JANUARY USA SALES - AUDI - A3/Q3 saves Audi from having a really bad month

• The most recent month stands as the best for January sales
• Demand for SUV and A3 model lines was strong for the month
• All-time best January sales of Audi Certified pre-owned vehicles

Audi reported that its January 2015 sales increased 14.3% to 11,541 vehicles, a total that stands as the 49th consecutive month of record U.S. sales for the premium brand.

On the heels of its fifth consecutive year of record sales, Audi continued its retail momentum in January 2015, with the best-ever January results in Audi U.S. history. The previous January record was set in 2014 with sales of 10,101 vehicles.

Audi Certified pre-owned vehicle sales also reached record levels during the most recent month. January 2015 marks the 18th consecutive month of record Audi CPO sales, through an 18% gain for the month on 3,730 CPO vehicles sold.

“We are extremely pleased to start the year strong with records in both new and CPO sales,” said Mark Del Rosso, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, Audi of America. “The family of Audi owners is steadily expanding, and the success of our CPO Sales Event is a testament to the growing size of our customer base.”

January represented strong demand for Audi luxury SUVs, with a 15.8% increase in sales encompassing the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 models.

Consumer demand for the A3 model line (including the A3 sedan, the A3 Cabriolet and the S3 performance sedan) bolstered January results with 2,383 vehicles sold, making it the second-best selling model for Audi in the U.S.

Highlights:

• Sales mix for Audi S performance variants finished the month at 14.7% for the S3 sedan; 17.9% for the S4 sedan; 38.8% for the S5/RS 5; 2.6% for the S6; 43.2% for the S7/RS 7; 12.1% for the S8; 66.7% for the TTS Coupe and TTS Roadster, and 7.2% for the SQ5 crossover.
• Audi holds the longest running monthly record sales streak in the premium car market according to a competitive sales report from MotorIntelligence.com.

Audi U.S. snapshot (YTD)

Model Line	Jan '15 Actual	Jan '14 Actual	Yr/Yr % change	Jan '15 YTD  Actual	Jan '14 YTD Actual	Yr/Yr % change
A3	2,383	0	0.0%	2,383	0	0.0%
A4	1,563	2,194	-28.8%	1,563	2,194	-28.8%
A5	843	925	-8.9%	843	925	-8.9%
A6	1,202	1,481	-18.8%	1,202	1,481	-18.8%
A7	285	624	-54.3%	285	624	-54.3%
A8	306	337	-9.2%	306	337	-9.2%
allroad	227	304	-25.3%	227	304	-25.3%
Q5	2,927	2,774	5.5%	2,927	2,774	5.5%
Q7	880	1,268	-30.6%	880	1,268	-30.6%
Q3	873	0	0.0%	873	0	0.0%
R8	49	81	-39.5%	49	81	-39.5%
TT	3	113	-97.3%	3	113	-97.3%
Total Audi Sales	11,541	10,101	14.3%	11,541	10,101	14.3%
Total CPO Sales	3,730	3,161	18.0%	3,730	3,161	18.0%

Honda (UK) has signed the fastest female on two-wheels to compete in the British Superbike Championship.

Honda (UK) has signed the fastest female on two-wheels to compete for its official team in the UK’s premier motorcycle racing series – the British Superbike Championship. Cheshire-based rider Jenny Tinmouth will be the only woman to race in the series in 2015, joining fellow riders Jason O’Halloran and Dan Linfoot on the three-strong Honda Racing squad.

Tinmouth – who has achieved many firsts for women in motorsport – has competed in the British Superbike Championship since 2011 and is the first and only female to have ever ridden in the series – an accolade for which she was awarded a Guinness World Record. Having previously run her own private team, Tinmouth will now join the official Honda squad, racing in the prestigious premier class aboard the championship-winning Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade.

Tinmouth’s racing career also includes numerous successes at the world famous Isle of Man Tourist Trophy (TT) road races, where she holds the current record as the fastest female around the notoriously difficult 37-mile course. Tinmouth broke the female lap record in her first year at the event and went on to break her own record the following year with an average lap speed of 119.9455mph – for both she received further Guinness World Records.

In 2012, Tinmouth received The Women’s International Film and Television Showcase, International Visionary Awards ‘IT Girl’ award for her commitment and dedication to her sport, siting her as an inspiration to women of all ages around the world. Tinmouth will begin her 2015 BSB campaign with Honda Racing at the first round of the 12-round championship at Donington Park from 4-6 April. To follow Jenny’s progress in the Championship follow Honda on Facebook and Twitter.

Nick Campolucci, Head of Motorcycles at Honda (UK), sees the addition to the squad as a natural progression for both Jenny and Honda Racing:

"There'll be a focus on Jenny because she's a female racer, of course. After all, she's the first and only woman rider to compete in British Superbikes. But she's a proven competitor and current Isle of Man TT lap record holder. Jenny joins the team on merit and we are very pleased that we have the opportunity to work with her. 

Honda has served up a number of firsts when it comes to broadening the representation of women in motorsport and Jenny is the latest female member of the Honda Racing family. She joins British motocross sensation Natalie Kane and Laia Sanz who achieved the highest ever placing in this year's Dakar Rally, by a female rider, finishing ninth overall in this year's race."

