Audi is for the eleventh time a premium leader in Italy

With over 64,445 cars registered in 2019 - a value that places our country in fifth place in the world market ranking of the House of the Four Rings - Audi Italia conquers, for the eleventh consecutive year, the first place among premium brands. A result that rewards not only a constantly enriched range of innovations - Fabrizio Longo, general manager of Audi Italy, told ANSA - but also our strategy which in Italy has aimed to combine the concept of beauty, superiority in image and content, with that of technological innovation and constant search for perfection ''. Speaking of the many Audi models launched during 2019 and of those that will arrive in 2020, Longo paraphrased a quote from Steve Jobs that "fits perfectly speaking of our cars" and that is that "to overcome the limits the technology from alone is not enough, and the product must not resemble technology ''. The evolution of the Audi 'At the forefront of technology' paradigm has therefore seen the House of the Four Rings put man at the center of innovation, aiming to satisfy new needs and desires related to mobility. A goal achieved ranging from functional design to ease of use, from the immediacy of access to services to the intuitiveness in the connections up to understanding the certainty of the financial investment and themes with a marked social value such as safety and environmental awareness.

`` Always in close contact with our customers - said Longo - we appreciated a change in their behavior, a true evolution in what is the satisfaction that comes from buying an Audi. Who does it feels realized not only because aware of owning a beautiful and elegant car, which gives pleasure in driving and on long journeys. But because he knows that his is a safe and environmentally friendly car. In short, the purchase of an Audi also gratifies because the car has its own social beauty ''. During the year, the combination of beauty and technology found its expression in the Audi Q3 Sportback version, and in the stylistic evolution of the new generations of Audi A4 and Q7. Simplicity understood as rationalization of access to services has materialized in a new way of interfacing with the customer through the Audi Service Station.

The vehicle delivery and collection service at the airports to carry out vehicle maintenance while the customer is traveling is a first in Italy. The intuitiveness in the connections, among the most felt needs of the modern era, sees Audi respond with the availability for the entire range of Audi connect services, especially the Car-to-Car and Car-to-X information, and with the increasing use (40% of customers) of the free myAudi App, the gateway to the digital ecosystem of the four rings. The innovative Audi packages for driver assistance, infotainment and lighting - which include high-quality equipment with a significant customer advantage - have a penetration ranging from 45% for Audi A4 to 60% for Audi Q5 up to 90% for the flagship A8.

Safety which, in the Audi vision, also means economic certainty. Thanks to the Audi Value formula, chosen in Italy by almost 60% of private customers, it is possible to know from the purchase the guaranteed future value of your car, keeping yourself safe from any devaluation. To reinforce this, the confirmation of the stability of the historically higher residual value among premium brands. A trend destined to be strengthened in 2020 by the new plug-in hybrid models, characterized by a residual value 3% higher than the petrol versions.

'' One of the elements that has allowed us to maintain our leadership - said Longo - is also the complete and updated offer of diesel engines. The current Euro 6d range is absolutely efficient in respecting the environment. And it has its own dignity and recognizability, as confirmed - confirmed the director of Audi Italy - the constant recovery of sales in the last 5 months, with an average share above 60%, a value that in the top of the range rises up to 75% of registrations ''. For Audi, 2020 will see the entry into full commercial regime of strategic models such as e-Tron Sportback and e-Tron 50 quattro, variant, the latter, with 71 kWh battery, reduced weight of 115 kg and starting price of 73.100 euros. The debut of the Q3 Sportback mild-hybrid 48 Volt, the first Audi car to offer this system combined with a 4-cylinder engine, and the renewal of the plug-in hybrid range that will include the flagship Audi A8, Q5, Q7, are no less relevant the sedans A6 and A3 Sportback up to the five-door coupe A7 Sportback TFSI and. Electrification will also extend to the sports range with the fourth generation of the RS 6 Avant and the second generation of the RS 7 Sportback, both equipped, similarly to the Audi RS Q8 - top of the Q family range - with the mighty 600 HP V8 4.0 TFSI with 48 Volt mild hybrid technology.