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From YourSITE.com Audi News Given the current state of economic affairs - ever-dropping stock tickers and hours of ‘Detroit 3’ CEOs testifying to congress on C-Span, you might have expected the North American International Auto Show in Detroit to be downbeat. However, if you ignored the occasional empty floor space at Motown’s Cobo Hall or the unpopulated lower level now cleverly used as a green car ‘test-drive area’, you would have been surprised to see some light at the end of this fiscal tunnel and this was certainly the case at the Audi stand.
Audi Sportback Concept Most prominent on the stand was the Sportback Concept. While Audi executives were quick to correct any mention of the name ‘A7’, most can see the forest through the trees on this one. The car is the right size and configuration to be a premonition of the upcoming 4-door coupe that’ll slot between A6 and A8 sedans. Look at the details of the Sportback Concept and you’ll see many subtle introductions for Audi. The car’s design shows an evolution of Ingolstadt’s design language. The floating ‘W’ front lip that’s becoming prominent on Audi models gets a more subtle implementation here, along with a changing shape of the trademark Audi grille. This is the first time we’ve seen horizontal slats on the Audi shield snout and it likely won’t be the last. It’s been rumored to look very similar when it adorns the new A8 later this year.
Inside, the Sportback sets new standards for Audi interiors. The already high bar seems to have elevated even further. The overall look combines traditional elements like diamond-stitched leather surfaces on the Audi sport seating with clearly modern lines and fresh applications like layered wood for a progressive-yet-classic driving environment. The huge navigation screen rises out of the dash similar to the current A8, but it’s larger and now paired with a further evolution of MMI (4G perhaps?). Under the hood is an even cleaner experimental version of Audi’s 3.0 TDI V6. A combination of in-combustion-chamber sensors and down stream exhaust filtration bring the new TDI’s emissions down an impressive ninety percent. Power is identical to the US-bound 3.0 TDI that’ll come this spring in the Q7 SUV (225 hp and 405.66 lb-ft). As with the drivetrain, the chassis is a further evolution of Audi’s ‘MLB’ modular longitudinal architecture. Like the latest Audis, the Sportback gets kit such as Audi Drive Select , Audi Ceramic Brakes and the rear Sport Differential as seen in the S4. It also gets a new five-link front suspension design and, for the first time in a longitudinal application, electromechanical steering that only uses energy when it’s steering.
One of the most interesting design features of the Sportback is that it has a long, sloping hatchback that’s perhaps just a bit reminiscent of C2 and C3 Audi 100 Avants, but with a more elegant design execution that harks back to the C1 Coupe 100 S from the 1970s. Audi confirmed this latest concept signals a range of Sportback models from Ingolstadt over the next few years. Of course the current A3 5-door is sold as ‘Sportback’ in Europe, though the more coupe-like sloped roof will now be the norm and the next-expected car to adopt the name - a four-door version of the A5. Given the stress put on the market by the world economy, one would think a big and luxurious concept car might be mis-timed, though a closer inspection shows that the car is actually a show of Ingolstadt’s well-planned market approach. Audi AG board member in charge of development Michael Dick shared that cars like this would not be possible from a business case perspective without the production and development savings achieved through use of modular chassis component sets like the MLB. Another unnamed Audi source commented that Sportbacks are another strategy Audi is employing to stay ahead of its German rivals who seem to be big on adopting all-wheel drive to their own flagship models.
Audi R8 5.2 FSI Information surrounding the V10-powered R8 5.2 FSI dropped earlier in December, but Detroit was the car’s first official coming-out. With 525 hp and 391 lb-ft of torque on tap, Audi says the R8 5.2 FSI will knock out 0-62 mph runs in 3.9 seconds and top out at over 196 mph. No doubt, there’s a new king of the Audi hill in the R8 range. Exterior changes to the R8 are subtle. There’s a black-painted segment at the rear that connects the two large air exits behind the engine and the well-known-about enlarged side intakes via bulged portions of the trademark side blade. There’s more gratuitous use carbon fiber, including mirror caps that were hard-to-get fare from Audi Exclusive up unitl now and a new chrome-strutted cross-hatch grille with floating front license plate… at least for the European market. One of the most obvious changes is also the new wheel design – a 5-spoke variant that bears a resemblance to the wheel on the S6, but one that’s been criticized a bit since photos first appeared. The US-spec display car on the Audi stand did show some expected and unexpected differences. Amber US markers adorn the front bumper as they do on the R8 4.2, and the new grille is split by a gloss-black divider bar as seen on earlier R8s. Opinions on wheels are a subjective call, but the alloys appeared to our eye as more attractive in person than on the computer screen.
