Audi A4 wins award in near luxury car segment while Fiat 500 & VW Golf awarded in the small car segment

Audi A8 was named the overall best Model and Luxury Car while Audi A4 topped the category in Near Luxury Car Segment in the recently released 2012 Total Quality Index by Dtrategic Vision. Audi saw a marked improvement in luxury brands in the $40,000 and above category during the past year. In the 2012 Total Quality Index (TQI), Audi received 918 points out of 1000 points.

Audi A8 sedan is a winner when it comes to overall design and advanced engineering features, technology and performance. It is the highest performing vehicle in 2012 TQI and possesses all that is necessary for top of the line infotainment and communication. The vehicle offers Google Earth, Google Local Search, Google Voice Local Search, weather, fuel, news and travel information besides being well connected to Wi-Fi with upto eight devices. Its interiors offer the best in comfort, the vehicle is environmentally friendly and is at the peak where engineering is concerned.

Audi A4 on the other hand sees enhanced styling and vehicle reliability. It is the only car in its class to offer quattro all wheel drive. It possesses a 2.0 TFSI engine with 211 hp and 258 lb/ft torque. Navigation and infotainment aids include Audi MMI Navigation plus with Audi Connect and Audi Music Interface. It possesses six channel stereo system with 10 speakers or Bang & Olufsen 50 watt, 14 speaker sound system. TQI conducted research among 45,390 Audi owners who had purchased these two models during the period September to December 2011.

Apart from Audi, BMW too featured in the list for their 1 Series, Z4 and X6. "Delivering vehicles of the highest quality that delight our customers has always been a top priority at BMW," said Ludwig Willisch – President and CEO of BMW of North America. "The diversity of models scoring top honors in the TQI study demonstrates that commitment across the model range."

Surprisingly, not a single Mercedes Benz car featured in the list. Following is the entire list of cars that won in their respective segment. Click on the segment for a detailed list of cars that featured in the top 10 list.

Segment	Winner(s)	TQI Score
Small Car	Fiat 500 Hatchback	869
Small Multi-Function	Volkswagen Golf	874
Mid-Size Car	Chevrolet Volt	913
Mid-Size Multi-Function	Honda Accord Crosstour	879
Large Car	Dodge Charger	911
Near-Luxury Car	Audi A4 Sedan	917
Luxury Car	Audi A8 Sedan	942
Specialty Coupe	Mini Cooper Coupe	926
Premium Coupe	BMW 1-Series Coupe Chevrolet Corvette Coupe	922 921
Convertible	Volkswagen Eos	902
Premium Convertible/Roadster	BMW Z4 Roadster	938
Minivan	Honda Odyssey	872
Entry Utility	Volkswagen Tiguan	877
Mid-Size Crossover Utility	Ford Flex	888
Mid-Size Traditional Utility	Jeep Grand Cherokee	888
Large Utility	Nissan Armada	900
Near-Luxury Utility	Land Rover Evoque 5-Door	928
Luxury Utility	BMW X6	936
Standard Pickup	Honda Ridgeline	863
Full-Size Pickup	Ford F-150	902
Heavy-Duty Pickup	Ford F-250/350	874