2011 Audi A4, A5, Q5 get 8-speed automatic, Q5 also gets 2.0L TFSI

Audi Q5

2011 order guides are out at Audi dealers, and the important numbers are eight and four. In addition to the updated 2011 Q7 and new-for-2011 A8, some models of the A4, A5, and Q5 will be getting eight-speed transmissions. The guides also confirm a new, turbocharged four-cylinder Q5 model.

Six Gears Versus Eight

The new ZF-sourced eight-speed will be labeled Tiptronic and take the place of Audi’s six-speed unit in Quattro-equipped vehicles with the turbocharged, 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine. This includes the A4 2.0T Quattro sedan and Avant and also the A5 2.0T Quattro coupe and cabriolet. All Q7s—both strengths of supercharged 3.0-liter V-6 as well as the 3.0-liter V-6 turbo-diesel—as well as the A8 and A8L, will get the ZF eight-speed.

Auto-equipped models sticking with either a CVT or the six-speed automatic include the front-wheel-drive A4 and A5, all A6 and S6 models, the S5 coupe, and the 3.2-liter Q5. Other cars currently using dual-clutch automated manuals—S5 cabriolet, A3, TT, etc.—are unaffected.

Q5 Goes Turbo Four

Another interesting tidbit gleaned from the order guide is the appearance of a new Q5 model equipped with a 2.0-liter TFSI engine for 2011. It’s likely the newer 211-hp EA888 engine, which develops 258 lb-ft of torque, and it too will be paired with the eight-speed automatic. With less weight, more torque, and better fuel economy than the 3.2 V-6, we’ve found the 2.0T to be a better match for the A4, and we expect the same to be true with the Q5.

All of the new 2011 models will be on sale this fall.

Spy Photos With Audi A1

Looks like some spy photos with the future come Audi A1 came up, the car is programmed to be unveiled next week. As you can see from the photos, this Audi A1 comes with some pretty cool drawings, I’m sure that this car will have all the attention on the road.

Under the hood the Audi A1 will have one of the following, in the list is a 1.2 liter TFSI with 63kW (86 PS) and 160 Nm, a 1.6 liter TDI churning out 77kW (105 PS) and 250 Nm of torque and an 1.4 liter TFSI packing 90kW (122 PS) and 200 Nm. TheAudi A1 is should appear on the market this summer and Audi expects to sell over 80.000 cars this year.

Audi 2010 Audi S4 Road Test

The Audi S4 returns, after a one year hiatus, for the 2010 model year. A lot has happened in the last year, and Audi Canada is one of the few car companies that could truthfully say "it's been a good year."

Audi's ability to adapt to new market reality has not only been its saving grace, it has allowed the German automaker to relish the new order. Audi is cleverly positioning itself in the marketplace as "progressive luxury." Never mind size or glitz -- just feel and enjoy guilt-free performance and real quality.

Based on the A4 sedan, the new S4 fits perfectly into this lean and athletic new definition of luxury. Fast yet fuel-frugal, technically advanced yet sensibly priced, this S4 offers the smart buyer a sophisticated high-performance sedan for a new generation.

At $52,500 (for the six-speed manual version) the "repositioning" of the S4 has made it almost $20,000 below its predecessor. Instead of a fuel-guzzling V8 engine, the new and lighter S4 comes with a fuel-efficient, direct-injected three-litre V6 with a supercharger.

The new TFSI V6 engine can develop 333 horsepower between 5,300 and 6,000 r.p.m., which is only seven horsepower less than the V8. Torque is rated at 325 foot-pounds, which is 23 ft.-lbs. more than the old V8 and 90 per cent of it is available between 1,500 and 4,200 r.p.m.

Fuel economy has improved considerably compared with the previous-generation S4, and is estimated to be 13.8 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and nine litres per 100 km on the highway. Like the old V8, however, premium fuel is a "must" in the new S4.

The base S4 ($52,500) comes with a smooth and precise six-speed manual transmission (6MT) with short easy to navigate shifts through its gear range. The S4 (for $54,100) can also be ordered with an optional paddle-shifting, seven-speed S-Tronic transmission, which also operates like a normal automatic.

It's actually a dual-clutch auto-shifting manual transmission that cleverly pre-selects the next gear, with its second clutch, so effectively the shift has already been made. The S-Tronic can also skip gears when required, it blips the throttle when downshifting, and it can change gears in micro-seconds during hard acceleration.

Quattro all-wheel-drive is standard and the S4 can also be ordered with a new Sports Rear Differential ($1,500). No ordinary limited-slip differential, it's an active or "torque vectoring" differential. When steering into or accelerating out of a corner this differential can add torque to an outside rear wheel, to reduce under-steer.

Another piece of Audi techno-magic is a Drive Select system that comes with the Premium trim and gives the driver a choice of four driving modes. Throttle response, suspension damping, transmission shift points and steering action can all be set in comfort, dynamic, automatic or an individual mode, which is setup by the driver.

The S4's refined powertrain allows it reach 100 km/hour in about five seconds and it has a top speed of 250 km/hour. We got to experience this first-hand on the Infineon Racetrack in Sonoma, formerly called Sears Point. It's a challenging circuit that has lots of corners and changes in track elevation.

Audi also gave me an S4 to take for an extended (six-to-seven-hour) drive to Los Angeles, as I took a slightly longer route back to Vancouver. Is there a better way to test seat and cabin comfort than spend hours behind the wheel on motorway in 110-degree heat?

