Category: Audi

The European Patent Office has named the German carmaker European Inventor of the Year.

The honor is bestowed on companies whose ideas have made significant contributions to Europe’s economic growth and competitiveness. Audi was recognized for the invention of Audi Space Frame technology (ASF).

The ASF is for Audi what was aluminum for the disappeared French carmaker Panhard. It is a high-strength aluminum frame structure into which the panels are integrated so that they also perform a load-bearing function. The Audi Space Frame comprises a complex structure of extruded profiles and cast nodes. The Audi Space Frame was first presented to the world public at the International Motor Show in Frankfurt in 1993 as the body of an Audi A8.

“The award is a testament to our lead in lightweight aluminum design technology, an area that is so important for the automobile industry,” says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi.

The Audi A8, the Audi TT Coupé, the TT Roadster, the Audi R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo are all equipped with Audi Space Frame technology.

An insider has revealed that Audi plans to launch a RS6 Plus which will offer 610bhp.

The current RS6 is currently the most powerful estate ever, but still Audi wants to move the challenge up by selling a more powerful version. The news comes as a surprise. Indeed, recently Audi executives said in an interview with Car that the RS6 would be the last powerful Audi model. However, the German marque sold a RS6 Plus in the past with the former model. The RS6 Plus got a 30 bhp boost from 450 to 480bhp. The limited edition featured 19in wheels to replace the 18in on the normal version. 999 units were built.

The RS6 would also get a 30bhp boost increasing the power output from 580 to 610bhp. However, future buyers will have to wait until 2011 before driving it as the Plus model will be a way for Audi to celebrate the end of the current generation according to the sources.

Audi has plan to feature a new eight-speed automatic gearbox on its lineup-topping models from next year.

Last year, Lexus launched the first production eight-speed automatic gearbox in the new LS460. BMW is expected to introduce a similar gearbox on the next-generation 7-Series. Audi will become the third carmaker to feature an eight-speed automatic gearbox on its models. According to company sources, the carmaker is currently testing the new gearbox on a few vehicles.

In an interview with Automotive News, CSM Worldwide said that the new automatic gearbox will featured on the A8 saloon, Q7 SUV and forthcoming A7 model. The new gearbox will help Audi to improve the fuel-efficiency of its top models as ZF claims the gearbox reduces fuel consumption by 14% thanks to longer gear ratio. The eight-speed gearbox can also be fitted with a stop-start system.

After the three major players adopted the eight-speed gearbox, Mercedes is the only one to use a seven-speed gearbox and has no plan to add an eighth gear event if it’s technically possible.

Autocar reveals more details about the future V6 engine which will power the eagerly-awaited S4.

As reported in a previous post, Audi will replace its current V8 engine by a smaller V6 engine. The new engine will have a displacement of 3.0-litre. It was initially thought that Audi would follow BMW on the path of twin-turbochargers, but company’s engineers chose a simple supercharger. Compared to the BMW’s engine, the new V6 will be less powerful. Instead of 306bhp for the 335i, the S4 will offer 286bhp. It will also be less than the current S4 with its 339bhp. The torque output will be 310 lb ft at 2500rpm. The new engine uses an Eaton supercharger and has an air-to-air intercooler rather than a water-to-air unit.

Audi bets the next S4 will be as sporty as the current model. Engineers focused on weight reduction and the S4 is reported to be 100lbs lighter than the current model.

In addition to the S4, the new engine will likely be fitted in the next year facelifted A6, the Q7 and the A8 flagship.

The German carmaker’s war has found a new battlefield in India. After BMW which announced its plan to become the first premium bran din India, Audi has announced it will increase its efforts there to keep up with BMW and Mercedes Benz.

The German carmaker has announced it plans to sell 1,200 vehicles on the Indian market this year. "We are expecting to sell 1,200 of our cars in the Indian market in 2008 compared to 350 cars sold last year on the back of growing demand for luxury cars in the market," said Audi India managing director Benoit Tiers.

"The sale of total luxury cars in India during first two months of this year posted 176 per cent growth, while the car industry as a whole posted just 9 per cent growth, which shows the demand for luxury cars is growing at a tremendous pace," he said, adding "soon India will be among five major car markets for the company."

The carmaker will soon start building the A4 at its plant located in Aurangabad with the plan to sell the saloon on the Indian market from July of this year. Along with the A4, Audi is also considering selling the new Q5 there. At present, Audi assembles A6 variant at its plant and has so far invested €20 million/ £16 million. An additional €10 million/£8 million will be invested for the A4 production.

The next-generation S4 will ditch its normally aspirated V8 for a supercharged V6 in an attempt to reduce the car’s fuel consumption and CO2 emission.

The future stricter CO2 emission regulations made another victim among the V8 engines. Audi has decided to replace the V8 petrol units, which shuttles the S4 model, by a supercharged and turbocharged V6 unit. The future V6 engine is reported to deliver a power output similar to that of the V8. As the new A4 s 100 lbs lighter than the outgoing model, the future S4 will likely be sportier with the help of a supercharger and a turbocharger. Unfortunately, nothing will replace the V8’s exhaust music.

The news doesn’t come as a surprise. Indeed, Audi had announced its commitment to downsize its engine range in order to keep up with stricter regulations. However, this is the first time that a sporty model will get a smaller engine. Race to power is ending.

The premium compact models from Audi gets a facelift that will hit the showrooms this summer.

Since its introduction in 1996, the Audi A3 was a huge contributor to the carmaker’s global sales as Audi built 1.9 million units of them. The facelift will enable the model to continue that success thanks to a raft of new technologies such as the Audi magnetic ride.

On the outside, visual changes concern the front lid and fenders, the bumper and the large single-frame radiator grille. The headlights are also lightly redesigned. At the rear end, the modified bumper and the lights have been modified. As a result of the design modifications, the A3 has grown by 25mm in length to 4240mm, while the Sportback remain virtually unchanged at 4290mm in length. On the inside, the designers added Aluminium-look elements on the air vents, light switches and central console. The instruments have black dials and red needles. The leather sport steering wheel for the Ambition line has new aluminium trim clips, and Audi can supply a flat-bottomed leather sport steering wheel for the Ambition as an option. New inlays, new colours and a new selection of upholstery are available on  the Attraction and Ambition.

With this facelift, Audi took the opportunity to redesign the 2.0-litre diesel engines which adopts common rail injection system. The 113bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine is replaced by the smaller but more powerful turbocharged 125bhp 1.4-litre TFSI unit. The entry level starts with the 102bhp 1.6-litre petrol engine. Above the 1.4-litre unit, there is the 158bhp 1.8-litre engine, followed by the 197bhp 2.0-litre TFSI, while the topping engine is the unchanged 250bhp 3.2-litre six cylinder petrol unit. Along with the petrol units, there are three diesel engines: the 1.9-litre TDI delivers 105bhp and the 2.0 TDI 138bhp or 168bhp.

Audi also upgrades the transmission package by offering as an option the new seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox on the 1.6, the 1.4 TFSI and the 1.8 TFSI powered versions.

The Magnetic ride suspensions that appeared with the Audi TT is now available on the A3. This system overcomes the age-old conflict between dynamic behaviour and ride comfort. The driver can choose between "Normal" and "Sport" programs by flipping a switch. A magneto-rheological fluid circulating in the shock absorbers changes its flow properties within milliseconds when a voltage is applied; this affects the damping characteristic, which can be varied from comfortably supple to crisply firm. Audi can supply the electronic damping control system as an option for the gasoline versions from the 1.8-litre version upwards, as well as for both 2.0-litre TDI versions.

The S3 is also now available as a Sportback version.