First Glance: When German Chefs Cook Italian December 1, 2006
Who says the world doesn’t need another six-figure midengine German-made sports car? Introduced on Wednesday: Audi R8 Is it real? Born as a racecar and reincarnated as a design study, the R8 is now ready for production. Hardly a secret, an R8 was on display on Park Avenue in Manhattan for two weeks in October, but its official North American debut was in Los Angeles. What’s the point? Lamborghini is in the same corporate family as Audi, so why not use many of the same ingredients to cook up a German Gallardo? The …
Audi A6 Mesh Grille by in.pro October 4, 2006
New stainless-steel chrome grille for the Audi A6 by in.pro.
Seeing the mighty single frame radiator grille of the current Audi A6 standard edition in your rearview mirror is quite impressive. But real individuality and dominance are created by the new sports grille insert by in.pro. Its no-emblem mesh insert is reminiscent of the successful Autounion race cars of the 1930s, with a diamond-shaped mesh pattern rather than squares.
This dimensionally stable design ensures that you need not worry about nasty dents for many years to come. The entire grille – including the massive yet elegant frame – is made of …
Behind the Wheel: So Late to the S.U.V. Party, but So Smartly Dressed June 25, 2006
The Q7, Audi’s first S.U.V., arrives this month and Audi expects it, in its first year, to be its second-biggest seller. IN response to mankind’s unending search for the One True S.U.V., automakers have given us vehicles that were off-road tough and on-road soft, vehicles that were long, tall or small. We’ve been offered vehicles that were square, round, creamy or chunky-style, in shapes and flavors that pandered to everyone from baby boomers to Gens X, Y and Z. All these trial runs bring to mind a line from a 1938 Marx Brothers movie, “Room Service.” Groucho is trying …
Audi revealing RS4 Cabriolet in Geneva February 23, 2006
The new face of Audi is beginning to grow on us, and nowhere does it look more attractive than on the leading edge of the RS4 Cabriolet that Audi will be unveiling at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show. The sinister black paint and splashes of chrome on the grille surround and wheels make this drop top look like a million bucks.
Expect the RS4 Cabriolet to hide under its hood the same 4.2L V8 producing 420 hp that powers the sedan.
Europeans want more 7-seat Q7s February 20, 2006
Audi has learned that Europeans want more seats in their SUVs.
Pre-launch research led the German automaker to believe that fewer than 30 percent of the potential customers for its Q7 premium SUV would ask for versions with a third row of seats.
But more than half of the 11,000 orders for the Q7 have been for variants with room for seven in a three-row configuration, said Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi’s head of concept development.
“That is something we didn’t expect,” he said at a recent press event here for the Q7.
European automakers only recently have added the option of a third row in …
Audi recalls 70,000 A3 cars due to clutch fault February 17, 2006
Audi is recalling around 70,000 of its A3 cars worldwide because of possible clutch faults, the company said on Friday.
A spokesman for Audi, Volkswagen’s premium brand, said the affected vehicles had 2.0-liter diesel engines and were built between June 2003 and the end of 2004.
In some cases, the car would make clearly audible sounds and possibly come to a halt.
In Germany, around 20,000 vehicles would have to be recalled to Audi workshops for examination, he added. The company said owners of the affected cars should bring them to a workshop and leave them there for a day.
Audi said it would …
Audi sees double-digit China growth after big January February 14, 2006
German carmaker Audi has targeted growth of at least 10 percent in China this year after sales leapt 245 percent in January to 6,384 units, the premium division of Volkswagen said on Tuesday.Audi’s Chinese sales including Hong Kong rose 9.6 percent in 2005 to a record 58,878 cars. “This year a double-digit sales growth rate should be achieved,” it said in a statement.
Audi said it should get a sales boost this year by rolling out its new Q7 SUV and A4 convertible in China.
Audi 2006 TT Special Edition commemorates final year of production February 13, 2006
Audi makes it sound as if the TT will be no more after the 2006 model year, which we assume is not actually the case since spy shots of a redesigned model are readily available around the net.
Regardless, to commemorate this TT’s final year, Audi is producing 99 TT Special Edition coupes and 99 TT Special Edition roadsters. The number 99 is meant to mark the 99th anniversary of the first Tourist Trophy race on the Isle of Man in 1907, after which the coupe is named.
The cars will come with the venerable corporate VW narrow-angled 3.2L V6 that produces …