WINNING IS EVERYTHING! Audi A3 Range on a Winning Streak
The world is enough. The Audi A3 range has silenced its competition several times over by repeatedly winning coveted automotive awards on the world stage including What Car? Car of the Year, World Car of the Year, Golden Steering Wheel, plus IIHS Top Safety Pick. It’s Audi’s answer to the best offering for young buyers in the entry level luxury car market. This week, the DRIVE takes you through a recap of the many winning ways of the Audi A3 range, including the A3 Sportback which arrived in Jamaica in 2013 and the all-new A3 Sedan which was officially unveiled at Caribbean Fashion Week last night. If you missed it, a quick drive-by pass the Audi Terminal at 1C Oxford Road will certainly cause you to pause and view what has become a head turning display of the hottest new Audi to grace Jamaica’s shores. World Car of the Year The Audi A3, the premium compact bestseller from the brand with the four rings, is the 2014 World Car of the Year. This is the second overall title for Audi in the ten year history of the World Car of the Year Awards as the Audi A6 won the inaugural overall title in 2005. The third generation of the Audi A3 is now officially confirmed as a world beater. It overcame the challenge from 23 other cars to win the prestigious World Car of the Year title. The A3 was voted as the winner by an international jury panel comprising 69 top level automotive journalists from 22 countries around the world. Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, said: “The Audi A6* was the first ever winner of this award and we are delighted that the Audi A3 has repeated that achievement by being voted 2014 World Car of the Year. The Audi A3 showcases Audi’s technical competence in all aspects of car making, not least in the areas of lightweight technology, drivetrain, mobile infotainment and driver assistance systems. This major award win is an achievement that the whole company can celebrate”. The new Audi A3 is available in the Caribbean as a 3 door, Sportback, and now a Sedan. It is powered by a range of TFSI gasoline. Audi can look back on a 16 year success story with the A3. In 1996, the first generation of the model series established an entirely new market segment – the premium compact class. With the second generation, which followed in 2003, the brand extended its lead with the addition of a Cabriolet to the familiar 3 door and Sportback body styles. The third A3 generation is available in four body styles following the further addition of the Sedan. With this win for the Audi A3, Audi has maintained its position as the manufacturer with the most World Car of the Year titles. Automotive journalists observed that the new A3 has succeeded early in distinguishing itself as a top offering in the competitive entry-level luxury-sedan segment. “Audi had some tough competition for the overall World Car award,” noted Paul Eisenstein, a veteran industry
analyst and editor of TheDetroitBureau.com. The A3 and other finalists “symbolize the shifting trends across the global auto industry to smaller, more fuel-efficient yet sporty riding dynamics and dramatic design.” Golden Steering Wheel Gold for Audi: The new A3 Sedan is the winner of one of the most coveted awards in the automotive industry – the Golden Steering Wheel 2013. This year there were a total of 49 candidates for the award, the winner of which is chosen jointly by the readers of “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag” together with a panel of experts. The Audi A3 Sedan came out on top in the “Middle Class” category. “Auto Bild” and “Bild am Sonntag” have been making the Golden Steering Wheel awards annually to the best new automobiles since 1976. Audi maintains its string of successes with this win. It is already the 23rd Golden Steering Wheel for the company in the 38-year history of the award – no other brand has won more. The new Audi A3 Sedan is the first notchback model from Audi in the compact premium segment. Its technology, everyday suitability and comfort impressed readers and jury alike.
Audi has redesigned and refitted the Sportback from the ground up and were justifiably proud that judges referred to it as “the new benchmark” in family hatchbacks, singling out for particular mention the “smooth and punchy” engine, suspension that “strikes an exceptional balance between fun and comfort”, and an interior with “easily the finest cabin quality ever seen in a small family hatchback”. Audi also received praise for the Sportback’s affordable, even aggressive, pricing, as well as low running costs and strong resale values. As Audi’s UK Director Martin Sander said, they have “never before faced such formidable competition” so, whilst winning ‘Best Small Family Car’ was something “to be incredibly proud of”, winning overall ‘Car of the Year’ was “something else entirely” and identified the A3 Sportback as “something truly special in the eyes of UK car buyers”. He added that he was also extremely pleased that the TT Coupe remained undefeated for a seventh year, describing that victory as “nothing short of remarkable.” All-new Audi A3 earns IIHS Highest Rating of Top Safety Pick+ The all-new 2015 Audi A3 sedan equipped with Audi pre sense® front received the highest 2014 safety rating available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earning a Top Safety Pick+ (TSP+) rating. Additionally, the A3 sedan earned an “Advanced” rating for front crash prevention which is the qualifier for the “+” portion of the TSP+ rating. The 2015 A3 received “Good” ratings for all crashworthiness tests, including Moderate Overlap Front Test, Side Test, Roof Strength Test, Head Restraints Test, and Small Overlap Front.
What Car? Car of the Year 2013 The Audi A3 Sportback was named Car of the Year at the prestigious What Car? Awards 2013. The judges were full of admiration saying “The Audi A3 Sportback might look like a subtle evolution of what’s gone before, but in fact our 2013 Car of the Year brings new brilliance to a whole host of areas.” “It mixes excellent refinement and an accomplished driving experience with easily the finest cabin quality ever seen in a small family hatchback”, they continued. The A3 Sportback has also been named ‘Small Family Car’ category winner and it wasn’t the only model in the Audi range to be recognised. What Car?’s chief editor Chas Hallett put it simply when he praised the A3 Sportback’s “new levels of brilliance in a host of areas”.
What Car? CAR OF THE YEAR
“The Top Safety Pick+ rating for the A3 sedan demonstrates the full Audi commitment to safety,” said Mark Del Rosso, Chief Operating Officer, Audi of America. “With a host of standard luxury features, industryfirst technology and uncompromised design, the Audi A3 raises the bar as to what is expected out of entrylevel luxury vehicles.” The all-new Audi A3 sedan marks the first time that an A-segment vehicle will offer available features like MMI® technology, Audi drive select and Bang & Olufsen audio system. The Audi A3 will offer several advanced technology features which are new to the entry luxury segment, including: standard Audi pre sense® basic system which helps detect when an emergency maneuver is being made and prepares the vehicle and its occupant restraint systems in advance of a possible collision.
There are no shortcuts to greatness In a class that’s full of compromise, Audi took a different path with the A3. It features uncompromising craftsmanship, and several Audi and industry firsts, like available 4G LTE Wi-Fi® hotspot connection, MMI® touch, and more. With available leather seating surfaces and a large panoramic sunroof, the A3 sheds light on how a compact luxury vehicle can go big.
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