PGA Cars to Go Appointment-Basis Only for Both Sales and Service

On Monday, May 18, 2020, the official and exclusive importer and distributor of Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley in the Philippines resumes physical sales and service operations of the four premium automotive brands as COVID-19 quarantine restrictions in some parts of the Philippines are eased.

PGA Cars, Inc. marks the resumption of Porsche’s, Audi’s, Lamborghini’s and Bentley’s physical operations with a strict compliance to health and sanitation protocols as it places priority on the health and safety of its clients, guests, and workforce. The restart of physical operations is complemented by the brands’ established virtual operations, some aspects of which have been recently bolstered by digital tools in response to new market conditions.

Besides continuing to observe hygienic measures practiced in Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley dealerships long before the quarantine—such as regular disinfection of facilities and vehicles, and providing hand sanitizers to all personnel—some of the steps to be taken during the restart are that servicing of vehicles will be done by appointment only, and that all vehicles accepted will be immediately disinfected upon arrival, as well as prior to releasing.

Also, all guests and employees entering the brands’ premises must first wear a mask, undergo a thermal check, remove their outer clothing, submit a health form, wash their hands, and go through a foot bath. Social distancing will be practiced as well, with the guidelines announced in signage around the facilities.

Clients who wish to visit the brands’ showrooms will have to book an appointment.

The re-opening of PGA Cars’ physical facilities for Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini and Bentley follows the four brands’ resumption of manufacturing operations in their home markets.

Upon the restart of PGA Cars’ brands’ physical operations, clients can check out the latest models from Porsche, Audi, Lamborghini, and Bentley. These models are properly documented and covered by the manufacturer’s warranty, as well as supported by world-class aftersales services with work performed by factory-trained and -certified technicians who have access to the latest equipment and necessary software updates.

Confirmed: Audi is Pulling Out of DTM

Audi has confirmed: they will not be racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) beyond the 2020 season. The decision is fueled by the German carmaker’s direction as a carbon-neutral premium mobility provider, but exacerbated in light of the recent economic challenges brought by COVID-19.

Consequently, Audi’s successful involvement in Formula E and in customer racing will be taking center stage in Audi’s future motorsport activities. The brand has been represented in Formula E ever since the popular fully electric racing series was started in 2014. With 41 trophies, Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler has been the most successful Formula E team over the years. Off the race track, Audi is planning to generate about 40 percent of its sales with electric cars and plug-in-hybrids by 2025.

“Audi has shaped the DTM and the DTM has shaped Audi. This demonstrates what power lies in motorsport – technologically and emotionally,” says Markus Duesmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG. “With this energy, we’re going to drive our transformation into a provider of sporty, sustainable electric mobility forward. That’s why we’re also focusing our efforts on the race track and systematically competing for tomorrow’s ‘Vorsprung.’” Formula E offers a very attractive platform for this. To complement it, we’re investigating other progressive motorsport formats for the future.”

Audi looks back on an extremely successful past in DTM. Having scored 23 championship titles, including eleven driver titles, plus 114 victories, 345 podium finishes, 106 pole positions and 112 fastest laps, Audi shaped the DTM from 1990 to 1992 and from 2000 onwards. With three of three possible championship titles, numerous podiums and many other records, 2019 has so far been the most successful DTM season in the company’s history.

Audi would like to continue these successes in the 2020 season and bid farewell to the DTM fans with a successful title defense in all three championships. “We’re hoping that this currently difficult situation will improve soon and that we’ll still be able to contest a few DTM races this year,” says Member of the Board for Development Hans-Joachim Rothenpieler. “The fans would deserve this, and so would the ITR, our drivers as well as our teams and partners, who will now have adequate advance notice to reposition themselves for the time after 2020. Successful motorsport is – and will continue to be – an important element of Audi’s DNA.”

Audi to Gradually Re-Start Production

Audi in the coming weeks will gradually resume producing cars at its plants in Europe after having suspended its operations in mid-March because of disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Ingolstadt, Germany-based automaker suffered bottlenecks in its supply chain and saw a drop in demand as the pandemic broke out in Europe.

Production at Audi’s plants in Europe will return to normal by the end of the month, with operations in other parts of the world to follow soon. The automaker’s worldwide resumption of production, as well as that of its suppliers and service providers, will be coordinated with its parent company, the Volkswagen Group.

Manufacturing at Audi sites will be ramped up starting in late-April. Engine production in Gyor, Hungary, has already started last week.

In the restart, Audi will observe steps focusing on the safety of employees and will follow the health regulations in respective countries. Among the measures put in place are rules on distance and hygiene, a modified work shift system to avoid contact, and requiring the use of mouth and nose protection for personnel in certain areas. A work-from-home arrangement can also be imposed on some workers.

“On the way back to the first phase after the production shutdown, health precautions for the protection of the employees have the highest priority,” said Peter Mosch, chairman of Audi’s labor council. “Audi teams of experts, consulting with specialists, have therefore adapted processes with a view to health protection.”

