Three stages - Nine legs -
20 vehicles and 120 drivers - 4182 kilometres
The proverbial journey from A to B has come to epitomise the sheer variety of the mobility that is part of everyday life. However, this car journey from A to B is far from an everyday occurrence – it takes place over nine days and is 4,182 kilometres long. And it is a very literal interpretation of the expression, because it starts in the real-life A – Ǻ on the Norwegian Lofoten Islands to be exact – and ends in the actual B, in the Italian town of Bée close to Lago Maggiore.
Of course, this trip is about a lot more than "just" turning an everyday term into reality. With the "Efficiency Challenge A to B", Audi is confirming its Vorsprung durch Technik – specifically in the field of efficiency, the intelligent management of fuel using the latest technology. Efficiency is one of the central challenges of modern and sustainable mobility; and in the philosophy of the brand with the four rings, it is inseparable from dynamics and sporting characteristics. You see, every single Audi is highly efficient, not just models like the Audi A3 1.6 TDI, which is best in its class with a CO2 value of 99 grams per kilometre. With 32 vehicles emitting less than 140 grams per kilometre, Audi now plays the leading role among the premium manufacturers.
However, the high-performance versions are also highly efficient, which is why Audi is sending not only the low-consumption models on the Efficiency Challenge, but also those powered by its top-end engines. The Audi A3 1.6 TDI is accompanied by the Audi S3; the Audi TT TDI stands alongside the new, fascinatingly powerful Audi TT RS. The same thing applies across the board – efficiency brings low fuel consumption together with enormous driving fun, every day and with every kilometre.
This is something that the 20 cars will set out to prove on the real-life journey from A to B – over nine days, through eight countries, along 4,182 kilometres. The route will be driven in three stages of three days each by a total of 120 participants; by journalists from across the globe, as well as customers of the Audi brand.
Stage 1 (Day 1-3): From Ǻ on the Lofoten to Trondheim
Distance: 1,161 km
Driving time: approximately 19.2 hours
Route: Via Harstad, Mo I Rana to Trondheim in southern Norway.
Stage 2 (Day 4-6): From Trondheim to Berlin
Distance: 1,625 km
Driving time: approximately 20.5 hours
Route: VonFrom Norway through Denmark, in Gedser with the ferry across the Baltic Sea to Germany and Berlin.
Stage 3 (Day 7-9): From Berlin to Bée, Italy
Distance: 1,396 km
Driving time: approximately 16.5 hours
Route: From Berlin via Prague to Kitzbühel, then over the Alps to Bée in northern Italy.