According to a senior design chief at Audi AG, the next generation A4 will be 330 pounds (150 kilograms) lighter than the current model.
Heinrich Timm (pictured), Audi’s Head of Aluminum and Lightweight Design Center says the company will employ advanced materials and manufacturing techniques to reduce the overall mass of its most popular sedan and cites the many benefits of the cuts, including, but not limited to, increased fuel efficiency and dynamic performance as well as reduced operating costs (related to raw materials).
The rationale sounds good, but can it be done? Timm would know. Since 1982 he has been the pioneering force behind the development of several high tech manufacturing processes that Audi now uses across its range of vehicles, most notably, for the aluminum space frames found in the A8 and R8. Timm and his team have been working to reverse what he calls the “weight spiral” that has occurred in the C-segment over the last several decades. His research has shows that C-segment vehicles (Audi A4, BMW 3 Series, etc) have gained roughly ten percent in weight with each generation..html#ixzz0nlhPG4yJ
Audi plans to reduce the total weight of the future A4 with about 330 pounds to improve performance, ride and consumption.
Although the public still enjoys the current generation, the new A4 already begins to take shape in design workshops of Ingolstadt. Audi plans to make the mid-size luxury sedan unbeatable in the premium segment, offering more than BMW and Mercedes.
So, in order to do that, Audi though of a process of weight reduction for the next Audi A4 generation. The 3 Series’ rival could lose up to 330 lbs, an explicit goal, fixed by Heinrich Timm, Head of the Audi Lightweight Design Centre. Reaching this goal would bring to an improved ride, performance well above the current ones, lower fuel consumption and lower CO2 emissions.
The 330 lbs will be lost by using an aluminum structure, of composite materials such as carbon fiber, and by improving the production methods. The philosophy first experienced on the future A4 will then be borrowed by the entire line-up of the German automaker of Ingolstadt.
Audi will showcase three new cars at the upcoming Frankfurt Auto Show as it pushes for smaller engine displacement and greater efficiency.
Expect to see the Audi A4 3.0 TDI clean diesel Quattro. The 3.0 TDI clean diesel engine has been very successful in their Q7 SUV and now the world’s cleanest diesel technology will be available in the best-selling A4.
Additionally the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback lines will feature turbocharged gasoline engine models, combining power without the need for shares in your local gas station. Audi claim to be very committed to providing consumers with greater efficiency choices amidst their various lineups.
The 1.2L TFSI engine was designed from scratch and weighs in at a smidge under 200lbs and produces just over 100hp. It’s still powerful enough to push the 3-door car to 62mp/h in just over 6 seconds.
For those looking for something with a little more raw power, the S5 Sportback is what Audi call, “the pinnacle of the new Sportback model line.”
The five-door coupé is powered by a three-liter V6 with a mechanical compressor, the small turbo engine delivers 245 kW (333 hp) and 440 Nm (324.53 lb.-ft.) of torque between 2,900 and 5,300 rpm. The S5 Sportback sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in 5.4 seconds [provisional figure]; its top speed of 250 km/h (155.34 mph) is limited by an electronic governor. It averages just 9.7 liters of fuel per 100 km (24.25 mpg) [provisional figures] — the best in this power-output category.
Audi’s usual bag of electronic goodies will provide better handling and the convenience of a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission and quattro permanent all-wheel drive. Upon request, Audi will include the sport differential which variably distributes power on the rear axle between the rear wheels. Sales of the Audi S5 Sportback will start in Spring 2010; its basic price will be 57,900 euros.
No niche is sacred...or impossible to create when it comes to German carmakers – Audi has unveiled more images and information on its coupé/station wagon hybrid, the A5 Sportback.
Audi’s bid for market domination, culminating in projected vehicle sales of 1,5 million units annually by 2015, means the Ingolstadt firm has been on something of a new model offensive of late. The company is in the process of unveiling a supermini in the A1 hatchback, a high-end coupé in the A7, and has now released information and images of a Sportback version of its A5 coupé.
The A5 Sportback’s elongated five-door body is described by Audi as a design that combines the elegant styling of a coupé with the practicality of an Avant (station wagon) with 980 dm³ of load space freed up when the rear seats are folded flat, or generous accommodation for four adults with them in place. The aforementioned coupé-esque profile results from a long, tapering roofline that sits 36 mm lower than that of the A4 saloon, a longer wheelbase (2 810 mm), and short overhangs at the front and rear.
The engine line up will initially comprise a two petrol units and a trio of diesels. The entry-level petrol-engined model will feature the VW Group’s 2,0-litre TSFI unit with 155 kW and 350 N.m of torque being channelled through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel drive system. There will also be a 3,2-litre V6 developing 195 kW. Both of these units will feature Audi’s valvelift power/fuel economy optimising technology.
The diesel line kicks off with a 2,0-litre TDI with 125 kW and 350 N.m of torque mated with a six-speed manual gearbox and start/stop system. Next up is a 2,7-litre TDI pushing out 140 kW and 400 N.m. At the top of the diesel pile sits a 3,0-litre V6 TDI developing 170 kW and 500 N.m of torque – this unit will most likely feature Quattro all-wheel drive.
The A5 Sportback will also feature a newly developed electronic stability program with an electronic differential lock on the front axle, a 3-preset Audi drive select dynamic driving system that influences throttle response characteristics/shift points for the seven-speed S tronic or multitronic transmissions, and supports the servotronic steering. MMI-equipped models will sport a fourth, freely programmable setting.
European sales will commence shortly after the car’s official debut at Frankfurt Motor Show with a pricing for the base 2,0-litre TDI model set at around €33 650 (roughly R390 000). Audi has however, confirmed that an even cheaper model will arrive towards the middle of next year. More details will emerge closer to the car’s September launch.
