| REVIEW: Audi S3 | | Posted Tuesday, October 31, 2006 6:46:37 AM by Blog57 Team | | "The hot Audis of today can be divided into two camps: those that are developed by Quattro GmbH and those that aren't. The "RS" models, such as the new RS4, are engineered by Quattro, Audi's enthusiast-led in-house skunkworks operation set up to rival BMW's M-Power and Mercedes' AMG. The "S" models, such as the S4 and the 2007 Audi S3, are developed alongside the rest of the mainstream range. They are, by definition, less extreme than the RS cars and are, in theory at least, easier to live with." Read Article .... | |
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| | | Audi :September 2006 - Sales Record | | Posted Sunday, October 08, 2006 6:45:50 AM by Blog57 Team | | AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Oct. 3 -- Audi of America, Inc., today reported 8,004 vehicle sales for the month of September, a 1.9 percent increase compared to the same period a year ago. Audi sales are up 4.9 percent for the year. Sales of the all-new Audi Q7 SUV were 1,333 in September, the highest monthly total since the launch of the vehicle. The A4 lineup had its best month this year, recording 4,497 sales. "The all-new Audi Q7 SUV continues to attract new consumers to the brand," said Johan de Nysschen, Audi of America, Inc., executive vice president. "We expect continued strong consumer interest with the introduction of the 280 horsepower V6 engine for the Q7." Audi sales during the third quarter totaled 22,124, one of the strongest quarters in the brand's U.S.... | |
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| | | Ambitious Audi needs to crack America | | Posted Friday, September 15, 2006 2:46:27 AM by Blog57 Team | | LE CASTELET, France -- Why don't Americans buy many Audis? The company, a subsidiary of Germany's Volkswagen, has been fabulously successful in Europe where it threatens the hegemony of Mercedes and BMW. In important emerging markets like China, Audis are lusted after like any other important luxury brand. But in the U.S. its sales are pitifully small. "Last year, Audi's volume in (the U.S. and Canada) barely exceeded the volume it sold in the British market, despite the U.S. market being seven times the size of the British market," said Adam Jonas, analyst with investment banker Morgan Stanley in a recent report. Audi lost about $260 million in North America last year, Jonas said. According to Walt Madeira, British-based Europe Sales Forecast Manager for CSM Worldwide, Audi's ambitious global sales forecasts of 1 million vehicles by 2008 won't be achieved until 2010, while the 1.4 million global sales target by 2015, will be missed by a year.... | |
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| | | Good Start For New Audi A3 Sportback | | Posted Saturday, September 09, 2006 4:46:25 PM by Blog57 Team | | KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- Euromobil Sdn Bhd, distributor of the Audi marque in Malaysia, has received about 30 to 40 enquiries for its newly launched five-door A3 Sportback. "It is a good start for us. In fact, we have already secured four orders," Euromobil's national sales manager P. Kulendran told Bernama during the launch of the new model yesterday. He said the company which was distributing four sports car models, including the new A3 Sportback, has an annual sales target of 500 units for its sports and coupe cars. Characterised by the sporting elegance of a coupe and the versatility of a five-door vehicle, the A3 Sportback exudes sophisticated technology and well-defined driving dynamics, according to the company. The model is available in two engine variants, with the 2.0 FSI retailing at RM225,000 and the 2.0TFSI with S-Tronic transmission priced at RM255,000.... | |
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| | | Audi A3 Sportback by Vogtland | | Posted Tuesday, August 15, 2006 4:46:27 PM by Blog57 Team | | VOGTLAND Autosport has produced an uncomparable Audi A3 Sportback in collaboration with the well-known tuning and accessories specialists ITS, Rieger, FoliaTec, HJS, Sebring, Clarion and Toyo-Tires. This was a unique challenge for the VOGTLAND-Team to provide the rather young Audi A3 Sportback with a new look. The result is a A3 Sportback with maximum individuality. With this project car VOGTLAND - the German suspension specialist - has again offered an example of safe tuning with a German TV - certificate, making an exceptional contribution to the Tuning scene with their coil over suspension and sport accessories. It is natural that a VOGTLAND-coil over suspension with a lowering of 50 mm in the front and in the back provides an excellent contact between the wheel and street.... | |
