Category: Audi

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Audi

Audi adds new cab to its ranks

Audi A3 Cabriolet

Audi Australia has just launched its newest addition to the A3 range—the all-new A3 Cabriolet—and they’re pretty chuffed, by the looks.

Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, says “The A3 Cabriolet clearly reflects Audi’s brand values of sporty, progressive and sophisticated—with two dynamic turbocharged direct injection engines, Audi achieves the seemingly opposite goals of excellent performance combined with fuel efficiency, matched with an elegant design which is equally attractive in roof-up or roof-down modes. We expect the A3 Cabriolet to be extremely successful in Australia because it offers a multitude of flexible features—from the fun of driving with the roof down, to space for four people, excellent safety features, plenty of luggage space and genuine good looks.”

Well, he has to say all those nice things doesn’t he. I do agree, however, that the A3 Cabrio looks great—it is a stunning car—although I’m not sure how well it will sell down under. Though, I expect Audi Australia has realistic expectations on that front.

At launch, the A3 Cabriolet is available with two turbocharged 4-cylinder engines. Pricing starts at $49,900 for the 118kW 1.8 TFSI Attraction, fitted with Audi’s 6-speed double clutch S tronic transmission. The Ambition models, featuring the 147kW 2.0 TFSI, start at $54,900 for the 6-speed manual and $57,500 for the S tronic. The first sign of cost saving with the A3 Cabriolet is evident with the roof being soft top only. The second, and most likely the last, is that the standard roof is semi-automatic only, although it does open in an impressive 9 seconds. However, for an extra $1300 a fully automatic soft top is available, and your extra cash also gets you a bit more sound proofing.

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Audi BMW Hyundai News Nissan Porsche Renault

Hyundai introduces tamper proof identification labels

Hyundai tamper proof compliance label

In a bid to reduce the chances of vehicle re-birthing Hyundai has joined Audi, Nissan and Renault by introducing self-voiding vehicle identification labels. The labels are cheap to produce and will be rendered useless if removed from the car. The new labelling will replace the familiar aluminium compliance plates found on most other cars sold in Australia. The older style compliance plates are easily reused in a re-birthing industry that costs Australians around $250 million every year.

“Improved vehicle identification is a major focus of the National Motor Vehicle Theft Reduction Council” said NRMA Insurance Head of Research Robert McDonald, “vehicle identification technology such as self-voiding labels, cost less than $2 and are one of the best defences against professional car theft.”

Hyundai’s announcement follows the release yesterday of NRMA Insurance’s annual Vehicle Theft Ratings, which measure the ability of a car to resist being broken into, stolen and re-birthed. Hyundai’s Sonata was one of the top three performers in the medium car category, whilst the Grandeur scored the highest security rating in the large car category. Although the Vehicle Theft Ratings revealed that Subaru, BMW, Audi and Porsche were the standout manufacturers in 2008, with all of their vehicles performing well.

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Audi

1939 Auto Union “Silverarrow” Type D

Here is some footage discovered on YouTube of the replica 1939 Auto Union “Silverarrow” Type D built in England by Roach Manufacturing. This car will be driven at the 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed, for the first time, by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason.

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Audi News

Audi welcomes the machine at Goodwood

Nick Mason at the wheel of 1939 Auto Union

The 2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed (11–13 July) will see the world debut of an “all-new” Auto Union “Silverarrow” Type D. An authentic reconstruction of the 1939 dual-compressor model, the car will be driven at the event by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason. The project, commissioned by Audi Tradition, was undertaken by specialist workshop Crosthwaite & Gardiner in East Sussex, with bodywork completed by Roach Manufacturing, near Southampton. It took four years to complete.

The dual-compressor 12 cylinder Type D originally made its debut half way through the racing year at the 1939 Belgian Grand Prix and won two Grands Prix at the hands of Hermann Paul Müller (French GP) and Tazio Nuvolari (Belgrade GP). While heavily based on earlier Type D models, the bodywork of the 1939 car was modified to house the 485hp twin supercharger set up. Auto Union was split apart by Soviet forces after the completion of World War II, and as a result many of the technical drawings and records of their cars were lost forever. With only a few rare photos to work from the team at Roach Manufacturing had a painstaking task to recreate the Silverarrow’s exterior. The company already have a 1937 reconstruction on display at the Audi museum mobile, so their pedigree was well founded. At the completion of this project Keith Roach proudly declared, “it is one of our all-time masterpieces.”

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Audi

Audi launches world’s first full LED headlamp

Audi R8 LED headlamp

The Audi R8 can now be optioned with full light-emitting diode (LED) headlights. The R8’s controversially styled LED day time running lights have set a new visual language for Audi’s lighting across their model range. But the R8 is the first car to have LED headlights to be used for general night time driving and can be used in both low and high beam. There are 54 LEDs that complete the set up—ouch, they come at a price though—approximately AU$5790!

Audi’s press release can be read after the jump.

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Audi Drive Thru Reviews

Drive Thru: Audi A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI Ambition

Audi A3 Sportback

After recently driving the Audi’s close relation, the Golf GT TDI with DSG, I was keen to see how the A3 Sportback 2.0 TDI Ambition compared. The two cars share the same basic underpinnings, the same engine, producing the same power (125kW) and the same torque (a gob smacking 350Nm). Both cars tested also shared the 6-speed double clutch transmission, or S tronic in Audi speak.

