This week was entirely in the sign of the four rings for FC Bayern München: after the third edition of the two-day Audi Cup in the Allianz Arena, the treble winning team received their new company cars on Friday in Ingolstadt. The stars, with Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben and Bastian Schweinsteiger among them, took their time to sign autographs for the many interested Audi employees on the Audi Piazza.
“Audi and FC Bayern München now enter their twelfth season together. The Audi Cup and also the annual handover of the new company cars with the many Bayern fans among the Audi employees in attendance are good examples of how this partnership is filled with life time and again,” said Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Management Board of AUDI AG. “I wish the team a successful and injury free new season. We look forward to exciting matches.”
The handover was, for Bayern’s new trainer Pep Guardiola, his first visit to Ingolstadt – he is however a seasoned Audi driver: his previous club, FC Barcelona, is like Real Madrid, FC Chelsea or AC Milan one of the long-standing Audi partners in international soccer. “I got familiar with Audi at other events like a DTM race for example. Soccer is not just a team game on the pitch, which is why I’m delighted that FC Bayern has with Audi such a sporty and reliable partner at its side.”
While Guardiola has driven his company car – a phantom black Audi S8 – since the end of June, his squad collected their cars today. The limousine is the vehicle of choice among the record champions: the S8 was ordered nine times, for example by Franck Ribéry and Sport Executive Board Member Matthias Sammer. Six players, including newcomer Mario Götze, Champions League hero Arjen Robben and Germany’s ‘Soccer player of the Year’ Bastian Schweinsteiger, drive an Audi Q7 with TDI power from today onwards. Thiago Alcántara likes cars a little more sporty: he drives an Audi RS 5.
Audi and FC Bayern München have been scoring together since summer 2002. In this time, the partners celebrated six German League titles, six DFB Cup wins, six times the double and now the treble. As a premium partner, Audi provides FC Bayern with 50 automobiles from the Audi model range and in return appears at every Bundesliga game in the Allianz Arena and at many other events.
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