Russian driver actually escaped unharmed.

That is pretty damn freaky. I'm glad the dude survived.

Awesome - One one hand the guy was unharmed. On the other hand the car split into two. According to internet logic this demonstrates that Audis are overachieving lifesavers and rolling deathtraps simultaneously.

It's two awesome, yet conflicting, testimonials in one!

Guys do you remember the thread about torisional rigidity ? I think this proves my point somehow. I don't know if Audi is aware of this or not, but I think over using aluminium in the chasis structure will lead to situations like this. There was a lady here in UAE with a D3 A8 that got the same situation, she walked away unharmed but the car was cut into 3 pieces. Problem is that in both cases (the one in this thread and the lady) no one was sitting at the back, otherwise the situation would be more fatal. Btw the lady sued the company as i remember.

I dunno about that because I've seen all types of cars break in half after hitting a tree. A tree is one of the worst things you can hit, they're usually very large and they're always unyielding.

M

Yes Merc1 you are right for sure, any car hits a tree would be broken in half but there are many accidents at lower speeds where the car just "hugs" the tree (being a steele car) while Aluminium Audis tend to break easier. I dunno I might be mistaken but its just a theory in my head.

Perfectly reasonable theory. Mercedes and Volvo for the most part BMW have all stayed away from all-aluminum made cars for a reason. Whether it be cost or safety, we'll likely never know. I seem to remember reading something from Mercedes about this as to why they haven't done an all aluminum car. Though BMW and Mercedes have used it in bits and pieces of their cars. If I'm not mistaken the entire front half of the 5-Series is aluminum.

M

Regardless of the results of a few accidents, Audi leads them all in safety! You can trust the people who determine which is the safest brand aren't going by assumptions or theory!

According to who? as far as history of saftey goes MB pioneered most if not all of the saftey systems installed on cars!

As for the accident...so much for Audi's space frame!

It looks like there was no airbag activated...