From heavy motorway traffic to lonely country roads: tens of thousands of company car users travel the roads around the country every day. Customer appointment, meeting, hotel and back – everything becomes routine after a while. However, this isn’t always a good thing for a driver, especially when faced with an unexpected and critical traffic situation. The vehicle in front skids on a slippery road surface – should the driver perform emergency braking or is it better to swerve to the right? In many cases there are only fractions of a second for the right reaction. That’s why it’s so important for frequent drivers to prepare as best they can and to develop certain automatisms in order to be able to safely control the vehicle even at the limit.
Win-win-situation
For business reasons alone, it is in the best interests of fleet and personnel managers to have well-trained vehicle users, since accidents on the job can have enormous consequences. In addition to absenteeism at work and the actual accident costs, there are also increased insurance premiums and, in certain circumstances, damaged cargo or goods in transit – not to mention possible injuries to employees. If you compare the scenario of an accident involving a company car with a one-day training course costing around €300¹⁾, for example, the savings potential of these courses soon becomes clear.
On the safe side – at all levels
Drivers for company executives also need to be suitably qualified for their role. When behind the wheel, they are responsible for the safety of their passengers. In order to react correctly in a given situation, they need not only many years of experience but also regular training. Regular training also recommended at the other end of the company’s internal hierarchy – for example for field service trainees. Simply handing someone a vehicle key in good faith after they’ve passed their driving test is never a good idea. Driver safety training should be provided before a new recruit takes up their role – especially since correct handling of the vehicle and its systems is something that needs to be learned.
Extensive offering
From one-day basic training to a multi-day experience abroad: with the Audi driving experience and the Volkswagen Driving Experience, the Volkswagen Group has two providers in its portfolio that can cater to almost every customer need.
Audi driving experience
Company car users can take advantage of the wide range of training courses on offer at the Audi driving experience center in Neuburg an der Donau. They get to experience Audi models in action in realistic conditions, polish their driving skills under the guidance of an experienced team of instructors and explore the physical limits of driving. For example, the 30,000-square-meter vehicle dynamics course, which features a sprinkler system for wetting the track on demand, offers plenty of space for conventional driver and safety training. The handling course also offers the ideal conditions for experiencing one of the most exciting forms of driving. Over a 2.2-kilometre circuit, under the guidance of instructors with experience in motorsports, participants learn how to master the racing line neatly and safely and tackle new challenges behind the wheel. When it comes to new challenges, this obviously also includes the safe handling of electric vehicles. Does an electric car respond differently to a vehicle with a combustion engine when it loses traction on a slippery road surface? And if so, just how exactly? The Audi training experience is ideal for drivers who want to test future mobility under extreme conditions. Drifting on sheet ice – the perfect way to complete driver training is with an Audi ice experience in northern Scandinavia. The fact that such driver training is also fun enhances its learning effect.
More information on the Audi driving experience.
Volkswagen Driving Experience
The Volkswagen Driving Experience³⁾ offers an extensive range of training courses in Germany. Whether you want to master an offroad track with electric drive or are seeking an on-road adventure – choose from a wide range of day programmes as well as experience tours to fascinating destinations. As part of the Skill Experiences training, for example, participants learn all the tricks and tricks that are needed for safe and efficient driving. The Beginners Experience is recommended for novice drivers. The training course includes braking, slalom and emergency braking, as well as Connectivity and digital services from Volkswagen. In the Safety Experience, instructors show participants how to react properly in hazardous situations. In addition to driver safety training, participants get to experience the all-electric ID. models in dynamic driving modules. In addition, they receive valuable information on charging management, charging infrastructure, We Connect services and energy recovery. Volkswagen’s range of training courses also includes experiences such as the Offroad Experience or the Dynamic Experience, along with Experience Tours and the Ice Experience.
More information on the Volkswagen Driving Experience events.
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¹⁾Example: Audi Driving Experience, advanced training, 1-day training course, Saalbach/Hinterglemm, from €295/participant, including 20% VAT.
²⁾The stated consumption and emissions values were determined in accordance with the legally stipulated measurement procedure. The WLTP test cycle completely replaced the NEDC test cycle with effect from 1 January 2022. As a result, no NEDC values are available for vehicles with a type approval issued after this date.
The values do not refer to an individual vehicle and are not part of the offer; instead, they are solely for the purpose of comparing between different types of vehicles. Optional equipment and accessories (attachments, tyre formats etc.) may alter relevant vehicle parameters such as the weight, rolling resistance and aerodynamics and, alongside weather and traffic conditions and individual driving behaviour, may influence the fuel consumption, electricity consumption, CO2 emissions and performance values of a vehicle. Due to the more realistic test conditions, fuel consumption and CO2 emissions values will in many cases be higher in accordance with the WLTP than in accordance with the NEDC. There may have been corresponding changes to vehicle taxation since 1 September 2018 as a result of this. You can find further information on the differences between the WLTP and the NEDC at http://www.volkswagen.de/wltp and www.audi.de/wltp.
Further information on the official fuel consumption and the official, specific CO2 emissions of new passenger car models can be found in the “Guide on the fuel economy, CO2 emissions and power consumption of all new passenger car models”, available free of charge from all sales outlets and from DAT Deutsche Automobil Treuhand GmbH, Hellmuth-Hirth-Str. 1, 73760 Ostfildern, Germany or at www.dat.de.
³⁾The contract and contact partner for this offer is D&T DRIVE & TRAINING AG (imprint and legal notice).
Stand: 12.12.2022
© Volkswagen AG