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.

Audi has one the most complete fleet of vehicles, from the sportive Audi A3 hatchbacks to the ultra luxurious Audi A8 saloons, to help you choose an Audi Company Car that best suit your company, we at Audi Nationwide compiled a list of Audi’s best models to ease your decision process.

Audi A3 – Everyday Luxury

The Audi A3 is a model with endless options from Cabriolets to Hatchbacks, the A3 has all the practical benefits of a sports car together with advanced technologies and the classic refinement from Audi. Its design combines the muscularity of a sports car with the practicality of a hatchback and flared panels help deliver sporty driving dynamics and looks.

Audi A3 Leasing for Company Cars and Audi A3 Specifications

Audi A4 – Evolution

The new Audi A4 is beautifully built and flawlessly engineered. The Audi A4 Saloon boasts modern, ultra-stylish looks and advanced technology. Audi’s traditions of perfect performance, luxurious interiors and high safety levels are all here. Satisfying to own and drive, it’s clear why the Audi A4 Saloon sits proudly at the top of its class.

Audi A4 Leasing for Company Cars and Audi A4 Specifications

Audi A5 – Intelligent

The New Audi A5 is special from the first sight of it; the first time you accelerate the first corner and the first long journey. For this special feeling there are now three very special Audis: the new Audi A5, its Sporty big brother, the Audi S5 and the recently launched Audi A5 and Audi S5 Cabriolet.

Audi A5 Leasing for Company Cars and Audi A5 Specifications

Audi A6 – Executive

The Audi A6 offers unrivalled beauty, power and cutting edge technology. In all areas, from styling, performance and handling to value, safety and environmental responsibility, it simply excels. Superior technology and refinement make the Audi A6 one of the most desirable models in the prestige market.

Audi A6 Leasing for Company Cars and Audi A6 Specifications

We want to hear from you, out of these four Audi Models which is your favourite or the one the best suits your company’s needs? Leave your thoughts in our comments section and don’t forget to check back for next week’s post

The Audi A4 has been voted company car of the year by the readers of Fleet News Magazine at the 2009 Fleet News Awards held in London a few days ago.

What is so special about the Fleet News Awards is that it provides real insight into costumers preferences as it is voted by Fleet Magazine readers. The awards reflects the growing popularity of the Audi A4 among the business community thanks to its cost effectiveness, The Audi A4 was also won an award as the Best Large Premium Car.

Hundreds of fleet managers added their votes online to a jury formed by industry experts chaired by former Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders chairman Christopher Macgowan and in the latest issue of Fleet News the panel published and explanation of its decision:

“The Audi A4 was a clear winner with Fleet News readers. They obviously agree with the Awards judging panel, recognizing the A4’s talents. The new model gains extra interior room over its predecessor has improved residual values and therefore lower whole life costs, while retaining the huge choice of models available – saloon, Avant, front or four-wheel-drive, and a wide choice of engine and gearbox options.”

Head of Audi fleets sales Iain Carmichael was presented with the awards during a ceremony held at the London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on March 18th, and said:

“It’s always great to win awards, but there’s one thing that makes the Company Car of The Year award really special – it’s voted for by the readers of Fleet News. The fact that they have voted for the A4 reflects the fantastic work being done by Audi Centres in providing customers with great cars and outstanding service.”

To find out more about Audi A4 Contract Hire and Audi A4 lease options contact Audi Nationwide.

Audi and the automotive industry are celebrating a very important year, as on the 16th of July 2009 Audi celebrates its 100th birthday and as we reported earlier this year Audi has planned centenary celebrations for the whole year in its 2009 event calendar.

As part of the Audi  countdown to their one hundredth birthday, Audi is inviting everyone to take part in the Audi centenary celebrations by participating on a free raffle that will hand out as a top prize a brand new Audi A5 coupe.

Second prize is a trip for 2 to Finland where you will experience the exclusive Audi Driving Experience in an Audi A4 quattro and third prize is a high quality premium mechanical watch made by one of Audi’s leading designers with Audi’s unique square chronograph design.

To take part in this raffle all you have to do is register and stay tuned for the bonus questions released every week, by answering them correctly you accumulate bonuses  to increase your chance of winning. Once you register you have the option to receive the questions in your mailbox as soon as they are released.

The draw will take place on the 16th of July at noon CET. Good luck everyone!!

The Audi A4 Allroad Quattro was on display at The Geneva Motor show and it sounds like it was received well.

‘A vehicle that knows no boundaries: Audi is launching the A4 allroad quattro. With its permanent all-wheel drive and increased ground clearance, the A4 can handle any road or trail; it also offers driving pleasure – even on unpaved surfaces.’

‘Naturally, the Audi A4 allroad quattro features all the innovative technologies which impart to the A4 model line its superiority: a range of powerful and highly energy-efficient engines, Audi drive select, the high-tech S tronic transmission, and innovative communication and assistance systems.’

The Audi A4 Allroad Quattro will be available early this summer!