2012 AUDI A7 Selected by Motor Press Guild to Receive the First-Ever 'Vehicle of the Year' Award

HERNDON, Va., Nov. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi today announced that the 2012 A7 has been selected by the Motor Press Guild (MPG), the largest automotive media association in North America, to receive the first-ever Motor Press Guild Vehicle of the Year (VOTY) Award. Laura Burstein, MPG President, will present the trophy at Audi's press conference on the first day of the Los Angeles Auto Show press days on Nov. 16.

"The A7 is the epitome of high style and artistry, with a five-door coupe design that is both sporty and elegant. Response to the launch of the A7 this year has been outstanding.  We're proud to be selected by Motor Press Guild as the recipient of their first-ever Vehicle of the Year award," said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America.

"It was a close contest, but the 2012 Audi A7 managed to edge out the competition with its compelling combination of handsome styling, dynamic handling and advanced in-car technology," said Laura Burstein, MPG President. "In this highly competitive market, it's hard to be a standout, but Audi did it with the A7. Likewise, we congratulate all of our finalists on bringing solid, efficient and good-looking vehicles to the market that are fun to drive."

The seamless fusion of style, luxury and technology, every detail of the A7 delivers a striking visual statement. The A7 was the first car in the world to feature factory-installed Wi-Fi with Audi connect™ and navigation with 3-D Google Earth.  From the groundbreaking MMI® touchpad and its gracefully integrated display screen, to the state-of-the-art head up display, the Audi A7 is the perfect marriage of progressive design and sophisticated engineering. The A7 also sets a high standard for performance, handling and efficiency with an all-aluminum Audi 3.0 liter TFSI® V6 engine, 310hp and 325 lb-ft. of torque. Visit http://models.audiusa.com/a7 to learn more about the 2012 Audi A7.

The 2012 Audi A7 was one of five finalists chosen by a carefully selected panel of MPG journalist members who test and review cars on a regular basis. The entire journalist membership present at MPG's recent Track Day event evaluated the finalist vehicles in the categories of safety, quality, value, performance/handling, design/style, environmental/green impact and technology/innovation standards and cast their votes accordingly. Vehicles were required to be all-new or substantially changed from the previous year's model and available at dealerships on or before Jan. 1, 2012.

ABOUT AUDI 

Audi of America, Inc. and its U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2010 Audi was the top performing luxury brand in Europe, and broke all-time company sales records in the U.S. Over the next few years, AUDI AG will invest nearly $16 billion on new products and technologies. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

ABOUT MPG

The Los Angeles-based Motor Press Guild (MPG) is the largest automotive media association in North America with more than 800 members. This non-profit trade guild is dedicated to promoting professionalism in automotive journalism through education and information exchange. Members include journalists from print, broadcast, and online outlets as well as public relations representatives, consumer groups and governmental bodies tied to the automotive industry. The organization hosts regular meetings featuring key figureheads in the auto industry and is widely recognized for its annual Dean Batchelor Award program and annual industry MPG Track Day.

For more information on the Motor Press Guild, please visit our website (www.motorpressguild.org), Facebook page or Twitter feed (@MotorPressGuild). For media inquiries please contact MPG Publicity Chair Mike Caudill at 951-719-1040 or [email protected].

SOURCE Audi of America, Inc.