Let’s start with the subjective first, the car’s looks. To me, the Sportback body shape has a basic and rudimentary silhouette which can look awkward when viewed from the rear quarter. However, far from allowing this to be a negative, Audi’s designers have performed their usual task of delivering the market a well executed design solution and the A3’s slightly lower and raked roofline gives the car a sleeker, more dynamic look when compared to the Mk5 Golf. The A3 also has more of an exclusive feel about its looks. This feeling of exclusivity is reinforced in pure sales terms — in 2007, Audi sold 1,594 A3s, whereas Volkswagen sold 10,982 Golfs. Figures to the end of April this year follow a similar trend — 654 as against 4,503 — so you can be assured that an A3 will always be more exclusive than its Volkswagen cousin.

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Audi BMW Mercedes-Benz News

Australian International Motor Show – A German free zone?

AIMS logoGoAuto are reporting that Audi Australia has now been confirmed as the third major German manufacturer to withdraw from October’s Australian International Motor Show (AIMS) in Sydney. Only Volkswagen remain confirmed, with BMW, Mercedes-Benz and now Audi pulling the plug. BMW subsidary MINI has not had an official presence at either the Sydney or Melbourne shows for some time.

In our relatively small market it is no surprise that Audi has cited the costs of major stands at the Melbourne and Sydney motor shows as the main issue behind their decision.

From GoAuto: “The top three German makers in Australia are all lobbying for such an alternating arrangement on the basis of cost (a single motor show exhibit can cost anywhere between $300,000 and $1 million), but say the retail focus of smaller shows like Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide actually cover their own costs.”

As you can imagine the thought of rotating shows hasn’t gone down well with the organisers of AIMS, the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries, or the Melbourne International Motor Show promoters, the Victorian Automobile Chamber of Commerce.

Click HERE to read the GoAuto article in full.

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Audi Drive Thru Reviews

Drive Thru: 2008 Audi A4 1.8 TFSI

2008 Audi A4 1.8 TFSI

Last month Audi Australia officially launched an all new A4 model. Audi claims to be the fastest growing prestige brand in the Australian market. If that growth is to continue the new A4 needs to deliver bums on seats. At launch there were four engine choices available. Two petrol powerplants—118kW 1.8 TFSI turbocharged four-cylinder, 195kW 3.2 FSI narrow angle V6—and two turbocharged diesel engines—105kW 2.0 TDI four-cylinder, 140kW 2.7 TDI six-cylinder. In AUSmotive’s second Drive Thru instalment, we bring you a brief report on the entry level 1.8 TFSI model.

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Audi

Audi A4 Avant due in August

Audi A4 Avant

You should be able to see the sedan version of Audi’s new B8 model A4 at your local Audi Centre now, but for me, it is the Avant versions that have always looked the part. That probably stems back to my yearning for an Audi RS2 all those years ago. Of course, subsequent RS4s have done nothing to lessen that desire. I dunno, there’s just something really cool about a wagon with Porsche equalling performance. Looking at the pictures of the B8 Avant, and, yep, the desire is very much still there. Audi reckons the sculpted D-pillars give the car a ‘dynamic, coupe-like silhouette’. Forget the marketing speak, the car speaks for itself. It looks fantastic. A shame, then, that we’ll have to wait until August to see them in Australian showrooms.

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Audi

2009 Audi A3 range revealed – including S3 Sportback

Audi S3 Sportback

The MY09 upgrades to the Audi A3 model range have been revealed. Headlining the news is the addition of a 5 door ‘Sportback’ option to the range topping S3, featuring a 188kW (Australian spec) 2 litre turbo engine with Audi’s renowned quattro drivetrain. Compared to the 3 door S3, the 5 door variant is 0.1 seconds slower to 100km/h, with Audi claiming a time of 5.8 seconds for Euro spec models (195kW engine).

Other additions to the A3 range include a new 7 speed double clutch transmission, known as S-tronic in Audi-speak, and the magnetic ride system, as currently available on the TT. Usual mid-cycle tweaks to the interior have been implemented, and Audi’s signature LED parking lights, first featured on the stunning R8, have also been incorporated into the 2009 A3 lineup. Australian deliveries of the range should be available before year’s end.

It will be the 5 door S3 that will excite Audiphiles the most, with many fans eagerly anticipating such an addition to the range. Read more to see more photos of the S3 Sportback, featured here in Sprint Blue metallic paintwork (click images for larger versions).

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Audi

All new Audi A4 close to Australian launch

All new Audi A4

Audi Australia are just weeks away from the launch of the all new A4 (B8 model). You can keep up to date with the latest news by registering on the Audi A4 microsite. The Audi visual language gets tighter with every new model release, presenting a unified front from their exterior design team. Some aspects of the new A4 are pleasing, but at this stage, I think final judgement should be held back until seeing one up close and personal. Naturally, the new A4 interior will be a beautifully made place to be, although, from my viewings of the A5 range, on which the new A4 interior will be largely based, I’ve not been as impressed with the layout as I have with previous A4s. Still, Audi sets the bar so high I may as well be picking faults over the delectable delights found at your local Koko Black store! The A4 was recently voted Germany’s most popular car and I’m betting that Audi Australia hopes the A4 makes plenty of Australian friends as well.

Read more about the Australian launch of the new A4 on this earlier CarAdvice article or see below for more images.

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Audi

Audi RS8 to get twin turbo V10

Autocar are reporting that the stunning Audi R8 will be offered in RS8 form with the same 572bhp V10 twin-turbo as used in the recently released RS6. This flies in the face of previous reports from senior Audi staff and also tends to indicate Audi is confident of fixing the cooling problems that embarrassed the German manufacturer during testing at the Nürburgring Nordschleife last year.

Source: Autocar & WorldCarFans