Audi wins the “Golden Steering Wheel”: Award goes to the A6
Berlin/Ingolstadt, Germany – Audi has won one of the most coveted awards in the shape of the “Golden Steering Wheel 2011.” This year it was the Audi A6 that achieved the latest success in this prestigious competition.
This year the jury for the “Golden Steering Wheel,” a line-up of VIPs, technical experts, professional motor racing and rally drivers and the editors-in-chief of the international offshoots of the trade publication “Auto Bild,” again had the opportunity to put all 20 finalist vehicles through their paces behind closed doors on a special proving ground. The business sedan from Ingolstadt was able to win over the 42-strong jury for the “Golden Steering Wheel” and advance to the head of the “Midsize / Luxury Class” category by a clear margin. With 21 “Golden Steering Wheel” awards to its name over the 36-year history of the competition run by “Bild am Sonntag” and “Auto Bild,” Audi is the most successful brand to date in the contest.
Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, accepted the award for the A6 yesterday evening at the awards ceremony in the Axel Springer Publishing House in Berlin in front of an audience of around 300 invited guests from industry, politics and the media.
The A3 TCNG also placed second for the “Green Steering Wheel.” Audi began small series production of this vehicle in 2011. The power acquired from four offshore wind turbines in the North Sea is used to produce e-gas, a CO2-neutral, artificial methane gas.
Fed into the natural gas grid, this e-gas can be used to power the A3 TCNG fleet. Adapted to the use of natural gas, the 1.4 TFSI serves as the basic engine in the A3 TCNG.
The “Golden Steering Wheel” has been awarded to the best new car models every year since 1975. Just in recent years, winners included the Audi A6 (2004), the Q7 (2005), the A4 Sedan (2007), the SUV Audi Q5 (2008), the A5 Sportback (2009) and, in 2010, the A1 and the A8.
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