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May 22, 2008
Audi Introduces the All-New 2008 Audi Driving Experience
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. -- Audi of America, Inc. today announced the launch of the 2008 Audi driving experience and all-new Competitive Comparison program.
The second-annual nationwide tour, developed with Audi’s strategic partner Emotive is coming to eight major U.S. cities and will kick off in Chicago on July 21. For the 2008 Audi driving experience, Audi has introduced a Competitive Comparison program, which puts participants behind the wheel of the all-new 2009 Audi A4 in addition to three other vehicles in its class to prove, first-hand, the superior handling and driveability of the Audi.
“Given the success of last year’s program, we have added four major cities to the national tour: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, and Washington, D.C.,” said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. “Driving on a closed track under the instruction of professional racing drivers is as adrenaline pumping as it is invaluable to becoming a better driver. The program is also a highly effective demonstration of how and why Audi is miles ahead of the competition.”
The 2008 Audi driving experience, running July through November, features a national tour with signature events in eight major markets – Chicago, Boston, Washington, D.C., New York, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas and Los Angeles – conducted on renowned racing circuits, including the Autobahn Country Club, New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Summit Point Motorsports Park, Pocono Raceway, Atlanta Motor Speedway, Homestead Miami Speedway, Texas Motor Speedway and California Speedway, respectively. The tour will offer participants the opportunity to explore the remarkable performance capabilities of Audi vehicles by putting them behind the wheel of signature models, including the 2009 A4, RS 4, TT, Audi Q7, S5 and the 420-horsepower R8.
The Audi driving experience offers two driving programs: Competitive Comparison and Enthusiast. The Competitive Comparison is a complimentary two-and-a-half-hour introductory program in which participants will test the all-new 2009 A4 alongside three other vehicles in its comparable class, including the BMW 328 Xi, Mercedes-Benz C300 4Matic and Lexus IS 250 AWD. To both teach the fundamentals of driving and demonstrate, through hands-on experience, the superior handling capabilities of the A4, six exercises were designed to replicate real world conditions, including Acceleration, Swiss Slalom, Wide Turn, S Slalom, Emergency Lane Change and Braking – each will be carried out in all four vehicles. Participants, split into two groups, will also get a chance to drive the all-new A4s on the racetrack.
The second program, the paid-for half-day Enthusiast program, includes the opportunity to drive the thrilling R8 and S5 on the racetrack, in addition to more seat time and training from the professional racing drivers. Participants will experience a variety of Audi vehicles during fundamental exercises expertly designed to empower participants with an improved understanding of vehicle handling and will also get substantial track time in Audi’s most extreme performance vehicles.
A third, year-round program, the Audi Sportscar Experience, is a hands-on driving experience designed especially for performance car enthusiasts – consumers who love to drive and to experience exceptionally engineered vehicles – featuring the R8 and the RS 4 high-performance sedan, as well as Audi’s newest “S” models – including the sporty S4, the new and powerful S5 coupe, and the luxurious and commanding 450-horsepower S8. The Audi Sportscar Experience operates year-round from the Audi Forum Sonoma, located trackside at Turn 1 of Infineon Raceway in beautiful Sonoma Valley.
The Audi driving experience is an opportunity to reinforce the company’s signature Truth in Engineering campaign by allowing consumers to learn the truth about Audi products and the brand through exciting, hands-on driving experiences. For more information about the Audi driving experience, visit www.audidrivingexperience.com or call 1-800-466-5792.
2008 SCHEDULE
Chicago (Autobahn Country Club, Joliet, IL)
- July 21 (1)
- July 23 (1)
- July 24 (2)
Boston (New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Loudon, NH)
- July 29 (1)
- July 30 (1)
- July 31 (2)
Washington DC (Summit Point Motorsports Park, Summit Point, WV)
- August 7 (1)
- August 8 (1)
- August 9 (1)
- August 10 (1)
- August 11 (2)
- August 12 (2)
- August 13 (2)
New York (Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA)
- August 19 (1)
- August 20 (1)
- August 21 (2)
- August 22 (2)
Atlanta (Atlanta Motor Speedway, Hampton, GA)
- September 4 (1)
- September 5 (1)
- September 6 (1)
- September 7 (1)
- September 8 (2)
- September 9 (2)
Miami (Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, FL)
- September 17 (2)
- September 18 (2)
- September 19 (1)
- September 20 (1)
- September 21 (1)
- September 22 (2)
Dallas (Texas Motor Speedway, Justin, TX)
- October 9 (2)
- October 10 (1)
- October 11 (1)
- October 12 (1)
- October 13 (2)
- October 14 (2)
Los Angeles (California Speedway, Fontana, CA)
- November 5 (2)
- November 6 (2)
- November 7 (1)
- November 8 (1)
- November 9 (1)
- November 10 (1)
(1) 2.5 Hour Competitive Comparison Program
(2) Half-Day Enthusiast Program
Posted by Frank at May 22, 2008 7:35 AM | Filed under 5th Wheel | Audi | Auto Marketing | Auto News | Car Tech