Audi A3 TDI Club sport Quattro Concept

The A3 TDI Clubsport quattro concept is the German car maker’s latest effort to convince buyers that sports cars and diesel power can go hand in hand.

Audi has already unveiled a diesel version of its TT sports car, which can be expected in Australia by early 2009.

Hot on the heels of Audi’s R8 diesel supercar concept that's also expected to make production, the A3 super-hatch will be displayed at next week’s Lake Worther Tour in Austria with a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo diesel that delivers 165kW of power and 450Nm of torque to all four wheels.

The A3 Clubsport hatch will reach a top speed of 240km/h and sprint from 0-100km/h in 6.6 seconds, according to Audi.

Although that acceleration time is nearly a second slower than the range-topping S3, the six-speed-manual Clubsport quattro is significantly quicker (by 2.6sec) than the A3 Sportback equipped with an identically sized 2.0-litre turbo diesel engine.

The A3 Clubsport’s diesel engine is far more likely to make it into production than the car’s sheetmetal. Audi claims the 165kW turbo diesel already complies with Euro V emissions regulations that don’t come into effect until 2010.

The Clubsport quattro is 40mm longer and 36mm lower than the regular A3, and sits on huge, 20-inch alloy wheels. The front and rear tracks have also been widened (by 34mm and 46mm respectively) to give the racier A3 a bigger footprint on the road.

The front end is dominated by an even wider version of Audi’s trademark gaping grille, though the huge air intakes either side are never going to be described as subtle. The bi-xenon headlights are accompanied by LED daytime running lights.

At the rear, a conspicuous roof spoiler is inspired by the one that sits on Audi’s A4 German Touring Car race car. Two large exhaust pipes sit in a dark grey diffuser as an exit point for an “optimised exhaust system”.

The side profile is given a more muscular appearance with chunkier sills and bolt-on wheelarch extensions.

Underneath, Audi’s magnetic ride system – available on the TT and R8 and seen on the likes of Ferrari’s 599 GTB – allows the driver to stiffen or soften the suspension at the touch of a button.

Audi has fitted larger, carbon-ceramic brakes to the front for improved stopping power, although unusually the rear brakes remain the same as the production A3’s.

The A3 TDI Clubsport quattro’s interior is fitted with racing-style bucket seats, an open-gate manual gear-shifter, and a flat-bottomed steering wheel that includes the engine start/stop button.

The Audi Drive Select system that debuted on the company’s new A4 this year is also included. It allows the driver to vary a number of parameters, which on the A3 Clubsport include throttle response, exhaust sound, steering power assistance, stability control threshold, and damping.

Audi CEO optimistic to reach global, U.S. 2015 sales target

INGOLSTADT, Germany - Audi AG Chief Executive Rupert Stadler said the automaker sees no major impact from the global economic slowdown in the current quarter and he is optimistic about reaching the company's ambitious long-term target of selling 1.5 million cars worldwide in 2015.
"It remains crucial that we achieve profitable growth and not just boost the sales volume," Stadler told Dow Jones Newswires in an interview, adding that business in the second quarter showed no signs of a significant downturn.
Stadler said Audi expects to double sales in the troubled U.S. market to 200,000 vehicles in 2015. His remarks come at a time when major automakers such as Toyota Motor Corp. and Ford Motor Co. are voicing concerns about the state of the U.S. market and many analysts have lowered their forecasts for coming years. The auto industry continues to be squeezed by higher raw material prices and lackluster consumer confidence.
Audi wants to become the world's leading premium automaker in terms of customer satisfaction and quality and aims for an annual increase in car sales by between 5% and 6% on average in coming years.
Earlier this month, Audi improved by 16 places in the closely watched J.D. Power and Associates 2008 Initial Quality Survey for initial product quality, and now ranks 10th among the world's car makers.
Stadler reiterated that Audi aims to sell more than a million cars worldwide this year as sales are expected to be boosted in the second half by the revamped A4 model. He said the second-quarter sales had started "according to plan."
He said Audi is "well on track" to achieving its 13th consecutive annual sales record after selling 964,151 cars in 2007, which makes it the world's third-bestselling premium automaker behind BMW AG and Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz brand.
Stadler said the Ingolstadt-based company is "already ahead of schedule" after the first five months of the year.
In the January-to-May period, Audi's car sales were up 1.5% compared with the same period last year at around 426,200 vehicles, driven by strong demand in Eastern Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.
Stadler said Audi's first half of the year has been characterized by the changeover of its best-selling A4 model. The launch of the A4 sedan was followed in May by the introduction of the new A4 estate version, or Avant, across Europe. The revamped A4 sedan will be launched in the U.S. this fall.
Audi's new small sports-utility-vehicle, dubbed Q5, is set to be launched in Europe this fall and will hit U.S. showrooms "by summer (2009) at the latest," Stadler said.
The revamped A4 model along with the new A5 coupe and the Q5 are cornerstones of Audi's plan to narrow the gap with BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
The key earnings contributor of parent company Volkswagen AG (VOW.XE), Europe's biggest automaker by sales, has enjoyed strong growth in recent years, especially in Asia and Europe, but still lags its German peers in terms of sales in the U.S. market.
In 1986, safety concerns over some models shattered Audi's reputation in the U.S. and sales nose-dived. Federal authorities were unable to identify any mechanical defects, but numerous legal disputes turned Audi's U.S. recovery into an uphill battle.
"Today, Audi is a totally different company than it was back then," Stadler said. "The U.S. premium segment has the potential to grow further," he said, adding that Audi targets a "slight increase in market share" in the U.S. this year, despite adverse conditions.
Stadler said Audi plans to increase its exclusive dealerships in the U.S. to up to 150 within the next three to five years from 118 now.
Audi's U.S. dealers are planning to invest $180 million in the next three years as part of the company's growth plan.
Stadler said Audi's U.S. dealers are expected to sell between 600 to 800 cars on average per year, up from between 380 and 550 cars currently.
Stadler confirmed that the company aims to boost its U.S. sales to 200,000 in 2015 from 93,506 in 2007. Audi has sold 36,820 vehicles in the U.S. during the first five months of the year, down 2.9% from the same period last year.
Global car sales in May caused concern among investors as even a dynamic market such as China posted a 12% decline on the year, adjusted for working days. Imported vehicles in China recorded their first drop in sales in two years, down 19%, Citicorp said in a recent note, adding that it sees increasing downside risks for the auto sector as adverse conditions persist.
"We firmly believe in the growth potential of the Chinese auto market," Stadler said, adding that automakers have to deal with a certain level of volatility in emerging markets. Audi is the best-selling premium automaker in China, the company's biggest overseas market.

Source- Marketwatch.com

Audis LeMans Finish

Audi Employees Celebrate Le Mans

Audi employees celebrated the Audi R10 TDI which won the Le Mans 24 Hour race। Le Mans record winner Tom Kristensen completed show laps with the over 650-hp strong diesel sportscar at the Audi factory in Neckarsulm (Germany). "This was a great event and I was very impressed at just how many Audi employees came to celebrate and wanted autographs," explained Tom Kristensen who won the French Endurance classic last weekend together with his team-mates Dindo Capello and Allan McNish. For both Audi and Tom Kristensen it was the eighth victory at Le Mans.

Head of Audi Motorsport Dr Wolfgang Ullrich and Ulrich Baretzky, responsible for Engine Development at Audi Sport were also present in Neckarsulm। They were welcomed by Uwe Hans Werner, Head of the Audi Forum Neckarsulm, and Norbert Rank, Head of the Works Council in Neckarsulm. The next race of the Audi R10 TDI will take place at Lime Rock (US state of Connecticut) on 12 July. On 17 August, the diesel-powered sportscar will compete in the 1000-kilometre race at the Nürburgring and thus for the first time ever in Germany.

Audi gears up to give Peugeot and France the fight of their life

Peugeot have produced pace that would render a sprint race a formality and with a squad of former Formula One drivers, including the 1997 world champion, Jacques Villeneuve, the talent to get the maximum performance from their three cars. All of France is ready to crank up the atmosphere, send the foreigners packing and acclaim a long-awaited home victory.

Peugeot have secured the first three places on the grid. The Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin took poll with a stunning time of three minutes, 18.513 seconds, a record for the circuit since chicanes were introduced on the Mulsanne Straight in 1990. McNish was fastest of the Audi drivers, in fourth, over five seconds adrift. Le Mans is motor racing's ultimate test of endurance and Audi have demonstrated that they have the savvy to get the job done better than anybody. The German team have won seven times in eight years.

McNish has led at Le Mans in each of the four years since he joined Audi, only for the fates to conspire against him. Twelve months ago he gave perhaps his greatest drive, leading his crew to a seemingly unassailable lead. He then watched in disbelief, over breakfast, as a wheel broke loose from his R10, which was being driven by Rinaldo Capello.

It would be just his luck now, a decade on from his only win, at the wheel of a Porsche, if his best efforts for Audi were rendered impotent by the fleet-footed French. McNish accepts that possibility, yet his faith in the team is unshaken.

"We know it's going to be tougher than ever to win this year," he said. "If one of their cars runs as fast as we know they can and is reliable throughout they should, in theory, win. Eight of their nine drivers have Formula One experience. But it rarely happens that you get a totally trouble free run and they're going to have to be really good to beat us.

"We are better and quicker at pit stops and we know how to win this race – they've got to prove they can. They've won the three Le Mans series races this season but those are relative sprints of six hours. This is four of those races in one go. When things go wrong, which they invariably do at Le Mans, we'll be able to rectify it as quickly as possible. We'll have the strategy, I believe, to come through it again."

Team work, preparation and organisation are as important as a quick car and a gifted driver at Le Mans and McNish, who has worked with McLaren, Benetton, Renault and Toyota in Formula One, knows how to measure Audi's expertise. The 38-year-old Scotsman said: "I've been with some pretty good Formula One teams and the way that Audi goes about Le Mans is exactly the way a top Formula One team goes about it; the personnel, the operation, the systems they use.

"Over the 24 hours we cover roughly the same distance as a grand prix season and at the same speed, and we do it with no engine or gearbox change. That tells you something of the level of the technology and personnel."

Audi's three cars and nine drivers are backed up by 120 team members. Each driver can expect to be at the wheel for stints of more than three hours. They try to catch some sleep during their off-duty periods.

McNish said: "I'm too much of a livewire to adapt my sleep pattern ahead of the race. I struggle to relax, so I don't do anything different in preparation. We are in the car for the equivalent of two grands prix at a time and I try to get away from the garage when I finish a stint, so that I'm not mentally and emotionally dragged into how the car's working. I can't do anything about that anyway.

"Engineers take care of everything in the car, doctors and physios take care of everything physically, out of the car. That's when they take over. I get away, have a shower, something to eat and a bit of physio. I may have some press and marketing to do and I have to be on standby at least an hour before I'm due back in the car. So the period of relaxation is only a couple of hours.

"We have cabins kitted out with a couple of beds and a toilet. I've learnt to sleep at Le Mans but not a deep sleep. The cabins are soundproofed, but not totally. You never get rid of the sound of cars going by. I have a radio in case they need me quickly. Mentally, you are always on alert."

Up to 70,000 British fans among the 300,000 expected over the weekend will catnap along with McNish, hoping to wake up and find national pride honoured in other categories of the race, notably GT1, where Aston Martin resume their duel with the Chevrolet Corvettes. McNish, however, is Britain's only realistic contender for the main crown. He could be forgiven for feeling it is payback time after the angst of recent races, especially after what happened last year.

He said: "I don't think we will ever produce a more perfect Le Mans than we did in 2007, so it was doubly frustrating for it to end like that. Then I think of the drivers, such as Mario Andretti, who never won Le Mans. He came back year after year to try and get that trophy and there's one sitting in my living room that he will never have.

"I want it probably more this year because last year we were so close, but no one is entitled to a Le Mans victory. You have to earn it. You've got to sweat blood and tears, and I've done both. You have to be philosophical, but it's the hardest place in the world to be philosophical."

Lower CO2 A4

It's a development of the 141bhp 2.0 TDI turbo diesel introduced earlier this year when the A4 saloon was launched. In its new form it produces 118bhp, which isn't a lot for a car of this size but still gives reasonable performance of 127mph flat out and 0-62mph in 10.7 seconds. More significantly, it manages 55.4mpg on the combined fuel economy cycle.

The new engine is available in A4 saloon and Avants in standard, Sport and S line specifications.

The headline figure, though, is 134g/km. This puts the A4 into the current VED Band C, which means annual tax of £120, falling to £110 when the new VED structure comes into force next year. Audi also points out that the benefit-in-kind tax liability is just £1582.20 per annum (or £131.85 monthly) for a company car user in the 40% tax bracket.

Peugeot threaten Audi

Ahead of Sunday's official one-day test in preparation for the race on June 14 and 15, Peugeot are favourites to triumph on home soil.

Audi have their work cut out if they are to retain their Le Mans 24 Hours title for the fifth successive year.
This year the French marque have three cars competing, spearheaded by 1997 Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve, with the Canadian joined by Nicolas Minassian and another former F1 driver in Marc Gene, who previously tested with Ferrari.

Current BMW Sauber test driver Christian Klien is partnered by ex-BAR, Jordan and Toyota driver Ricardo Zonta and former Toyota test driver Franck Montagny in another Peugeot.

The third car has at the wheel current Honda test driver Alex Wurz, who is joined by Stephane Sarrazin and Pedro Lamy, who raced in F1 for Lotus and Minardi from 1993-96.

For one of Audi's stars, Allan McNish, it appears his bid to win the event for the first time since 1998 could not be harder.

McNish will again be joined by regular co-drivers Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen, who were on course for a comfortable victory last year in their R10 TDi until the Italian crashed out just over seven hours from the end.

Assessing Sunday's test involving 55 cars, 38-year-old Scot McNish said: "The Le Mans circuit is made up of a permanent race circuit plus closed public roads, and is unique in this respect.

"This fact alone makes the pre-test, the only time prior to Le Mans race week that we can drive on the track, very important in the final build-up."
"It's reported Peugeot will have a new aero package, so we'll take a keen interest in that."

My personal take on the Porsche Takeover

With as much profit that Porsche has made from using VW/Audi Chassis and Technologies, I see Porsche tightening its grip on the brands underneath the VAG flag. Porsche in the past had reminded Audi during the development of the Audi RS2 Avant that it did not want to see the group produce an Audi which would go head to head in the open market with its products. The reason the lower HP rating on the Audi S2 coupe was in response to Porsches wishes.
Now lets take a look at the Audi R8 and R10, the current supercars from Audi which is a direct competitor with Porsche 911 and its variants. As much as Audi has been a dominant force in recent motorsport history making I can clearly see Porsche moving Audi away from Racing and into Touringcars or similiar classes of racing. With Audi campaigning a winning Diesel in LMP1 and Porsche with its Spyder RS in the LMP2 class Porsche will inevitability takeon Audis spot in LMP as the brand moves more and more back into its racing heritage. Just from a current standpoint and what Porsche has done in the past, this quite possibly could be the end of an era for Audi as a motorsport innovator and Porsche moving sources to their effort. Much as the VAG did to promote Bentley and the Speed 8 LMP1 which won on its first outing with a full Audi support team.
In a business sense it would be smart to move resources to the Tier 1 marque but having both in racing would cost the company millions at the end. Germany with its nationalist roots has for the past two decades fended off takeovers by outside interests in the automaking sector. If I had to choose one I couldn't.
But the future of takeover will be decided in the Lower Saxony courts and the future is still unstable as to which family will have absolute reign over the Volkswagen Audi Group.

Audi could be taken to court by Daimler for BlueTec Technology infringement.

Audi has confirmed talks with Daimler AG, in response to a patent infringement dispute on Mercedes BlueTec technology, which allows diesel engines to produce lower carbon dioxide emissions.
Daimler is currently investigating if Audi has in fact been using the technology behind BlueTec without Daimlers permission. Since the two German automakers are in talks further litigation is unknown at this time.

Audi bumped from #1 spot on controversial final lap @ Monza

The last 20 laps of the Monza LeMans saw an incredible fight between Audi and Peugeot. Audi tried hard to keep the French marque at bay but it was in the final 2 laps that the N8 Peugeot 908 HDi FAP touched the Audi , which was forced to stop to change a wheel, leaving the Peugeot 908 HDi to take the win. Peugeot now leads by two points ahead of Audi. The season will continue with the race at Spa-Francorchamps where the Peugeot will be joined by Jacques Villeneuve and Alexander Wurz. The Audi and Peugeot lapped within thousandths of a second of each other, which means the fight for the best Diesel powered LMP car has turned into an all out war.