Audi A3 2.0 TDI Audi added to its North American diesel product portfolio at Detroit through the announcement of the A3 2.0 TDI. To get this car here quickly and affordably, Audi has utilized the 2.0 TDI already made for the North American market in other Volkswagen Group products. The engine is clean enough to be 50-state legal and good enough that it was just named as one of ‘Ward’s 10 Best Engines’. The 2.0 TDI engine is rated at 140 hp and 236 lb-ft of torque – powerful, but not enough to be paired with a 300-lb Haldex all-wheel drive system. In other words, a quattro version is very unlikely in this generation A3. That said, front-wheel drive is the more efficient of the configurations, so that’s likely to be preferred by most customers considering the car. The only transmission choice in the A3 2.0 TDI will be Audi’s dual clutch S tronic 6-speed. Audi had two A3 2.0 TDIs on hand during their cross-country Audi Mileage Marathon last fall. In the competition, the two averaged over 50 mpg. That would likely translate to over 40 mpg for average owners not competing for efficiency says Audi of America president Johan de Nysschen. The Ibis White show car on the stand appeared to be a German specification version – given away by its lack of amber reflectors at the front and TV tuner in the car’s navigation system. In all other ways though, this car is virtually identical to what will be sold in the States in September 2009.
Elsewhere on the Audi Stand Walking the rest of the Audi stand, there were some other more subtle stories to be told. First was the North American intro of the S4 sedan. The S4 bowed already in Paris last September, and a red European-spec sedan was shown on the floor.
Nearby sat the first US-spec Q7 3.0 TDI we’ve seen. The Ibis White example was an S-line with painted wheel arch trim, an Audi Exclusive leather interior and Bang & Olufsen audio system. The B&O audio and upgraded leather are options, though we’ve heard the initial run of 2009 Q7 3.0 TDIs will all be S-line and quite close to what you see here before the Q7 gets a facelift as the model year changes over in September.
Another car of interest was the new A6 3.0T sedan. The A6 is the first car to market fitted with the supercharged 3.0T, arriving in dealerships now. A new ‘Supercharged’ badge made to look like an S-line badge, but with carbon fiber instead of a red parallelogram, was fitted to the front quarter panels. We hear this is a U.S. market only and A6 only specification. American S4s will still say ‘V6T’ on the front quarter panels and other-market A6 3.0Ts will have no markings on their quarter panels.
Two versions of Audi’s best-selling A4 sedan were also on the stand. On the lower end of the pricing scale was a 2.0T quattro S-line model, looking great with the US-market fitted RS 6 wheel design. Inside, were Audi’s handsome perforated Alcantara sport seats with contrasting stitching – a fantastic setup that’s caused us to envy European customers who were previously the only ones able to order that particular trim.
Another A4 3.2 quattro sedan showed off a unique saddle-colored leather from Audi Exclusive and the new wheel design that’s a dead ringer for the large alloys found on the Sportback Concept.
As is typical on the Audi stand, a wall of accessory alloy wheels showed off what Ingolstadt’s after sales department has to offer. Proving they have an eye on the aftermarket, Audi displayed a new gloss black finish on its twisted 5-spoke wheel design.
Lamborghini Stand A wholly owned division of audi, Lamborghini was moved this year to a position directly across the aisle from their German parent. News from Sant Agata Bolognese focused entirely on the company’s Ad Personam personalization program. Think quattro GmbH’s Audi Exclusive trim offerings but with a larger budget and a clientele with more extravagant taste. Two of the three cars on the stand featured matte blue finishes – painfully expensive to paint say Audi contacts, but that’s doubtfully a concern if your idea of settling is picking up a Gallardo LP560-4 because the Murcielago may cost a little more than you want to spend in such an economic climate.
Volkswagen BlueSport Concept We usually only cover Volkswagen product on these pages as it relates to Audi, and believe the handsome BlueSport roadster is very significant indeed. If you look beyond the Walter da Silva penned lines of the silver two-seater, the BlueSport shows the astonishing flexibility of the Volkswagen Group’s new chassis architecture. Colleagues from Fourtitude’s sister publication VWvortex had a chance to sit in on a discussion with Volkswagen’s head of development Ulrich Hackenberg and pressed him for details on just how the car fits into the company’s chassis strategy. As it turns out, the BlueSport is part of the same new MQB or modular transverse architecture planned for the Volkswagen Golf. In other words, the next-generation of chassis utilized by the A3 and TT can go mid-engine and rear-wheel drive. Could this mean a mid-engine Audi TT or new R model such as “R3” from Audi? Time will tell, but the potential unveiled by the BlueSport is undeniable. Audi Truth in 24 Documentary Premiere On one evening during the Detroit Auto Show’s press days, Audi took over the Music Hall Center for Performing Arts in downtown Detroit to show the Truth in 24 documentary to a group of automotive press, local staff, dealer staff and several VIP guests. On hand to comment about the film were Audi’s eight-time Le Mans winning driver Tom Kristensen and his co-star and team engineer Howden “H” Haynes. Following the showing, Tom and H joined Audi of America’s head of marketing Scott Keogh and NFL Films partner and director Keith Crossrow on stage for a quick Q&A session. The showing also marked the announcement of Audi’s initial distribution plans. The film’s first public airing will be on ESPN on March 20 from 8-10 PM – the day before Audi takes to the track with its new R15 TDI at the 12 Hours of Sebring. Further showings on ESPN and ESPN properties are also planned, as well as a limited theatre release. No plans for DVD sales have yet been announced, though it seems almost a certainty given the hours of extra footage that went unused by NFL films. See a full gallery from Fourtitude's North American International Auto Show coverage below.
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