Apart from scorched eyeballs, no aches, pains or speeding tickets to report. The latter would have been easy to achieve as the S4 feels very stable at highways speeds and has lots of reserve untapped power at the legal limit. My fuel-consumption calculations were scuttled by a lengthy traffic snarl in the Bay Area, but I still managed to average 10.1 L/100km.

Audi Confirms '09 Outlook; Sees 2H Difficulties

Volkswagen AG's (VOW.XE) premium division Audi AG (NSU.XE) Friday confirmed its full-year operating profit outlook despite reporting a drop in net profit, but stayed in the black as many of its rivals posted losses due to weaker demand.

For the second half of the year, it expects profit to decline compared to the first half and predicts a positive operating profit in the third and fourth quarters, Chief Financial Officer Axel Strotbek told reporters.

"We're very satisfied with the result for the first half-year, but are keeping our feet on the ground because we expect to face some difficulties in the second half of the year," said Strotbek in a statement. "Despite this, we're maintaining our targets of selling 900,000 vehicles by the end of the year and achieving a significant operating profit."

In 2008 it sold just over a million cars, a mark it targets to reach again in the next two to three years.

Strotbek wasn't optimistic about the outlook for the auto market and said "the overall market probably won't improve markedly in the second half of the year."

Audi steered better through the industry gloom than its rivals due to its lower exposure to the troubled U.S. market, a large presence in China and the launch of several new or updated models.

Net profit attributable to shareholders in the first half fell to EUR671 million from EUR907 million as it sold 466,000 cars. After tax profit, or net profit including minority interests, fell to EUR697 million from EUR930 million.

Audi doesn't keep still but continues to innovate. "Every year we invest around EUR2 billion in the development of innovative products and efficient driveline technologies," Strotbek said. The company plans to launch the new A5 Sportback starts in September in Germany, with the A8 full-size sedan following in 2010 and after that, "halfway through the year, the totally new Audi A1." By 2015 the brand intends to increase its range to 42 models, from 32 currently.

New plant to double Audi output in China

Audi will open another plant in China in September to meet fast-growing demand for premium cars in there.

The $150-million plant in the north-eastern city of Changchun will double the brand's Chinese production capacity to 200 000 a year.

Audis are assembled in China through FAW-Volkswagen Automobile.

Zhang Xiaojun, deputy general manager of the Audi sales division at the joint venture, said: "The first two models to come out of the new plant will be the Audi A4L sedan and Q5 SUV.

"The factor will, in theory, will be able to produce all Audi's models." - AFP

Audi reveals A5 Sportback

Audi has released details on its new BMW 5 Series GT rival, the A5 Sportback; unveiled today as part of the brands 100th anniversary celebrations.

The coupe-come-hatchback retains the low-slung ride height and width of the A5 coupe but is 6mm shorter than the A4 saloon. Audi admits that the A5 Sportback is slightly compromised on space, but should run rivals and the standard A4 close for rear head and legroom.

The A5 Sportback's engine line up is will consist of two TFSI engines: the 2.0-litre TFSI with 208bhp and the 3.2-litre V6 FSI with 263bhp. There'll also be two diesels, a 2.0 litre TDI and 3.0-litre TDI, offering 168bhp and 237bhp respectively. Both petrol engines and the larger diesel units will come equipped with Audi's S-Tronic seven-speed automatic transmission, while the 2.0 TDI will come with a six-speed manual transmission as standard.

Additional engines and Quattro models will be added to the range steadily throughout the rest of the year. An S5 version of the Sportback is also likely to join the range in the future, developing over 300bhp, and Audi isn't ruling a hardcore RS5 version of the car.

Deliveries of the A5 Sportback will begin in October with prices starting from £25,440 for the 2.0-litre TDI manual and rising to £36,220 for the range-topping 3.0 TDI S Line with S Tronic transmission.

Audi turns the A5 into an abomination

Hoping to quash memories of 1970’s-era diesel clatter with slick social media marketing, Audi has launched a pro-diesel campaign complete with viral video and a Facebook Cause.

Coinciding with the launch of the Q7 TDI SUV, Audi launched an online video called “Truth in Diesel” that aims to build an emotional bond with potential car buyers. You can build your bond after the jump.

“You get behind a cause, you don’t get behind an engine option or a feature,” Audi America Marketing boss Scott Keogh told the Wall Street Journal.

For those who are already behind a cause, the automaker completed a successful partnership with the Nature Conservancy. Every time someone supported its Facebook Cause, the non-profit got a dollar from Audi for carbon offset programs.

Audi’s “diesels are sweet” campaign follows Volkswagen’s effort to make diesels lovable with the “TDI Truth or Dare” blog, which aims to debunk common misconceptions people have about the engines and the fuel. “Many Americans still don’t understand the benefits clean diesel provides,” Keogh said in a statement. “That’s why Audi developed an intensive campaign to spread the truth about TDI technology.”

Boring old facts aren’t enough to sway Americans who associate diesel with greasy hands, sooty VW Rabbits and idling tractor trailers — and that’s where Facebook comes in. According to the Journal, ad agency Factory Design Labs is working on a Facebook game described as “Mob Wars meets Oregon Trail.”

For its part in winning over the hearts and minds of diesel detractors, the “Truth in Diesel” video starts with footage of 1970s-era oil crises and touts the environmental and foreign policy benefits of clean diesel. It’s a companion piece to the “Di*sel: It’s No Longer A Dirty Word” television campaign (shown above) that shows oil barrels rolling back onto a ship in order to represent the 1.5 million barrels of foreign oil the US could avoid using if a third of drivers switched to diesel. Of course, the ad is on YouTube.