Another cache of British Insurance Vehicle Security trophies further reinforces Audisecurity standards

• Audi wins five category awards in British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards, presented by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, Thatcham on Wednesday June 15^th  
• First time awards for new A1 premium sub-compact range and new A8 L W12 quattro in City Car/Supermini and Performance Car categories
• Further category awards for the A4, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 ranges

New and existing Audi models, including the already highly feted A1 premium sub-compact, have made off with a total of five category trophies in the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards, held yesterday at the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham, Berkshire. 

Audi models won through in five of the specific model categories assessed by the experts using the New Vehicle Security Rating (NVSR) process that awards star ratings based on ‘theft of’ and ‘theft from’ protection. The new A1, What Car? Magazine’s Car of the Year for 2011, and also already a winner of class awards from Fleet News Magazine, Fleet World Magazine, Business Car Magazine, CarBuyer.co.uk, parkers.co.uk and honestjohn.co.uk, added a City Car / Supermini category trophy to its haul. The new twelve-cylinder, 500PS A8 L W12 quattro luxury saloon also triumphed in the Performance Car category, continuing the exceptional four-year run of success enjoyed by the previous generation A8, which was tested throughout that time in 450PS S8 form.

The A4 Saloon, A5 Cabriolet and Q5 compact SUV also all achieved higher NVSR scores than their respective competitors for the fourth, third and second year in succession respectively. Since the awards began in 2006, the Vorsprung durch Technik brand has secured no less than 20 category wins, bearing testament to its absolute commitment to security.

No-compromise Audi A1
Commenting on this sixth run of success for Audi, Director of Audi UK Jeremy Hicks said: “I’m obviously delighted that yet again so many of our model ranges have excelled in the eyes of the security experts, but this year I’m especially pleased with our A1 award. We are always at pains to emphasise that our approach to bringing a sub-compact hatchback to market was just as uncompromising on every level as it would be for any other Audi model, and this award stands as further irrefutable proof of that fact.”

Mike Briggs, Vehicle Security Manager at Thatcham, also added his take on proceedings: “With more outright category winners than any other manufacturer and pushing very close for the overall manufacturer award, Audi has once again proved that it is at the top of its game when it comes to vehicle security across the whole range of vehicles, from City Car right through to Luxury. It’s an excellent achievement and Audi thoroughly deserves all its plaudits.”

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.

Picture caption

A smash without the grab – The new A1 premium sub-compact hatchback is one of five Audi models to be honoured as best-in-class in the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards 2011. The A4, Q5 and A8 L W12 quattro were also winners in their respective categories.

Notes to Editors

Thatcham – Thatcham is 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 and use New Vehicle Security Ratings (NVSR) – a star rating system – to reflect a vehicle’s standard of theft protection. Motorists can access all the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards results and check New Vehicle Security Ratings by visiting www.thatcham.org.

Audi – In 2010 Audi recorded its best ever worldwide result of 1,092,400 sales, a 15 per cent improvement over 2009. In the UK, 99,828 Audi models found homes last year, a 9.5 per cent increase on 2009.  To sustain the technological lead embodied in its Vorsprung durch Technik slogan, the brand plans to invest €11.6 billion, mainly in new products, between 2011 and 2015.  By this point, its range will have expanded from today’s 35 models to a total of 42. Recent additions, including the A1 subcompact and the A7 Sportback, will be joined by, among others, the new A6 Saloon and the Q3 compact SUV. The R8 e-tron, the first fully electric series production Audi model, will also arrive in late 2012. On the race circuit Audi Sport has contested the Le Mans 24-hour race twelve times since 1999, achieving a podium finish on all of these occasions as well as outright victory 9 times. In 2011, Audi will campaign with an entirely new TDI diesel-powered ‘closed’ coupe sports prototype, the Audi R18.

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