It's set in stone DTM will be in the US..

The DTM is officially headed for the United States.

The 12-race US-based championship for the extreme DTM cars will begin in 2013 -- one year after GRAND-AM's flagship Daytona Prototype class undergoes a serious remodeling project -- that will serve as a sprint racing support show for GRAND-AM, NASCAR Sprint Cup and the NASCAR Nationwide Series.

“Only days after BMW officially announced its commitment to the DTM from 2012, this is more good news concerning the future of the DTM”, said Hans Werner Aufrecht, chairman of the ITR group that runs the DTM.

“Internationalisation has been our goal, in order to ensure that cars to DTM regulations can be used in more countries all over the world. We have had very constructive talks with the GRAND-AM organisation and we are very excited with this new partnership.”

GRAND-AM president Tom Bledsoe says he expects the new venture with the DTM to serve as a major boost for his series.

“We are proud to forge these new relationships with the many manufacturers choosing to embrace the DTM vision, and we look forward to welcoming these exciting cars to the USA. With these announcements, we can begin planning with our media partners, race tracks and teams. The addition of a DTM-style sprint race will increase the attraction for our fans and help grow all GRAND-AM series.”

Ekstrom on the future of DTM -
"I am convinced that 2012 is going to be the start of an era for DTM not seen since the glory days of Super Touring. With Audi, Mercedes, BMW and perhaps one or two more manufacturers entering, plus the expansion to USA and Asia - that is the future of touring car racing. I am really looking forward to race the new cars with a lot more opponents."

Sources - Speedtv
TouringCarTimes

VW's Audi to Beat Target for Mini-Rival A1 Subcompact

Audi AG, Volkswagen AG’s luxury-car brand, will probably beat its target for A1 deliveries next year and may further increase production to meet demand for the subcompact, the unit’s sales chief said in an interview.

Audi anticipates selling 120,000 A1s in 2011, compared with a previous projection of 100,000, and may boost the goal again, Peter Schwarzenbauer said by telephone. Audi plans to use about 20,000 of the 50,000 units built in 2010 to promote the model at dealerships and for demonstrations.

“After getting feedback from our dealers, it’s clear that our production rates may need to be increased again to satisfy demand,” the executive said. “We are extremely confident that the A1 will be a huge success for us and are running far ahead of plan in some markets,” including the U.K. and France.

Audi, which aims to topple Bayerische Motoren Werke AG as the luxury leader by 2015, is targeting record worldwide deliveries this year of more than 1.08 million cars and sport- utility vehicles, an increase of 14 percent from 2009. Eleven- month sales climbed 15 percent to 1 million vehicles, surpassing Audi’s previous full-year record set in 2008.

Source - Bloomberg

Reboot - Audi Motorsport Video STW/BTCC Saloon

Rob Austin Racing confirms Audi B8 Chassis BTCC Program

Rob Austin Racing has confirmed that it will be entering the Dunlop British Touring Car Championship in 2011 with the purchase of two new Audi A4 Next Generation Touring Cars (NGTC). The cars are on order with GPR Motorsport Ltd for delivery in early March 2011 in time for the start of the 2011 season.

Commenting on the move Rob Austin said, “This is a great step for us and a fantastic challenge. We are convinced that the NGTC concept is going to make the BTCC even more competitive and exciting and that the Audi will be a race winner.”

Commenting on the deal Gary Blackham of GPR Motorsport said, “We are pleased that Rob has made the decision to join the BTCC. We are delighted to be building the cars and are sure that they will be competitive from the outset.”

Discussions are taking place with potential drivers and sponsors and the team hopes to be in a position to confirm the line up at the Autosport Show in January. However, the team will welcome enquiries from interested parties. Please note that it must be stressed that the picture included is merely a rough artist’s impression and not necessarily representative of how the car will appear under NGTC regulations.

Sidenote - It is unclear if they will use a NA BPY code derivative engine. The older Audisport engines were 2.0 litre NA High Rpm engines which made power from 4500k-9000k range. The current 2.0T engine is in the old BTCC Audisport format - 2.0 litre 16valves.

Source - Rob Austin Racing

VW the join F1 with 4-5 cylinder

The engines will reduce fuel consumption by 35 percent, series ruling body Federation Internationale de l’Automobile said.
Formula One is courting auto companies with rules that are more relevant to road car research after Honda Motor Co., Bayerische Motoren Werke AG and Toyota Motor Corp. stopped funding teams in the last two years as the credit crunch reduced sales, said Mark Gallagher, general manager of engine-maker Cosworth Ltd.’s Formula One Operations.

Volkswagen executives sat in on as many as 20 meetings at the FIA’s Paris headquarters in the last year to help come up with the engine rules, said Gallagher, who was also present. Volkswagen’s interest in the sport was confirmed by another meeting attendee, who declined to be identified because the company hasn’t made a final decision.

With VW helping with the Rules its pretty much a big yes for their entry and the unamed Company could be GM.

Source - Bloomberg

Audi November Sales Up 5.2%

Audi AG, a unit of German car maker Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE), said Wednesday global November sales were up 5.2% on year at 87,050 vehicles.

Global sales in the first 11 months of the year reached 1,003,900, surpassing the record of 1,003,469 for 2008 as a whole, and 15% above sales in the year-earlier period.

November sales were primarily driven by growth in China and the U.S., as well as stronger demand in Germany, Audi said in a press statement. In China, sales were up 7.2% on the year, at 17,692 cars, while U.S. sales surged 38% to 9,365 cars. In Germany, Audi sold 22,055 cars in November, up 1.0% from a year earlier.

"Despite the high growth of recent months in China, Germany will once again win the head-to-head race among our biggest markets in 2010," managing board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said in the statement.

A high number of orders in recent weeks will help Audi finish the year strongly in December, he added.

