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  1. Venues & Destinations
  2. United States
  3. San Francisco/Northern California

Test Drive

To launch the new Audi Q5, the carmaker hosted a five-city test-driving tour across the U.S., which wrapped—appropriately—in the West Coast's car capital, Los Angeles.

Shilpa Gopinath
May 20, 2009

Los Angeles: home of gridlock, multi-thousand-dollar customizations, and a community of millions who love their cars—or at least can't escape the need for them. To that end, Audi of America partnered with Sonoma, California-based car marketing agency Emotive to promote the new Audi crossover vehicle, Audi Q5, in L.A., the last stop on a tour targeting consumers that launched in April and also visited Washington, Chicago, New York, and Miami.

“What we typically do is drive around the country, go to race tracks every year, and do more performance-based driving. This year, we decided to bring it closer to the city center,” said the tour’s executive producer, Erin Keating.

Guests arrived to the event at Hollywood Park in Inglewood to find two large domes. One housed a loungelike setup with custom furniture, registration tables, and a café. The other was a theater with 360-degree projections that played a short film about Audi and the new vehicle. Four projections in the second dome produced an immersive effect.

After taking a peek at the film, controlled groups followed a lead instructor onto city streets in the new Q5s. Radios in each car kept drivers in communication and disseminated information about performance handling and special features.

Once back on site, participants found two additional tents featuring various static Audi models. Groups moved to a handling course to see the Q5 in a performance environment, then returned to an interactive theater where a quiz show format capped off the experience. A total of 1,168 participated.

Audi's local tour stop
Audi's local tour stop
Photo: Courtesy of Audi Driving Experience
Guests experienced Audi model vehicles at the drive event.
Guests experienced Audi model vehicles at the drive event.
Photo: Courtesy of Audi Driving Experience
Inside a dome, 360-degree projections illuminated the space and an instructor educated the audience about the new car.
Inside a dome, 360-degree projections illuminated the space and an instructor educated the audience about the new car.
Photo: Courtesy of Audi Driving Experience
White tents housed a loungelike atmosphere.
White tents housed a loungelike atmosphere.
Photo: Courtesy of Audi Driving Experience
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