15 Audi Movies You Can Binge On During Enhanced Community Quarantine

Well, we’re about halfway through the Enhanced Community Quarantine (hopefully), and if you’ve binged enough of K-Dramas and gone through Crash Landing On You multiple times, Audi’s suggesting a change of pace.

Since the first Audi appeared in “E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial” in 1982, nearly every Audi vehicle has spent time on the big screen—from rom-coms to action and thriller films to epic chase scenes. With all that extra time at home, here’s a list of 15 movies that feature one or more Audi vehicles to keep you entertained.

• 1982, Audi 5000 in, “E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial”
• 1998, S8 appears in one of the greatest chase scenes ever filmed, “Ronin”
• 1999, A4 sedan appears in the drama film, “The Insider”
• 2003, TT Roadster in “Legally Blonde 2: Red White & Blonde”. Fun fact: Audi developed the Candy Blue exterior paint color exclusively for the movie that was then available for customers to order.
• 2006, Lois Lane drives an A3 Sportback in “Superman Returns”
• 2007, Jason Bourne drives an A5 in “The Bourne Ultimatum”
• 2008, R8, S5, and Q7 all make an appearance in the first “Iron Man” film, launching many epic adventures with the Marvel franchise.
• 2008, A3 Sportback and the S8 star in “Taken”
• 2010, A5 Sportback in “The American”
•  2013, R8 Spyder and the A8 appear in the superhero film, “The Wolverine”
• 2014, A5 Cabriolet and S6 in “Transformers: Age of Extinction”
• 2015, R8 Spyder, A3 Sedan, S8, S7 and the Audi Q7 star in “Fifty Shades of Gray” Fun fact: the author had already written all of these Audi models into the book series, which then translated directly to the silver screen.
• 2017, A8 was seen for the first time on-screen with the debut of “Spider-Man: Homecoming”
• 2019, Audi e-tron Sportback Concept and Audi e-tron GT concept appear in “Avengers: Endgame”
• 2019, Audi e-tron SUV appears in addition to the A7 and the Audi Q8 in “Spider-Man: Far From Home”

Yes, seems Audi missed it big time, but the low-brow popcorn flick “Transporter” series with Jason Statham also featured the Audi A8 in both Transporter 2 and 3.

Win An Audi A4, Q2, or Q5 by Simply Shopping at Power Plant Mall

The most wonderful time of the year is just around the corner. And Audi Philippines, together with Power Plant Mall, Rockwell Center Makati will make the coming season even more delightful as they set out to give the Audi A4 sedan; the Audi Q2, and the Audi Q5 SUV to lucky shoppers.

Shoppers get the chance to win either one (1) Audi A4 or one (1) Audi Q2 by simply purchasing P 1,000 worth of items in a single-receipt transaction from any store at Manansala Retail, Joya Retail, One Rockwell Retail, Edades Retail and 8 Rockwell Retail; P 2,000 worth of items in a single-receipt transaction from any store at Power Plant Mall; or P 3,000 worth of items in a single-receipt transaction at Marketplace by Rustan’s inside the mall.

Any single- or accumulated-receipt purchase worth P 500,000 from any store at Power Plant Mall or from the aforementioned retail shops earns a customer an Elite Raffle stub, allowing him or her the chance to win one (1) Audi Q5 SUV.

Customers may claim their raffle stubs by presenting their receipts at redemption booths around the mall.

The lucky winner of the Audi Q2 will be determined on December 25, 2019. The winners of the Audi A4 and the Audi Q5 will be drawn on February 3, 2020.

Shoppers who are at least 18 years old and who have a Philippine address qualify for the promo. The promo runs from today until February 2, 2020.

The Audi e-tron is the First All-Electric Vehicle to Rate Highest in Safety Test

Dispelling old wives tales that electric vehicles aren’t safe, Audi grabbed the highest score in the U.S.-based Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) earning it as a Top Safety Pick+. The Audi e-tron is the first battery electric vehicle (BEV) to earn the rating.

The IIHS “Top Safety Pick+” is based on “Good” ratings—the highest rating given to the vehicle—in the six areas of crashworthiness performance: small front overlap collision evaluations on both the driver and passenger sides; moderate front overlap; side impact; roof strength; head restraints and seat performance.

Through IIHS’ evaluations, the e-tron body and structure exceled in safety performance, earning the top rating in all of the said areas.

The Audi e-tron comes with standard Matrix Design LED headlights, and standard automatic emergency braking. It also has Audi pre sense basic, which can help prepare the vehicle for impact by partially closing the side windows and sunroof, and pre-tensioning the front safety belts. Using a front-mounted camera, the e-tron can help initiate braking at speeds of up to 87 km/h for detected pedestrians and bicyclists and can bring a vehicle to a full stop when traveling at speeds under 40 km/h.

A full-sized SUV, the e-tron is Audi’s first full electric series-production model. The all-wheel drive SUV is powered by two large lithium-ion batteries with 95 kWh stored energy to provide a range of over 400 kilometers. With 561 Nm of torque, the two electric motors accelerate the electric SUV from zero to 100 km/h in 6.6 seconds.