Audi S4 Voted Maxol Ulster Car of the Year for 2004

The Audi S4 was today (Friday 12th November) voted Northern Ireland's Ulster Car of the Year 2004.

The award was presented by members of the Ulster Motoring Writers Association (UMWA) at the annual Car of the Year Awards ceremony sponsored by Maxol.

Speaking at the ceremony chairman of the UMWA, Jim McCauley, praised the car for its combination of performance and safety provision.

"This top model in the A4 range represents all that the Audi brand stands for, not only in terms of performance from their wide range of petrol and diesel engines but also the fact that no other company offers such as wide choice of four wheel drives. Combined with a range of gearbox options and sophisticated secondary safety measures, the Audi S4 represents the ultimate in current automotive technology."

This year the competition for the category winners was particularly close, but in the final count the Audi quickly distanced itself from the others. With a wide range of independent journalists contributing to the voting, the final outcome is very objective and is a significant indicator of the top cars in each class," continued Mr McCauley.

The overall winner was chosen from the five group winners which were:
* Executive class: Jaguar X-Type diesel
* Medium class: Honda Accord diesel
* Small class: Nissan Micra 82PS
* Leisure class: Ford Focus C-Max TDCi
* Sporting Class: Audi S4

And for the first time in the history of the competition Northern Ireland's motorists had been asked to voice their opinion by registering their vote to find the 2004 Drivers Choice with the Mini coming out firm favourite.

Brian Donaldson, General Manager, Marketing and Retail said: "Maxol has sponsored the Car of the Year Awards since 1997 and is once again delighted to be involved in this prestigious event. The Car of the Year Awards not only exist to pay tribute to advances in technology but also to provide consumers with sound information upon which to base their vehicle purchasing decisions. As a locally owned oil company, with more than 250 filling stations throughout the Island of Ireland the continued support of local events such as the Car of the Year Awards forms an important part of Maxol's investment in the local community."