness of Audi’s modular efficiency platform which brings together a broad portfolio of highly effective technologies.

The tour which already started the past Tuesday September 22nd has been broken down into three stages, each consisting of several days. The first runs from Å to Trondheim in southern Norway; the second to the German capital city of Berlin; and the third ends at the final destination on Wednesday September 30 at the town of Bée overlooking Lake Maggiore. The tour includes a wide range of roads and landscapes, taking participants along the coastal roads on the Lofoten islands and across Germany’s autobahns. The route encompasses impressive cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Prague as well as the towering mountains of the Alps.

We want to hear from you now. Which Audi model do you think will have the best fuel efficiency?

Leave your opinion in our comments section and make sure you don’t miss our follow up article with the challenge figures.

Audi models achieve top ratings for safety in four prestigious tests.

The Audi A4 and Q5 achieved a top five-star rating in the new Euro New Car Assessment Program safety tests.

The Audi Q5 also achieved top ratings from the renowned Insurance IIHS in the United States. This makes Audi the first carmaker in the world to earn the honour of “Top Safety Pick” for the fifth time.

The Audi Q5 and A4 both achieved a top five-star rating in the Euro NCAP safety test, for which a new and expanded evaluation system was used.

You will find that Audi offers an extensive active safety package to help prevent accidents before they happen. The Audi A4 and Q5 rated highly in the Euro NCAP tests thanks to their efficient ESP and seatbelt reminders, which come as standard. Customers can also select numerous optional intelligent driver assistance systems.

The high safety standards of the Audi A4 and Audi Q5 were also confirmed by the test methods applied by the U.S. National Highway Safety Administration.

Both cars received the top five-star rating from the U.S. traffic safety agency in a total of four categories. The results find American safety experts in agreement with their European counterparts: the Audi A4 and Audi Q5 are among the safest cars in their classes.

Audi pride themselves on safety being of the highest priority. For a full specification of the top safety cars of 2009, please visit Audi Nationwide’s Audi A4 and Q5 product pages.

What a year it has been so far for Audi, on the year it celebrates 100 years of existence its comprehensive range of cars simply can’t stop winning awards all over the world.

In Germany, Audi won nine awards in the Sport Auto Readers Choice Contest organised by the automotive magazine Sport Auto. The Audi RS6 once again, led the way and it was voted the best vehicle in its class, while the Audi S3,  A3 2.0 TDI, TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI, TT RS Roadster and Audi R8 were voted second in their respective categories and to wrap things up the A4 3.0 TDI Quattro, the A4 3.2 FSI Quattro and the Audi S4 grabbed three outstanding third places.

Meanwhile in the UK, Audi’s range won for the fourth consecutive year the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards held last week at the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham, Berkshire. For those of not familiar with Thatcham, they are one of Europe’s leading authorities in the field of vehicle security; its experts have been assessing the theft protection standards of vehicles for over ten years.

Audi not only won the Manufacturer do the Year Award but also achieved three categories wins, the A4 range was votes most secure in compact executive class, while the S8 was awarded in the performance car class and the newly launched Audi A5 Cabriolet won the open-top class.

All these awards are the rewards for a company that is always trying to improve the safety and driving experience of its customers.

Next month, Audi celebrates its 100th anniversary. The celebrations started back in January when Audi became Germany’s favourite premium brand and will go on throughout the year.

To prove Audi’s success in Germany, the Audi A4 Salon is the top selling premium salon, its big brother the Audi A6 also reigns in its segment while the Audi TT was crowned Germany’s best selling sports car and on top of all that, does a 13th consecutive year record growth say anything?

To mark this special birthday, Audi prepared an Events Calendar to celebrate its 100th anniversary with events spread out throughout the year.

To praise Audi’s 100th anniversary we prepared a collection of new wallpapers with some classic models from Audi and the extinguished Auto Union, right now you can download the wallpaper of the 1939 Auto Union Type D, also available is the Audi Q5 Custom Concept wallpaper and many more, visit our Audi Downloads page and choose your favourite Audi Model.

From now till the big day on the 16th of July, the exact date Audi will turn 100 years old, we’ll be uploading more wallpapers for you to download, so stay tuned here at Audi Nationwide’s Blog for more.