Citroen and Audi win safety award

There was good news for vehicle manufacturers today, with Audi and Citroen celebrating after scooping ‘Best Manufacturer’ accolades in the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards. Now incorporating van security awards, in addition to those for passenger cars, the awards ceremony recognises the continued efforts of manufacturers in making their vehicles more resilient to vehicle crime.With modern passenger cars now almost impossible to break in to and drive away, the UK’s three and half million van drivers will be pleased to see the extension to the British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards to now incorporate vans in four distinct categories - Light Van, Heavy Van, Pick-Up and 4x4 Van.Research from Direct Line for Business shows 21 vans are broken into every hour in the UK- that’s 511 every day. 51 per cent of vehicles do not have an alarm fitted, the company reveals, while 42 per cent do not have an immobiliser. By recognising and rewarding those manufacturers who have made significant improvements to security, Thatcham on behalf of British insurers, the government and other stakeholders hope to make a significant impact on these figures.As in the case of cars, the van Manufacturer Award is given to the manufacturer with the most model ranges, and so the widest market coverage, over the 12 months to end April, where every variant satisfies the awards selection criteria. Citroen won the award with 5 fully compliant range, the C2 Enterprise, Berlingo, Dispatch, Relay and C-Crosser Enterprise.Gary Savage, Managing Director of Citroën UK Ltd, commented: “Citroën’s unrivalled success at these prestigious awards is a fantastic acknowledgement of our efforts in producing some of the safest and most secure vehicles on the market today. A continuing dedication to developing and improving our security technology, in both Citroën’s car and van ranges, will ensure customers not only benefit from a wide choice of award-winning, reassuringly secure vehicles, but also the satisfaction of money-saving, low insurance ratings.”Audi, meanwhile were celebrating an unprecedented fourth consecutive Manufacturer award in the cars section with 9 fully compliant models, the A3, A4, A5, R8, TT, Q5, Q7, A6 and A8.Recognising the very latest developments and technologies in keeping thieves at bay, the coveted Innovation Award was won by the Volkswagen Group, with their Vehicle Secure Indicator (VSI). A new standard feature on all Audi Q7, A6 & A8's as well as Volkswagen Touareg and Phaeton models, the electronics inside the key fob maintains a record of whether the car has been locked and alarmed. By simply pressing a button on the key fob and looking at the LED light indicator, an owner can check, even when they are not with the car, the 'locked' status of their vehicle.Alan Campbell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State and Minister for Crime Reduction, said “Congratulations to all the winners of the 2009 BIVSA awards. I want to thank the whole industry for the efforts they have taken to make the cars and vans on British roads more secure and much harder for criminals to steal. Working together we have seen vehicle crime in the UK fall by 66 per cent since 1995. This means many fewer victims of crime. That’s a significant achievement, and one that we can all be proud of.”“We are determined to keep up the good work, and that is why I am announcing today that we will be providing funding totalling £300,000 for AVCIS, the ACPO Vehicle Crime Intelligence Service, to support them in the leading role they play in tackling vehicle crime in all its forms.”Thatcham’s Vehicle Security Manager, Mike Briggs, said, “Car manufacturers can be proud of what has been achieved in recent years in terms of security and we hope now to be able to encourage van manufacturers to make the same progress. At Thatcham we are looking at vehicle security area in all areas cars, vans, trucks, plant and motorcycles and we use the power of our New Vehicle Security Ratings as a publically available and easy to understand guide to security levels, alongside these awards, to help drive dramatic improvements. All of those manufacturers who have been recognised today should be praised for their continuing efforts.”The British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards, hosted by Thatcham, the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre, are supported by insurers, the Home Office, the Department for Transport and The AA Motoring Trust.The results in full are listed below:CarsCity Car / Supermini : Seat Ibiza SE & SportSmall Family Car: Citroen C4 ExclusiveFamily Car : Citroen C5 ExclusiveCompact Executive Car :Audi A4 2008 onCompact MPV : Citroen C4 Picasso ExclusiveLarge MPV : Ford S-MaxOpen-Top Car : Audi A5 CabrioletPerformance Car (including Hot Hatch and Coupe) : Audi S8Compact 4x4 : Audi Q5Large 4x4 : Toyota Land Cruiser V8Executive Car : Citroen C6Luxury Car : Volkswagen Phaeton 2008 onManufacturer : Audi UK : A3, A4, A5, R8, TT, Q5, Q7, A6 and A8VansLight Van : Peugeot 207Heavy van : Renault TraficPick-up : Mitsubishi L200 (except 4work and 4life)4 x 4 Van : Citroën C-Crosser EnterpriseManufacturer : Citroen UK Ltd: C2 Enterprise, Berlingo, Dispatch, Relay and C-Crosser EnterpriseInnovation AwardVolkswagen Group

No Comments Yet