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| | | Audi unleashes Super A3 | | Posted Monday, August 14, 2006 6:45:47 AM by Blog57 Team | | As the latest member to the S 'club', the new Audi S3 is positioned at the top of the A3 range, and, at this stage, is scheduled to arrive in South Africa in the first half of 2007. It's powered by a heavily modified version of the 2.0T FSI direct injection turbo charged engine, the four-cylinder unit delivering 195kW at 6000rpm. As a result, the S3 is capable of sprinting from 0-100km/h in a claimed 5.7 seconds, while acceleration is electronically limited to 250km/h. Pulling power clocks in at 350Nm, which remains constant between 2500rpm and 5000rpm, while fuel consumption measures 9.1 litres over 100 km in the combined cycle. Fundamental engine changes Compared to the conventional 147kW 2.0T FSI engine from the A3 range, the S3s engine has undergone fundamental changes.... | |
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| | | High-end Audi A3: prince of hatches | | Posted Sunday, July 23, 2006 4:46:07 PM by Blog57 Team | | Back in the 1990s, the auto industry informed North Americans that, unlike the rest of the world, we didn't much care for hatchback cars. We preferred "formal" sedan lines, we were told. Could this have been a tactic to move us into bigger, pricier SUVs and vans? Now it turns out that we love small, versatile five-doors. Witness, instance, the hot new Dodge Caliber, replacing the Neon/SX 2.0 sedan. In fact, Audi is betting U.S. and Canadian buyers — particularly affluent young urbanites — are willing to shell out major gelt for a premium five-door. Hence the North American arrival last spring of the A3, slotting in below the A4 line. Built in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, the compact comes in two varieties: the 2.0T, with a 200-hp, 2.0-litre turbo four and FWD; the 3.2 quattro, with a 250-horse 3.2-litre V6 and four-wheel drive.... | |
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| | | Audi Looks to Set Sales Records in U.S. and Worldwide | | Posted Saturday, July 22, 2006 6:45:53 AM by Blog57 Team | | Audi is positioned to set a sales record both in the United States and worldwide if the first half of 2006 is any indication. In the U.S., both new vehicle and Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales are ahead of last year's pace. Through June, Audi of America, Inc. sales increased 7.3 percent over the first half of 2005. New car sales figures for the first half of 2006 were released June 1 and totaled 40,455 units. Robust sales of the A3, A4, A6 and Audi Q7 model lines have helped contribute to the record sales pace. AUDI AG recently announced that worldwide sales through June reached 463,500 units, a 9.8 percent increase over 2005's record setting performance. "Audi has made great progress during 2006," said Johan de Nysschen, Executive Vice President of Audi of America, Inc. "U.S.... | |
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| | | Sibling Rivalry in the Autoblog Garage: Part 2 | | Posted Friday, June 30, 2006 8:45:59 PM by Blog57 Team | | As we mentioned in the first part of our Sibling Rivalry review, we're comparing a base-model Audi A3 to an upper-end Volkswagen GTI. "What's best for VW is just the beginning for Audi" is the tagline we used earlier, and that sentiment carries over into the interiors of these two vehicles, as well. The Volkswagen/Audi Group is well known as a builder of the best interiors in town for its simple yet useful designs and high quality materials throughout. While it's plain to see these vehicles don't share any exterior components, we were anxious to learn if there would be any part swapping taking place behind closed car doors where it's not so obvious.We were concerned that the second part of this review would be sparse on details since we were expecting both interiors to be very similar. We're used to the Taurus/Sable philosophy of parts sharing and expect one climate control knob to be like another to be like another.... | |
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