Jenny Tinmouth:

"I'm absolutely over the moon and cannot believe I'm riding for Honda Racing in the British Superbike Championship. The offer was totally unexpected. I went for a meeting with Nick (Campolucci) to discuss the season and had a few cheeky questions I wanted to ask about Honda helping me out with bikes, and when the offer came I couldn't believe what I was being asked. I went into the meeting thinking it would just be some help and came out as a full-time Honda rider. It's always been my ultimate dream to ride for the team and to have the opportunity this year is just amazing. I’m riding the Honda BSB bike for the first time during a team test in March and I can't wait."

WHAT CAR AWARDS - THREE Wins, TWO best buys ONE Company, that will be AUDI.

Triple triumph for Audi at the high-profile What Car? Awards ceremony 

• Audi TT named Coupé of the Year in the 2015 What Car? Awards
• Plug-in hybrid A3 Sportback e-tron wins Electric Car of the Year
• For the second consecutive year, the A3 Cabriolet secures the Convertible Car category
• Audi A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI ultra SE Executive and the A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI SE also commended as 'best buys' in their respective categories

Reaffirming its status as an enduring What Car? favourite, the Audi TT in its recently launched, all-new form, has once again been crowned Coupé of the Year in the respected magazine’s annual awards. 

Equally importantly, two new variations on the theme of the A3, itself a winner of the overall Car of the Year Award in 2013, have also secured important category victories – the A3 Cabriolet dominates its class for a second successive year, and on its debut entry the new A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid proves its mettle by taking on and beating critically acclaimed EV contenders to the title of Electric Car of the Year.  

In its explanatory account covering the winning Audi models, the experienced judges on the What Car? editorial team dub the A3 Sportback e-tron a 'no-brainer for business users', refer to the A3 Cabriolet as 'one of the best open-tops for driving thrills' and describe the TT as a 'fabulous ownership proposition', featuring 'one of the finest cabins of any car'.

The 2015 Coupe of the Year – specifically the TT 2.0 TFSI Sport - is the latest in a long line of Audi TTs favoured as What Car? winners, dating back to the revolutionary first generation car, which wowed the judges back in 2001. The TT has been nominated in every one of the past eight years, and has won the category outright in all but one.

Explaining the decision to continue the TT’s amazing run of success for yet another year, What Car? Editor Jim Holder said: "The new TT follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, winning our Coupé of the Year Award at the first time of asking. It does so by a big margin, because while there are plenty of sleek and slinky-looking offerings in this market, they all demand some form of compromise from you – either in the way they drive, how easy they are to live with or how much they cost to buy and run. All except the TT. In fact, it’s so good, we wouldn’t bet against it winning this award for years to come."

UK deliveries of the new TT are already in progress, and in addition to the 230 PS 2.0 TFSI, the new ' ultra' model also makes its debut. Its 2.0 TDI engine produces 184 PS and 380Nm of torque, and a combined MPG figure of 67.3 is possible in line with CO2 emissions of just 110g/km. Prices for the TT range start from £29,770 OTR in Sport specification, rising to £40,270 OTR for the formidable 310PS TTS Coupé.

A3 range maintains its winning streak

Singling out the 150 PS 1.4 TFSI version of the A3 Cabriolet Sport with fuel-saving Cylinder-on Demand technology as its specific winner, the What Car? team praises its thriftiness and its "precise steering, performance and hushed refinement". 

An interior that "exudes class" with "cabin quality you’d expect on soft-tops twice the price" is also complimented, and in summary the A3 is lauded as "still the best open-top you can buy." Prices start at £26,085 OTR for SE models - comprehensive Sport and S line specifications complete the line-up.

Sharing the limelight with its premium compact counterpart, the A3 Sportback e-tron"mixes the many merits of the A3 with even more incentive for company car buyers to make electric driving more accessible" according to the judging panel. 

Both are available to order in the UK now, and first customer deliveries of the A3 Sportback e-tron are due this month. Priced from £29,950, the first series plug-in hybrid in the Audi range offers the potential for up to 176mpg on a full charge can travel for up to 31 miles using electric propulsion alone before the 1.4 TFSI petrol engine intervenes. Overall, a range of over 580 miles is attainable on a full charge and a tank of fuel.

Audi 'Best Buys'

In addition to the outright accolades, two more Audi models received price point plaudits – in the 'more than £35,000 category', the new A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI ultra SE Executive earned a commendation in the Executive Car class and in the Family Car sector the A3 Sportback 1.4 TFSI SE was rated as the pick of the bunch in the more than £20,000 bracket.

Commenting on the outstanding result for Audi UK, Director Andre Konsbruck said: “I am absolutely delighted not only with the quantity of wins Audi has secured in the eyes of What Car? this year, but also in the quality of those wins. 

The all-new TT and A3 Cabriolet are of course prime examples of state-of-the-art Vorsprung durch Technik, with all the emphasis on definitive design and build and advanced technology that this entails, but it’s the recognition for the new A3 e-tron in the face of such heralded competition which is the crowning achievement for me. It emphasises for me that wrapping the future in a familiar package that demands no compromises is the right way to travel at this stage."