EV versus ICE EV versus ICE

• Published date: 24 August 2024
• Publication title: New Zealand Herald, The (Auckland, New Zealand)

SHPG is probably a known quantity if you’re reading DRIVEN Car Guide, but just to recap: sitting atop the Pisa Range in Cardrona, near Wānaka, it’s an automotive winter testing facility comprising 16 different areas, each one private. It’s the go-to place for global carmakers and tyre companies to undertake winter testing in June-September — especially the ones based in the Northern Hemisphere, given it’s their summer

Audi NZ was first up here with a customer event 15 years ago, replicating what the brand had been doing for some time in other parts of the world. Attendees pay their money and the company hosts them on a day up the mountain, with expert tuition in snow and ice driving, some learning and some fun (the two are often the same anyway), and some high-quality catering thrown in. It’s a luxury experience with skids.

Everybody’s doing it now (Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Mercedes-AMG are but a few of the brands who have been bringing customers here since 2009), but kudos to Audi for taking a big risk at the time and being the first.

It’s the Ice Experience’s 15th anniversary this year, although sadly Covid-19 means it doesn’t have a perfect attendance record at SHPG. We joined in again for 2024, getting the authentic customer experience. A $4550 single ticket secures...