Category: Audi

Here is at last a clear picture of the long-awaited Audi Q5 rumoured to be unveiled at the next Beijing Motor Show.

The Q5 will reinforce the company’s lineup by sitting below the Q7 and Allroad models. Geneva Motor SHow had been initially thought to be the show where Audi would unveil its latest model, but China appears to be the natural location after the carmaker unveiled the Cross Coupe Quattro at Shanghai last year.

The SUV will be based on the company’s Modular Longitudinal Platform (MLP) used by the A4 and the A5. MLP allows Audi to place the longitudinally-installed engine and transmission further back behind the axle and helps stretch the wheelbase without lengthening the car’s exterior dimensions. The Q5 will be roomy enough for five people. Audi has no plan for a seven-seater version.

The SUV will share its engine range with the Audi A4 featuring four cylinder and V6 petrol engines, and TDI engines. The Q5 will likely be the first model to be equipped with the in-house seven speed dual clutch gearbox, called DSG Audi S-Tronic able to handle 405lb ft of torque.

The Q5 is expected to be used by Porsche for the rumoured Roxster.

Audi has announced record 2007 results Tuesday and said it aimed to sell more than one million vehicles this year.

The German carmaker sold 964,151 in 2007 compare to 905,188 in the prior year. Audi sold 254,014 cars in Germany . With a record market share of 7.9 percent, the company achieved its best level in the German competitive market in its history.

The company sold a record number of cars in Western Europe, at 650,407, a 3 per cent increase over 2006. The United Kingdom achieved the highest growth, with 100,712 cars sold, up by 17.1 percent. In Eastern Europe, vehicle sales increased by one-third to 36,073 units.

The biggest single foreign market in 2007 was China, including Hong Kong, with 101,996 cars sold, up by 24.8 percent. In China, Audi remains the market leader by some distance in the premium segment. The carmaker sold 93,506 cars in the USA (90,116, up 3.8 percent).

The subsidiary Lamborghini recorded 15 percent growth, selling 2,406 supercars during 2007.

"We are on the path this year to surpassing the level of one million deliveries," Audi chairman Rupert Stadler said.

Audi plans to launch a convertible variant of the A5 coupé at the next Detroit Motor Show in January 2009

This doesn’t come as a surprise. Audi has set an ambitious plan to boost its sales top 1.5 million vehicles by 2018. Expanding its lineup its the main path chosen by the carmaker and the A5 naturally deserved a convertible variant.

Unlike the BMW 3-series, the Audi A5 will go traditional and will feature a fabric roof which will be, of course, electrically operated and will offer a good comfort with the help of a multi-layered construction.

The Audi A5 convertible will likely feature the same engine range as the coupé, a 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine and two diesel engines, a 2.7-litre unit and 3.0-litre unit, both TDI. The range will be topped by the 4.2-litre V8 engine seen on the S5

The German carmaker has announced the prices for the A3 Cabriolet which will go on sale this summer. The entry-level starts at  £20,750 for the 1.9TDI version.

Basic versions, called Standard, comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, air conditioning, powered windows and mirrors, and a radio with single CD drive.

Costing an additional £1,850, the Sport level adds 17-inch alloy wheels, sports suspension and sports seats. For a £1,550 extra, the S Line features 18-inch 7 twin-spoke alloy wheels and S line body styling including exclusive front and rear bumper design. On the inside, it adds extras such as leather and Sprint cloth combination upholstery embossed with the S line insignia, an S line multifunction sports steering wheel with paddle shift controls when equipped with an automatic transmission, a perforated leather gear knob and matt brushed aluminium panels.

On the Standard level, the hood is semi-automatically operated, the hood is attached to and released from the windscreen rail manually but retracts and raises at the touch of a button, while upper versions get a fully automatic roof.

The Audi A3 Cabriolet is available with two petrol engines, a 158bhp 1.8-litre TFSI unit and a 197bhp 2.0-litre TFSI engine. Along with the petrol engines, there are two diesel units, a 103bhp 1.9-litre TDI and a 138bhp 2.0-litre TDI.

Audi A3 Cabriolet pricing:

Audi has launched the first commercial V12 diesel in a supercar, the R8 model: 500bhp and 738 lb ft!

Audi had unveiled a V12 diesel-powered R8 at Detroit. The concept car was so close to production that it was a question of time before Audi unveils the final version. Geneva was the opportunity for the carmaker to do it. The supercar is called R8 TDI Le Mans to commemorate the company’s victories at the famous Le Mans race with its diesel-powered race cars.

The R8 diesel is powered by the 6.0-litre V12 engine that has a power output of 500bhp and a torquer output of 738 lb ft. The R8 TDI Le Mans can shuttle form 0-62mph in just 4.2 seconds and reach a top speed of 186mph.

