More than twenty-five years ago Audi car sales took a nose dive after Audi was wrongfully accused of making cars that accelerated on their own. US sales dropped from 75,000 to 15,000. (See note 1.)
Now Audi is riding high and is on pace to sell over 117,500 cars in the U.S. this year and over a million cars a year worldwide.
Audi has gone back to its roots in car racing and has done extremely well. They are giving BMW, who sells twice as many cars as Audi, a run for the money!
Servicing and repairing an Audi is much like any other European vehicle. They require a little more maintenance, and like any sports sedan, they require replacing the tires and brakes more often.
In fact, the brakes and tires installed on an Audi are de
signed to give maximum performance rather than longevity.
The coupling of outstanding performance along with safety are what makes Audi such a great vehicle. You can understand why Audis rate highly on the safety scale just by taking a look at some of the safety features included on the 2013 Audi A4:
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- Electronic stability control.
- Traction control, anti lock brakes and brake assist.
- Front and rear side impact air bags and curtain air bags.
- Rear parking sensors.
- Blind spot monitoring.
Another safety feature they added for the 2013 interior makeover is knee level air bags for the driver and the front passenger.
All this is available for around $35,000 –not bad for a high end sports sedan. This is real competition for the BMW 328.
Audi is a fun vehicle to drive, and with regular preventive maintenance it will last many years.
I am glad to see that Audi is doing well in the US after the unfair accusations of the late 1980’s.
If you are looking for a place to service your Audi, like most makes and models, we service and repair Audis right here in Columbia, MD at BA Auto Care.
Note 1: Independent investigators concluded that the acceleration was most likely due to driver incompetence, where the driver let their foot slip off the brake and onto the accelerator. Tests by Audi and independent journalists showed that even with the throttle wide open, the car would simply stall if the brakes were actually being used.
Photo courtesy of HighTechDad
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