Answering the call

As frustrating as they can be, we’ve all been on the receiving end of an unexpected marketing call – usually in the midst of a busy day or another inopportune time. For Mike though, as the phone rang on his way out to collect his granddaughter from school, something – let’s call it his intuition – prevented him from the abrupt reaction he would typically reserve for such an unexpected call. That intuition proved spot on, as the call was to inform Mike that he was in fact now the proud owner of an Q5 Sportback 55 TFSI e quattro S line as a result of his supporting the final Audi Foundation fundraiser for 2023.

“Usually, I’d be a bit terse with people that call that I don’t know with all the marketers and scammers around these days, but I said hello and the voice on the phone introduced themselves as Jeff from the Audi Foundation,” Mike recalls.

“I’m just ringing to let you know that you’ve won a car,” the caller, who was in fact Jeff Mannering, Chairman of the Audi Foundation and Director of Audi Australia said. 

“My initial reaction was, ‘is this a wind-up?’ and then I stopped and thought, hang on a second who would know that I’ve bought a ticket in the Audi Foundation Raffle?” 

The winning ticket saw Mike take ownership of the new Q5 Sportback 55 TFSI e quattro S line, a vehicle that combines the brand’s innovative plug-in hybrid technology with a highly efficient TFSI drivetrain – pure electric drive or efficient petrol engine depending on the driving conditions. 

Prior to his win Mike was the proud owner of an Audi A5 Sportback. “In September before I bought the ticket, I had just said to my wife that I was due for a new car. My car was five years old, and the A5 Sportback model is an absolute beauty of a car, I (was) in love with it. As we were also renovating at the time, my wife looked at me with her beautiful eyes and said, ‘the house is our priority, there’ll be no cars’.” 

Shortly after, Mike, a self-proclaimed eternal optimist, read about the Audi Foundation Raffle in the Audi Magazine. So impressed by the impact the Audi Foundation has created over the years, he replied to his wife 'you do realise you can’t stop me winning a car', before buying his ticket.

Mike is not unfamiliar with the good work of Audi and its Foundation, and while this was not the first time he’d bought a ticket in the annual fundraiser, he is also a member of the Audi lifestyle experience program and has taken part in Audi driving experience events and concert-going experiences. Also, as an avid reader of Audi Magazine, Mike feels that the Audi Foundation aligns with the way he feels about Audi as a brand. 

“An Audi is a car for someone who loves driving,” he says. “They [the cars] don’t just appear beautiful, it’s a true driving experience. The Audi Foundation is a concept of doing the right thing and doing lots of good, but I like seeing (the impact), where it’s visible that the rubber’s hitting the road. Rather than a promise, there’s actual activity.”

“The Audi Foundation’s innovative approach, their education around mental health through Reach Out, children’s health through the Humpty Dumpty Foundation and so many others – there were a whole lot of things where I thought, hey, it’s not really buying a raffle ticket, it’s an exciting donation where perhaps you might get a little cream on the cake.” 

As the saying goes, you’ve got to be in it to win it, and in talking with Mike his upbeat and affirmative outlook certainly ensured he was in the running this time around.  “The funny part is I’ve always said the harder you try, the luckier you get,” explains Mike.

"I’ve always found in life that if you put in, the payback seems to come around now and then. I wasn’t surprised, I was absolutely excited and loved it. You hope that whoever wins these raffles will enjoy it, and I’m telling you now, I love my new car.”

And what of his last A5 love? “The mind is a very powerful thing. I don’t have another car, I have my Q5, that’s it, that’s my new car. I move on very quickly. I don’t dwell in the past. Because if you can’t move on, it’s very hard to enjoy the future.” 

Beyond taking the grandkids for a drive, Mike has no immediate plans for a road trip in his new advanced hybrid electric SUV. It’s safe to say though, whether he’s driving on the freeway or stuck at a traffic light, wherever he does take his new vehicle, he is going to embrace the drive and enjoy every moment of the experience.