PROSPECTIVE new-car consumers may no doubt feel daunted by the Government’s June 1 hike in the Common External Tariff (CET) duty. However, Brian Stevenson, managing director of ATL Autohaus, believes he has the perfect solution.

“Our 1.4- to 2.0-litre turbo engine vehicles in the Volkswagen and Audi line would be ideal for persons seeking super performance with smaller engines without them having to pay hike in CET,” he said.

Recently, Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr Peter Phillips announced a raft of measures to raise $23.3b in taxes. The CET on motor cars and SUVs over 2,000 cc was increased from 20 per cent to 30 per cent.

“What VW and Audi are doing is getting more power out of smaller engines,” Stevenson said. “The vehicles are lighter and are on the cutting edge of technology.”

He said the vehicles of today are more fuel efficient than their predecessors.

“The new Audi A5 is more fuel efficient than any 1200cc vehicle five years ago,” he said. “The 2.0-litre A6 gives 48 miles per gallon combined [city/highway runs] while the 3-litre, 333-horsepower, A5, V-6 engine yeilds 30 miles per gallon combined.”

According to Stevenson both VW and Audi brands have racked up numerous awards.

The VW Up is the 2012 Car of the Year (wcoty.com); while VW Polo was the Car of the Year in 2010 (wcoty.com). The Volkswagen Passat is the 2012 Car of the Year (Motor Trend) while the Top Safety Picks for Volkswagen were GTI, CC, Tiguan, Touareg, Routan, Jetta, Jetta Sportwagen, and Passat.

The Audi A1 is the 2012 Supermini (subcompact hatchback) of the Year (whatcar.com). It was also the 2011 Car of the Year. The Audi A5 has the best resale value in the luxury car segment for 2012. The Top Safety Picks for Audi were A3, A4, A6, and Q5.

“The brands are truly ‘Unbeatable’,” he added.