The Audi logo with the circles always reminds me of that trick magicians do, you know the one where they link a few separate solid metal rings together into a chain. As a child I never could work out how they did it, and now I’m finding I’m wondering the same thing about Audi and their equally baffling methods of staying afloat in the recession.

At a time when the bulk of the car industry is on its knees, I’m sure I’m seeing more Audi TT’s on the roads than ever before. I’m sure it’s not my imagination – suddenly it seems everyone is driving these swanky upmarket cars, despite the obvious financial issues.

I suppose it could just be that the type of people who buy Audi cars probably had plenty of money in the first place, and are less likely to have been hit hard by the credit crunch. Maybe it’s just that those who still have spare cash to spend on posh cars want to flaunt it, but I doubt that’s really it. Well, not all of it anyway!

A more likely explanation is the fact that, while most people just can’t afford to think about buying new cars, their old ones are still wearing out and need replacing. And if you need a new car but can’t afford to buy brand new, the logical solution is to look at car contract hire instead.

And of course the best thing about contract hire or leasing is that the cost of the car is split into manageable instalments. You’re not restricted to only looking at cheaper cars, or those that you would have been able to afford to buy outright. In fact, the nicer car you choose the nicer deal you can usually get. So if you always wanted an Audi but couldn’t quite justify buying one, then Audi contract hire could let you get your dream car despite the credit crunch.

Judging by the increasing number of nice cars around at the moment, it would seem people are beginning to wise up to this cunning method of tricking the recession! (Oh and in case you were wondering – that other trick, the one with the rings, is usually done either with concealed gaps in the rings or simply slight of hand as the magician conceals the fact they were connected all along. And yes, my small childhood self was gutted when I eventually found it out!)

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