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Audi remains king of luxury vehicles: survey

January 27, 2011

Four Audi models came out on top in recent consumer survey

 

Audi is retaining its stellar reputation in the automotive realm with four models winning in their respective categories in the Strategic Vision 2010 Total Value Index.

The Audi Q7, Audi A8, Audi TT Coupe and Audi A5 Cabriolet outranked all other competitors in their model classes. Audi tied with Volkswagen and Ford for most winning models in the index.

“To us, the index provides a valid look at the immediate appeal of a particular model and the lasting opinion of the brand,” said Brad Stertz, corporate communications manager at Audi of America, Hernon, VA. “As the luxury car brand with the most category winners, this made a compelling statement about the position Audi has earned with consumers now.”

The Total Value Index

The Strategic Vision Total Value Index is a measurement of short-term customer impressions and expectations about a vehicle, plus a variety of longer-term economic factors.

Strategic Vision questioned 111,212 people who bought cars in between September 2009 to June 2010 and asked them questions regarding expected reliability, expected fuel economy, price paid, expected resale value and innovation.

Mercedes-Benz was another luxury automaker in the survey, whose Mercedes-Benz GLK won the Near-Luxury Utility segment.

Audi’s winners

The Audi Q7 won the luxury utility segment.

audi-q7

The Audi Q7

This is the third year in a row that this car has won in this space in the Total Value Index. The Q7 earned high scores for technical innovations, perceived value, standard equipment and fuel economy.

The Audi A8 took the luxury car category.

audi-a8

The Audi A8

It was selected as the Best Luxury Car for 2010, earning its title for high scores for in-vehicle technology and standard features.

Audi is also pushing the car via iPad application (see story) and is currently running campaigns.

Audi's current A8 Campaign

The best score for the Premium Coupe category went to the Audi TT.

audi-tt-coupe

The Audi TT Coupe

The car’s fuel economy, perceived reliability and price/deal offered was the reason for its win. Furthermore, the car surpassed the segment average by 50 points.

The Audi A5 Cabriolet won the Premium Convertible/Roadster category.

audi-cabriolet

The Audi Cabriolet

Consumers see the car as having value for money spent without sacrificing premium characteristics.

Audi holding its crown

Exciting though these wins are, there have been other reasons for the brand to celebrate its success this year.

Audi celebrated its best year in 2010, with the sale of 101, 629 vehicles, due to strong digital advertising including three straight years of stellar Super Bowl ads (see story).

“These honors reflect the significant investment Audi has continued to pour into new products and technologies, even when times were uncertain in the global economy,” Mr. Stertz said. “Strategic Vision outlined some of the key factors that went into the overall scores for our models.

“We believe a key element to the success of our vehicles traces to the ability to keep a high level of performance, which making our cars more efficient,” he said.

Rachel Lamb is an editorial assistant at Luxury Daily. Reach her at rachel@napean.com.