All-New Audi A6 Receives the IIHS Top Safety Pick Award for 2011

USA - English

• USA - English

HERNDON, Va., Sept. 12, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi announced today that the all-new 2012 Audi A6 has been selected as an Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) 2011 Top Safety Pick. The A6 joins the A3, A4 and Q5 models as a top-rated Audi vehicle for passenger safety.

To meet the requirements of the IIHS Top Safety Pick award, vehicles must have good ratings in all four IIHS tests: high-speed front and side crash tests, a roof strength test, and evaluations of seat/head restraints for protection against neck injuries in rear impacts. In addition, the winning vehicles must offer electronic stability control. In the Institute's roof strength evaluation, the 2012 A6 withstood a force equal to 4.9 times the car's weight, indicating that passengers would be less likely to sustain serious injuries in rollover crashes.  By comparison, the current federal standard is 1.5 times the weight.

In a separate report by IIHS, the A6 topped the list among vehicles with the lowest driver fatality rate, with zero deaths reported from 2006 to 2009.  Additionally, Audi A6 was recently chosen by the Highway Loss Data Institute as the least stolen luxury vehicle in the U.S.

Like all Audi vehicles, safety is a top priority in the new A6, which features Audi pre sense plus, a system that initiates protective measures if an imminent collision is detected. Should a head-on collision occur, energy-absorbing structural cross members in the front of the vehicle direct energy to two longitudinal members that deform in a controlled manner. Audi has used extensive data from its Audi Accident Research Unit to put the A6 though 4,000 crash simulations to ensure that every component of the vehicle was designed and manufactured to the company's exacting standards.

An adaptive restraint system works in concert with the Audi pre sense system, actively adapting air bag and seatbelt functions based on factors that include heights of occupants' side and curtain air bags.  Impact prevention features include low lift coefficients at both axles, making the 2012 Audi A6 very stable and secure, even at high speeds.  The A6 also features stability control systems, driver assistance systems, and available quattro AWD.

Other features of the all-new A6 include Audi side assist, which monitors blind spots and fast-approaching vehicles at a range of 150 feet, and optional Night Vision assistant, which uses infrared technology to detect people and animals up to 1,000 feet away. The new Audi A6 also helps drivers keep their eyes on the road with optional head-up display, which projects driving related information and warnings on the windshield via a system of aspherical mirrors.

Further information regarding all of the winners of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety™ awards for the 2012 model year and IIHS's methodology is available at www.iihs.org/ratings/.

ABOUT INSURANCE INSTITUTE FOR HIGHWAY SAFETY

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to reducing deaths, injuries, and property damage that result from crashes on the nation's roads, founded in 1959 by 3 major insurance associations. Their research focuses on three main areas: human factors, or preventing crashes by changing driver behavior; vehicle factors, or reducing deaths and injuries by improving vehicle design; and environmental factors, or changing roadway design, signs, and signals to reduce crashes. Visit www.iihs.org/about.html for more information.

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.

SOURCE Audi of America, Inc.