Miami Dolphins Quarterback Chad Henne Wins Audi Efficiency Challenge, $20,000 for Charity

HERNDON, Va., Feb. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Audi today announced that Chad Henne, quarterback of the Miami Dolphins, won the first-ever Audi Efficiency Challenge. The Challenge pitted high-profile members of the media, including Bill Simmons of ESPN.com and Mike Silver of Yahoo! Sports, against two NFL stars: Henne of the Miami Dolphins and the New York Giants' Osi Umenyiora. Not a traditional race, the Audi Efficiency Challenge was designed to see who could achieve the best fuel-efficiency in an Audi Q7 TDI clean diesel SUV while driving from the Audi USA headquarters in Herndon, Virginia, to Miami, Florida.  Henne has selected the Berks County Community Foundation to receive the $20,000 donation that Audi will make in his name.

Similar to the 2008 Audi Mileage Marathon, where participants drove from New York to Los Angeles, the Audi Efficiency Challenge was designed to showcase the mileage and performance possibilities that Audi TDI clean diesel technology provides in real-world driving conditions. Drivers participating took their Audi Q7 TDI SUVs from the frigid temperatures of Washington D.C. to the temperate beauty of Miami, encountering all manner of conditions along the way and using their own ingenuity, coupled with extraordinary Audi engineering to find the best route and maintain the best mileage.

The Audi Efficiency Challenge for Charity served to support this year's Audi Super Bowl commercial, which features Green Car Journal's 2010 "Green Car of the Year," the Audi A3 TDI. The A3 TDI beat out such esteemed competitors as the Toyota Prius and the Honda Insight to win the coveted award. This Super Bowl ad will mark the Audi's third year in the game after a nearly 20-year hiatus.

"Audi TDI clean diesel technology is the cleanest and most fuel-efficient in the world," said Scott Keogh, chief marketing officer, Audi of America. "With the Audi Efficiency Challenge, we brought that message to life: that Audi TDI clean diesel technology provides a fun, viable opportunity to positively impact your environment without sacrificing all the things that made people love to drive in the first place."

The Audi A3 TDI and Audi Q7 TDI SUV are available in dealerships nationwide. This year's Audi Super Bowl spot will be 60-seconds long and appear in the fourth quarter of the game.  

About Audi of America

Audi of America, Inc. and its 270 U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles.  AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally; during 2009 Audi outsold all other luxury brands in Europe.  In the U.S. market, Audi posted  the largest market share gain of any luxury automotive brand. Between 2009 and 2012, Audi will spend about nearly $2 billion annually on new products and technology. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.  AUDI AG will present the complete results for the 2009 business year at its Annual Press Conference on March 9, 2010 in Ingolstadt, Germany.

SOURCE Audi of America, Inc.