Along the new Q7 V12 TDI, Audi will also reveal a special Q7 called Coastline that takes its inspiration from the boating industry. Gossip mongers will say the massive Audi Q7 goes back to its roots.

Compared to the new Q7 diesel, the Coastline edition features a special pearl white painting, called Inuit, and slight exterior changes with a white casing for the side mirrors and dark High Gloss Steel for the single-frame radiator grill and the side air intake slots. Based on the Q7 V12, it also features the large wheelarches and the new bumpers

On the inside, the changes are more obvious as the interior is dominated by alabaster white, a color popular on luxury yachts. All the equipment such as the carpet, the floor mats made of fine wool, the pillar trim, the roof lining, the seat upholstery, the seatbelts, the steering wheel, the front of the cockpit and the door trim come in white. The only contrasting color is provided by American walnut panels and by nut brown piping on the seats as well as fine brown piping on the instrument panel and the door.

Sharing its inner structure and powertrain with the new V12 TDI, the Coastline can run the 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds and reach the usual limited speed of 155mph.

Audi has taken the wraps off the most powerful diesel ever in production under its SUV, a V12 that has a power output close to 500bhp.

The new Q7’s flagship is powered by a twin-turbocharged 6.0-litre V12 engine which generates 493bhp and a massive torque output of 758lb ft. The Q7 V12 can shuttle the 0-62mph in just 5.5 seconds and reach an electronically limited top speed of 155mph. Despite those impressive figures, the V12 remains frugal and achieve 19.8mpg.

The V12 unit is hooked up to a six-speed tiptronic transmission specially designed to endure the massive torque. The driver can shoft gears either with the gear lever or with the shift paddles on the steering wheel.

Audi’s Quattro permanent four-wheel drive system is standard. It is capable of diverting 60 per cent of the power to the rear wheel and up to 40% to the front wheels.

On the outside, the V12 differs form normal versions by larger wheelarches, new 20in alloy wheels, aluminium caps on the side mirrors, revamped bumpers, darkened taillights and new door moldings. On the inside, there is a mix of carbon and aluminium panels.

The Q7 V12 TDi will hit the showrooms before the end of this year.

Audi has unveiled the first TT to be powered by a diesel engine, the 168bhp 2.0-litre TDI. It wil be displayed at Geneva before going on sale in March for £26,350.

After the R8 V12 TDI unveiled at Detroit in last January, the German carmaker shows its commitment to diesel engines by launching its fist diesel-powered coupé. The elected engine is the 2.0-litre which has an output of 168bhp and a torque of 258 lb ft. The power goes to the wheel through the in-house four-wheel drive system, the famous Quattro. The coupé is only offered with a six-speed manual gearbox.

The Audi TT 2.0 TDI Quattro coupé can run the 0-62mph in 7.5 seconds and reach a top speed of 140mph. The roadster is a little bit slower with 7.7 seconds and 138mph. It might be hard to convince people to make the jump at first, but fuel efficiency becomes a major selling point. On this one, the Audi TT scores pretty well with a 53.3mpg combined consumption for the coupé and a 51.3mpg combined consumption for the roadster.

If you still hesitate at the idea of buying a diesel-powered coupé, the Audi TT 2.0-litre doesn’t sport any TDI moniker.

German carmakers have switched their war from a race to power to lineup expansion and according to rumours, Audi is seriously considering a X6 competitor on the new-born segment of coupé crossover

At a time when German carmakers expand their lineup, it was predictable that Audi or Mercedes would follow BMW in the coupé crossover segment. BMW is expected to sell 40,000 X6 this year, which means that the new model won’t be a high-volume vehicle. However with the ambitious goal to increase its global sales to 1.5 million vehicles, Audi is ready to go wild and to set its heart on every new concept.

The vehicle hasn’t been given the green light yet and any information is pure speculation at this stage. The Audi’s coupé crossover might be called Q6, but Q8 wouldn’t be excluded if the company wants the future model to position the future model as an upmarket version of the Q7 SUV.

Karmann will stop producing the Audi A4 convertible as its contract will later this year. The coachbuilder won’t build the upcoming A5 convertible. To commemorate the partnership, Audi will launch a limited edition called “Advance”.

This special edition will include a metallic paint, pearl nappa leather, parking sensors, steeling wheel mounted controls, alarm system, xenon headlights, Bose stereo and a navigation system for an extra €2,950.

Karmann has started to build the A4 convertible in 2002 and has built 200,000 cars since then. The loss of the Audi A4 convertible contract is a real blow for the German coachbuilder which suffers from Indina and Chinese competition.