Having recently had the pleasure of road testing the new Audi A4, I was pleased to be invited to Swansea Audi for the public launch last Thursday.

Sinclair Group, one of the biggest groups in Wales, held simultaneous events at their Bridgend and Swansea Audi dealerships. The Las Vegas casino theme had all the staff dressed in black tie, with drinks, canapes and gambling on offer to keep them entertained.

As I write about the industry, it's really interesting to get out on the shop floor and observe an event like this. Audi is a buzz brand at the moment, everyone seems to want in, and Sinclair customers turned up in force to support the event, packing the showroom out before the festivities began.

Unsurprisingly, it was the black R8 demo car that attracted the most attention at first, but the distinctive daytime running lights showing under the cloaks of the cars in the showroom were enough to draw the flashes of a few phone cameras.

Advertised to existing A4 owners, and visitors who had enquired about the model, the latest A4 was always going to go down well with the people poking and prodding the display cars after the reveal. And it did.

Though it's an affordable car, A4 is still premium enough to draw crowds, and that's a good thing. The latest in what is becoming a strong bloodline has everything that made the old one a great car, but with a splash of improvements to bring it bang up to date. More good news for Audi dealers.

For more information about Sinclair Group, see the April 4 issue of AM.