BRITAIN'S new company car benefit-in-kind tax rules are set to fuel a fleet market bonanza for Audi, it was claimed at the Geneva Motor Show. A spokesman said: 'Manufacturers who back their products with a wide choice of options are well placed to sell more cars.

'We're expecting a boost in registrations from buyers who opt for power units with the lowest carbon dioxide emissions and then specify extras to make the most of their salary band car allowance. Our prediction of the likely impact is that demand for large-engined luxury cars will ease and we think user-choosers are likely to look for replacements that have cleaner petrol or diesel engines.'

According to Audi AG chairman Dr Franz-Josef Paefgen, the A4 continued to be the company's most popular model last year, accounting for 227,000 units from a worldwide total of 653,000 vehicles.