Premium subcompact five-door model wins first accolade to join host of honours awarded to A1 family

• A1 Sportback wins Most Cost-Efficient Car for an SME Company Car Driver
• Praised for its “low cost, low CO2 and good brand appeal” by judges
• 1.6 TDI SE version with 105PS and CO2 of 99g/km is available now, priced at £14,700 OTR

The Audi A1 Sportback has won a key award in the annual Business Car Manager SME Company Car of the Year Awards 2012, proving it has pride of place alongside its hugely successful three-door sister model.

Judges in the awards, run in association with MAGMA Automotive Services, singled out the A1 Sportback as Most Cost-Efficient Car for an SME Company Car Driver.

Editor of Business Car Manager, Ralph Morton explained: "The Audi A1 Sportback encapsulates everything that's welcome about company car downsizing: a premium badge for car park credibility, low CO2 emissions for reduced company car tax exposure, and running costs that put a stranglehold on any business motoring expenditure."

James Douglas, Head of Fleet Sales at Audi UK, added: “It is fantastic to see the A1 Sportback regarded so highly for its efficiency credentials. The 1.6 TDI engine is capable of achieving 74.3mpg whilst only emitting 99g/km. Practical and with a premium feel inside and out, it is a genuinely exciting company car choice.”

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

New online fuel calculator offers users the opportunity to compare and contrast models to find the Audi best suited to their budget

• New online fuel calculator at audi.co.uk allows comparison between current Audi models in terms of purchase price, fuel economy and estimated fuel costs
• Allows users to input detail such as average annual mileage, expected ownership duration and local fuel costs for the most relevant predictions
• Customers can submit a test drive request directly from the calculator once their preferred Audi is selected

Comparing how far the latest Audi models will stretch each pound spent at the fuel pumps has just become considerably easier thanks to a new online fuel cost calculator which is available free on audi.co.uk.

The useful tool enables new customers in search of their ideal Audi, or existing owners looking to upsize or downsize, to easily establish which model will best suit their budget by mixing and matching different body styles, model classes, trim levels and fuel types. Each time a pair of models is selected, the system provides a virtually instantaneous calculation of the potential financial benefit of choosing one model over the other.

To make the figures that are generated as precise and relevant as possible, the calculator enables users to input their projected annual mileage right down to the last mile, the duration in years they would like the calculation to cover, the specific MPG figure they want to use for comparison (urban/extra urban/combined) and the anticipated price per litre of fuel. The latter is automatically added based on the national average according to the AA Fuel Price Report, which is updated monthly, but prevailing prices at the user’s local filling station can also be entered manually. 

The calculator displays the official government fuel economy figure for each model chosen (based on the urban, extra urban or combined option selected), and uses this, along with the other preset parameters, to predict totals for fuel expenditure over the chosen period (between one  year and seven years) based on the current fuel price. From these it then calculates the monthly, and annual, sum that would be saved by choosing the more economical of the two models selected. Differences in purchase price are also clearly displayed.

Taking the all-new A3 three-door compact hatchback as an example, the calculator quickly shows that the 1.4 TFSI 122PS SE petrol model is £950 cheaper as an outright purchase than the 1.6 TDI  105PS SE diesel, but that a driver covering 10,000 miles in a year on average could save very nearly this sum at the pumps by choosing the 1.6 TDI, though only after three years. This makes it easier for drivers to tailor their choice of model to suit how, and for how long, they tend to use a car.

Once the user has arrived at a decision, a test drive in the chosen car can then be simply arranged by clicking on a button at the foot of the page.

The audi.co.uk online fuel calculator can be accessed by clicking on the “Explore Models” tab at the top of the home page and then clicking the “calculate fuel costs” option.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk