Slump Reaches New Rich

The new millionaires of Asia and the Middle East have curbed spending, executives from companies including Rolls and Ferrari said in interviews at the Geneva Motor Show this week, torpedoing a market they’d counted on to spur growth after the banking crisis eroded orders in Europe and the U.S.

Rolls-Royce, the U.K.-based top-end brand of Germany’s BMW, says demand is falling fastest in the once high-growth locations of China and Dubai. Volkswagen AG’s Italian Lamborghini division said yesterday that China has turned into a tough market after previously supporting sales.

Lamborghini’s worldwide deliveries rose 1 percent in 2008 to a record 2,430 vehicles, supported by sales in China and other emerging markets. That won’t be the case this year, Stephan Winkelmann, the division’s chief executive officer, said yesterday in an interview at the Geneva show.

More @ Bloomberg

Not much to report sorry....

With Audi closing plants and Eastern Europes failing Economy, Indias sudden halt to its rising middleclass, things aren't going to look well for the next 1.5 years for the Auto section. VW will of course announce production halts along with BMW, the rest of the VAG will follow. It seems though that Bugatti and Lambo seem to be doing ok (go figure all the hedgers who ran our 401ks off a cliff with derivitaives invested with creditdefault swaps made out ok). But hey it'll all get better by 2010....I hope, there's a Black RS4 somewhere with my name on it....even if it makes me look like a cock.

Nvidia GPU powers Audis new Nav system

Audi's new Q5 sports navigation graphics empowered by chip maker Nvidia, along with a radically updated dashboard interface, which Audi calls the Multimedia Interface, or MMI. Integrated into the new navigation system is an automotive grade Nvidia graphics processing chip, allowing the Q5 to display 3D renderings of urban centers on its navigation system.
Along with outlined buildings, some landmark buildings in major urban areas will be rendered with textures, making them easier for drivers to recognize from screen to real world. Audi is also including 3D topographics maps, so you can get an idea of what the terrain ahead looks like. Traffic conditions will also be displayed on the navigation system. In the Q5, the maps are shown on a seven inch screen with LED backlighting.

Beyond the graphics upgrade, Audi is going to a hard drive-based navigation system, which allows more detailed maps and faster rendering over a DVD-based system. The car's 40 gigabyte hard drive will keep 10 gigabytes reserved for music, so CDs can be ripped to the car, a feature becoming increasingly common with a new generation of automotive infotainment packages.

Audi is also boasting new speech-to-text technology, which will not only let you enter addresses to the navigation system by saying full city and street names, but will also process the phonebook of a paired Bluetooth phone. With this system, you will be able to say the name of anyone in your phonebook, and have the car make the call. Audi has also upgraded the MMI hardware, adding a joystick onto the top of the console.

As if that wasn't enough, the vehicle's in-dash system will also boast support for external USB storage media, built-in Bluetooth, satellite radio, and even a SIM card slot that'll effectively turn it into a quad-band GSM cellphone much like Porsches current system in Europe.

Audi halts production in Hungary (Again)

"In line with the parent company, Audi Hungaria Motor Kft. will suspend operations for a week between February 23 and 28," spokesman Peter Lore said, citing "changed conditions on the market." He added however that no lay-offs were planned at the Hungarian plant, which employs 5,800 people.

Audi constructs the TT and TT Roadster sports cars and A3 convertibles in Hungary. It is also home for Audi's engine production line. Engines produced in Hungary are the 2.0T, 3.2 V6/VR6

Audi said in November it would halt car production for four weeks from mid-December and that engine production would also stop for two to four weeks, depending on the type of the engine.
The plant employs close to 6,000 people in Hungary, they also last year announced cuts in its temporary workforce in the country due to a decline in orders amid the global financial crisis.

Audi Declines by 9.3%

Audi, Volkswagen’s luxury brand, posted a 9.3 percent decline in December sales to 7,712 vehicles, burdened by a 23 percent drop in purchases of the Q7 SUV, the Ingolstadt, Germany-based unit said today. Sales for the year declined 6.1 percent to 93,506 cars and SUVs.

Porsche SE, which is taking control of Volkswagen, said U.S. sales dropped to 2,154 vehicles last month from 2,891 a year earlier. Full-year sales plunged 25 percent in the U.S., the maker of the 911 sports car said.

Source:Bloomberg

Audi A8 Concept

Audi's chief designer Stefan Sielaff explains: "The first generation was very dogmatic and product-design-like. With the second generation, the theme was 'elegance'—softer, flowing lines. The upcoming third generation will be stronger, sharper, and more precise."

Also expected is the new Bi-Turbo V6 Diesel engine currently in development for use in the new A8 Chassis, which will be seeing duty in newer Bentley's and a possible VW TopTier vehicle.

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Yearly Statistical Trends 2008: Audi / BMW / VW

VAG Slovakian Plants that build Audi Q7's receive State Aid

Volkswagen AG, Europe’s largest carmaker, will receive aid from the Slovak government should it expand its main factory in the country, which is set to adopt the euro in two weeks.

The Cabinet approved today the carmaker’s request for as much as 431 million koruna ($20 million) in tax relief, the government said in a statement. In exchange, Wolfsburg, Germany- based Volkswagen would have to invest as much as 300 million euros ($423 million) to upgrade the factory in the capital Bratislava and produce at least one new model.

By expanding in Slovakia, Volkswagen would benefit from wages that are lower than those in Germany and from the eastern European nation’s adoption of the euro. The plant produces the Touareg and Audi-brand Q7 sport-utility vehicles and the Skoda Octavia sedan. It also makes bodies for the Porsche Cayenne SUV.

Volkswagen wants to add a new small car at Bratislava, creating 760 jobs by 2012, according to an Economy Ministry document discussed by the Cabinet today. Work on the expansion would start early next year and take three years to complete.

Source: Bloomberg

Audi has a new 3.0 litre V6 TDI Bi-Turbo coming

Just when you thought the thrill of 2.7t was dead, well the fun is back with the new diesel engine rumoured to deliver over 300bhp and over 440lb ft-ilbs of torque, it should be unveiled in the third-generation A8 at next year’s Frankfurt motor show and is going to possibly seeing duty in Bentley models.

Audi has a new plant in Changchun province of China

A fully digitalized final assembly shop that kicked off construction in June 2008 is taking shape in Changchun, Northeastern China, and will lift the total assembly capacity of Audi AG in China to 200,000 cars per year.

The shop is in the factory of FAW-Volkswagen Automobile Co., Ltd., which is a sedan joint venture of China's FAW Group Corporation, Volkswagen AG. Audi AG, and Volkswagen Automobile (China) Investment Co., Ltd.

Now, the main body of the shop has sealed the roof and related infrastructure facilities have been completed about 80%. In line with the current schedule, the shop that costs around CNY 1 billion will start operation in July 2009.

Impressively, the design and management of the shop adopt digital technologies to let computers carry out dynamic simulation and data analysis, saving considerable cost and time and enhancing efficiency.

Insiders disclose that the shop will assemble the brand new generation models of Audi, including new Audi A4, Audi Q5 and other derivative models. The initially designed production capacity is 250 cars per day.