Tag: Audi

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Audi

Audi TTS adds brawn to beauty

Audi TTS Roadster
Audi TTS Roadster

Australian pricing and equipment for the new Audi TTS has just been confirmed. Powered by a 200kW/350Nm 2.0 TFSI engine, pricing for the 6 speed manual TTS Coupe (pictured top) starts at $92,000 and $97,100 for the TTS Roadster. Add another $3600 to those prices for the double clutch S tronic option. The TTS also gets a revised body kit and the front end treatment, especially, has been executed to near perfection. It looks fantastic—simultaneously agressive and understated. Classic Audi.

The beefed up engine takes an S tronic equipped 1395kg TTS Coupe from 0-100km/h in 5.2 seconds, while a similarly specced Roadster at 1455kgs takes 5.4 seconds. Audi’s all wheel drive quattro system and advanced magnetic ride suspension should ensure the TTS harnesses that power for good.

Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann, is pleased with the addition of an S model to the TT range, “As with all Audi S models, the new TTS will be the sporty top model in its family. It not only looks more aggressive and dynamic, its performance is second-to-none and continues the success story of the brand which focuses on reducing consumption whilst maintaining performance,” Mr Hofmann said.

“The new Audi TT is not only bigger and bolder, it is also lighter and more efficient – the Audi TT is a sportscar you can drive without regret.”

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Audi News Skoda Volkswagen

Volkswagen claims ‘Green’ medal at 2008 Olympic Games

Volkswagen official automotive partner for 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing

The 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing start next Friday—08.08.08—and Volkswagen is looming as having as much presence around the Chinese capital as any of the athletes. A total of 5,000 vehicles have been assigned by Volkswagen Group China to aid logistic support during the Games, moving around athletes, Olympic guests and media. The vehicles assigned to the press center have been labelled the “Green Fleet” on account of their low emissions and low fuel consumption.

Volkswagen, ready to harness a captive audience, will also have a special pavilion at the Olympic Games—the 2000m2 Volkswagen Showcase. Volkswagen Group China expects 4,000,000 visitors to pass through, or as many as 160,000 per day. Lutz Kothe, Head of Sponsoring & Events at Volkswagen AG, commented, “The pavilion gives our guests to the Olympic Games the opportunity to experience the Volkswagen Group and its brands in the unique environment of the world’s biggest sporting event.”

The pavilion will feature models from Volkswagen, Audi and Skoda. More images and Volkwagen’s full press release can be seen below.

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Audi

Next-gen Audi RS4 and RS5 expected to keep V8 engines

Audi RS5

A recent report published on the independent Audi website Fourtitude claims the next model RS4 and RS5 (B8-based) will use V8 engines. There has been a lot of speculation about the powerplants for the upcoming über-Audis, with some suggestion of a turbocharged 3.0 V6 being used. However, after speaking with an Audi executive the Fourtitude lads wrote “The RS4 and RS5 will get a high-revving engine like the outgoing RS4. The high-rev applications in the R8 and B7-generation RS4 have impressed Audi’s engine development teams and they wish to continue in that direction with the next-gen of Audi’s hottest models.”

Audi is expected to stick with 4.2 litre displacement used in the previous RS4 and power could be up by as much as 50hp on the 420hp available in the old model. Power will be put to ground through an optional 7-speed S tronic transmission and a revised quattro system. Follow the links below for more detail.

Source: Fourtitude, via autoblog

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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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News

2008 Goodwood Festival of Speed

2008 Goodwood Fesitval of Speed - Mazda FuraiLast weekend the Duke of Richmond opened up his estate once again for the 18th consecutive Goodwood Festival of Speed. The lads from CarAdvice.com.au were there, check out their report, with heaps of great up close pictures, HERE.

For more info on the Goodwood FoS check out the Wikipedia page. This preview article from the Telegraph also paints a picture of just how big this event is. Enjoy!

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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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Mercedes-Benz Top Gear

Top Gear – Series 11, Episode 2

Episode 2 of Top Gear’s Series 11 aired in the UK last night and the show closed with this great clip of Jeremy Clarkson behind the wheel of a Mercedes-Benz AMG CLK Black Edition. The episode began with a comparison between the new Subaru Impreza STi and the latest Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X. Richard Hammond took the twin turbo V10 572bhp Audi RS6 to the French alps. A couple of dudes from Spooks were pitted against each other in the Chevy Lacetti. And the Top Gear Stuntman tried to recreate a James Bond movie stunt.

All standard Top Gear fare, but this in no way demeans the lads’ efforts. As Jeremy said in closing his AMG film, this episode embodies the show’s raison d’etre, presenting “the absolute joy of driving a great car, on a great road”. See you next week!

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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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