|
The new Audi TT Coupe and Audi Q7 have both been announced as winners in the
inaugural 2006 ‘Drive Car of the Year’ Awards.
Both Audi models won their categories, including;
Audi TT – ‘Best Performance Car over $60,000’
Audi Q7 – ‘Best 4WD over
$40,000’
In addition, the Audi TT also took out the major prize from a field of 48
entrants, being crowned the overall winner of the 2006 ‘Drive Car of the
Year’ award.
The announcement was made at an exclusive cocktail event held last night in
Sydney, with Audi Australia’s Managing Director, Joerg Hofmann, accepting all
three awards from the Drive team.
Of the 48 finalists, the Audi TT 2.0 TFSI emerged as the winner of the ‘Best
Performance Car over $60,000’ category as well as the ultimate award for ‘Drive
Car of the Year’, with judges praising its advanced design and use of
cutting-edge materials to improve safety, space, comfort and structural
rigidity.
“Both the new Audi TT and the Q7 SUV are excellent vehicles and we expect
them to be highly successful in Australia,” Joerg Hofmann said.
“The Audi brand is growing quickly in Australia and we’re proud of the
excellent quality of our vehicles, and the efforts of our team and our network
in making the brand successful.
“These awards are proof that our confidence in our products is well-justified
and we thank the Drive team for this recognition,” Mr Hofmann added.
According to the nine judges - all experienced motoring journalists from
The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and drive.com.au – the new Audi TT Coupe
received the ultimate award thanks to its advanced technology, intelligent
packaging and impressive driving dynamics.
“The judges were impressed by the Audi TT’s significant weight reduction, a
result of its use of advanced materials. At the same time the new TT is bigger
and safer than its predecessor, with significant improvements to performance and
driving dynamics in a stylish, practical and ergonomically-friendly package. Its
successful evolution of design didn’t go unnoticed by the judges,” said Toby
Hagon, awards judge and editor of drive.com.au.
The Audi Q7 SUV was also a winner, taking home the award for Drive’s ‘Best
4WD over $40,000’ category.
According to the Drive team, few 4WDs master the art of luxury, on-road
competence and off-road ability, but Audi’s Q7 does it in style.
“The cabin is comfortable, versatile and modern. Value for money is obvious
wherever the eye lands, whether it's the Audi badge, high level of equipment, or
high-class ride and handling.
“It has the highest resale value and uses the least fuel (of the four
finalists). It debuts useful new technology such as side-assist radar
(optional), and matches the market's best on existing safety features like
reversing cameras, airbags and EuroNCAP crash-test ratings.
“The Audi Q7 is a deserving winner,” concludes the testing comments by the
Drive team.
Overall there were 12 Drive Category winners announced, plus 8 ‘Awards for
Excellence’.
|
