A MASSIVE increase in service intervals which could slash British fleet servicing costs may be launched by Audi next year when its new small car, the A2 - Audi's first supermini - is launched in the UK. At the unveiling of the A2, the world's first mass-production aluminium car in Frankfurt, Audi revealed that maximum service intervals for German customers would be 18,000 miles for petrol models and 30,000 miles for diesels, or two years, whichever comes sooner.

It is part of a move to extend service intervals for all models throughout Germany and an Audi spokesman confirmed that discussions on a similar initiative in the UK were already well under way. If adopted, the A2 would be the first Audi to have extended servicing when it arrives next summer, but an Audi spokesman confirmed that the rest of the model range, currently covered by 10,000-mile interim and 20,000-mile major service intervals, could well follow.

An on-board display would tell the driver when a service is needed, depending on how hard the vehicle has been used. The move would add to a growing number of manufacturers offering extended service intervals on their products, including Peugeot, which allows drivers to cover 20,000 miles between garage visits. However, the move is bound to spark renewed concerns about the safety of leaving cars for such long periods between garage visits, particularly as drivers expect their tyres to go unchecked for the same length of time.