Chelsea Get in the Fast Lane with Audi

Chelsea FC have announced a major partnership with Audi, with the German automobile manufacturer becoming the official car partner of the club in a new three-year deal.

Audi branding will feature on the Stamford Bridge LED boards at home matches, with racing-style Audi seats to be incorporated into the dugouts.

Audi joins an impressive list of global sponsors of Chelsea, headed by premium partners adidas and Samsung, and most recently complemented by the Sauber F1 team.

Chelsea chief executive Ron Gourlay said today: “It is exciting for Chelsea Football Club to sign this deal with a premium company, renowned for its excellent track record in elite performance and manufacturing.

“Audi is a phenomenal global partner for us as one of the world’s most successful car brands, and we look forward to working closely with them.”

Audi UK director Martin Sander added: “Chelsea offers us the broadest scope for future opportunities, and our brands are very closely aligned in terms of innovation and progressiveness, or “Vorsprung durch Technik” as we call it.

“Their focus on high performance and sports science, where we are looking to share knowledge and best practice between their top performers and Audi elite racing drivers, demonstrates how perfectly Chelsea’s forward-looking philosophy matches ours.”

Peter Schwarzenbauer, member of the board of management for marketing and sales of AUDI AG, commented: “We cordially welcome Chelsea to the Audi football family.

“With its more than 100-year tradition, millions of supporters worldwide and numerous trophies, the club is one of the top teams in international football and we are looking forward to working together in the future. But for the moment, we are anticipating a thrilling finale in Munich together with all football fans.”

As one of the world’s most successful car brands, AUDI AG delivered a record 1.3 million premium vehicles worldwide in 2011 and generated a record 5.3 billion Euros of pre-tax profit last year alone. The company has a strong and rising brand image as a mature global premium manufacturer.

In the UK Audi delivered more than 113,000 new cars to its customers, an increase of 14 per cent over 2010 and an all-time record for the company which now offers an impressive 41 different model types in this country.