Source - WSJ

Audi S4 Engine Wins Ward's Award for Second Year in a Row

HERNDON, Va., Dec., 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- An Audi engine earned a spot on the prestigious Ward's 10 Best Engines Award for the ninth time in the past 11 years. The listing for 2011, just released by Ward's, named the 3.0 TFSI Supercharged DOHC V6 in the Audi S4 among the world's most advanced powertrains.

This marks the second year in a row that the 3.0 TFSI engine in the Audi S4 made the Ward's list.

"Audi distinguishes itself through excellence in engineering and there's no better example of that than the 3.0 TFSI Supercharged V6 engine, " said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "It's an exceptional demonstration of how Audi pushes to maximize efficiency without reducing performance. We're gratified by this important recognition from the editors of Ward's."

In its 17th year, the Ward's 10 Best Engines competition is designed to recognize powertrains that set new benchmarks in their respective vehicle segments.

"The one thing they have in common is they all are stand-out performers in their own way and sell the value proposition of the vehicles they power," said Drew Winter, editor-in-chief of Ward's AutoWorld magazine.

Tom Murphy, executive editor of Ward's Auto World magazine, speaking for the editors who selected the Ward's 10 Best Engines had this to say about the Audi S4 supercharged V6:

The Audi 3.0 TFSI engine "muscles its way onto the list for a second straight year with a stealthy 333 hp and 325 lb.-ft. (440 Nm) of torque that peaks at 2,900 rpm and holds steady until 5,300 rpm. The effect is all-consuming, washing over the driver like waves on a beach.

"Through it all, the TFSI V-6 manages better than 25 mpg (9.4 L/100 km) on the highway during Ward's evaluation. Having replaced a gas-guzzling 4.2L V-8, the forced-induction V-6 demonstrates how engine downsizing need not come with a performance penalty."

Source - PRNewswire

Oh yes...it is pretty.

A brief History of the Audi 5 Cylinder

The Audi 100 C2 was the first chassis the receive the 5 cylinder petrol engine designed by Audi (a 5 cylinder Diesel Mercedes variant in 1974 was the Genesis).



From here on the 5 cylinder was made in variants in S/RS form in the S2 Coupe, RS2 Avant, & S4/S6 Sedan.


The design was then used by VW in the Eurovan, Jetta, & Beetle in small displacement form to current day.
The design is being used again in the Audi TT-RS and the newer Audi Quattro Concept car.

After a 7 month hiatus due to personal issues I will be back updatig this blog..

Bringing everything back online knocking the dust off the keyboard. In the meantime I went back to the car that made me an Audiphile, I purchased a 2002 B5 S4. In chipped form its on par with the Porsche Caymann S, and slightly slower than Godzilla himself the GTR.

Audi to Offer Google GPS & Internet Access in 2011 A8 Sedan

The A8 will be the first car worldwide to offer the WLAN/Hotspot option and surf the internet at speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/s. All the driver needs to do is insert a SIM card into the Bluetooth car phone and you are ready, The hotspot is assumed to connect up to eight Wi-Fi ready devices and reportedly even supports WPA2 encryption.Also by bringing a variety of Google services and information to the luxury sedan via the internet. The services will be available in selected markets.

Volkswagen Group takes majority shareholding in Italdesign Giugiaro

Wolfsburg/Turin, May 25, 2010 – The Volkswagen Group and Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A.
(IDG), Turin, are to intensify their successful cooperation, putting it on a new footing.
This was announced by both companies at a joint press conference in Turin on
Tuesday. The Volkswagen Group will take a 90.1 percent stake in IDG, including the
brand name rights and patents. The shares are being acquired by AUDI's Italian
subsidiary Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. The remaining shares will stay in the
possession of the present owner family Giugiaro.
“With this shareholding in Italdesign, we are participating in one of the most renowned design
and development companies with one of the richest traditions in the automobile industry.
Italdesign is the flagship for creative Italian automobile design and has been instrumental in
shaping the face of the automobile industry worldwide. As the creator of the Golf I, Giorgetto
Giugiaro laid a new foundation for Volkswagen design in the 1970s,” Prof. Dr. Martin
Winterkorn, Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft,
commented in Turin.
The Volkswagen Group has enjoyed successful cooperation with IDG for many decades.
Giugiaro made a name for himself not only with the Golf I, but also with concepts for
important models such as the first Volkswagen Passat, Scirocco or the Audi 80.
A comprehensive development framework agreement was concluded in 2008. Volkswagen
and IDG are also collaborating closely on ongoing projects such as the planned Volkswagen
Up! model family. Implementation of the agreement is also subject to the standard approval
by the relevant authorities.
“A new era in the strategic partnership between our companies begins today. Italdesign
becomes a permanent member of the global Volkswagen family,” Winterkorn said. “The
Volkswagen Group will be continuing its model initiative over the coming years and will
benefit from the capacity and competence of Italdesign. The company will therefore be
making an important contribution to our 2018 global growth strategy,” Winterkorn continued.

IDG was founded in Turin by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani in 1968. Both founders
are considered pioneers of modern Italian automobile design. Italdesign has also acquired a
reputation worldwide as a highly-competent development center. Today, the company
generates sales of over €100 million and has a workforce of some 800 employees.
“Every drop becomes the sea when it flows oceanward. In the last few days I ran into this
sentence while I was reading Sophie`s World by the Norwegian novelist Jostein Gaardner.
We are the drop. Becoming part of the Volkswagen Group means revaluating ourselves and
our strength. Entering Volkswagen means to open up a promising perspective for the
company,” Giorgetto Giugiaro said.

Source: italdesign.it

Audi / Volkswagen new network ECU interface for diagnostics and car controls.

Data Sheet can be found by clicking here!