The 2.5-liter unit in the Audi TT RS features both turbocharging and FSI direct gasoline injection technology, two of Audi’s core technologies, and marked a return to five cylinder engines for the brand with the four rings. With a displacement of 2,480 cubic centimeters, this engine produces 250 kW (340 hp) between 5,400 and 6,500 rpm and peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) from 1,600 to 5,300 rpm.

International Engine of the Year jury members felt that the 2.5-liter engine in the TT RS is: “Torque, power, a beautiful sound – this engine has it all. This is five-cylinder architecture at its best”.

This powerful five-cylinder engine is also surprisingly frugal, requiring an average of just 30.7 mpg in the Coupé, while the Roadster needs only 29.73 mpg.

The engine’s low weight of only 183 kilograms (403.45 lb) is also a top figure. It helps keep the total weight of the TT RS low and also offers significant advantages for the distribution of axle loads and thus for the car’s handling.

Developed by quattro GmbH, the Audi TT RS was launched in the summer of 2009. The Coupé can sprint from zero to 62 mph in 4.6 seconds and from zero to 124 mph in 15.9 seconds. It has an optional top speed 174 mph.

This is the sixth category win in a row at the International Engine of the Year Awards for Audi TFSI technology. For the last five years, the Audi 2.0-liter TFSI engine has won the award in the 1.8 to 2.0-liter category. FSI direct gasoline injection and turbocharging are two of Audi’s core technologies.

Fuel consumption and emission data:
Audi TT RS
Fuel consumption, combined: 30.7-29.73 l/100 km
CO2 emissions, combined: 214-221 g/km

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The readers of Sport Auto, a German automotive magazine, declared the Audi R8 Spyder best in its class in the “Sportiest Cars of 2010” survey. All in all, Audi took eight awards.

The Audi R8 Spyder left its category’s competitors in the rear-view mirror by capturing 17.3 percent of readers’ votes. This high-performance sports car featuring a lightweight soft top dazzles thanks to the synergy of its technologies – such as an ASF body made of aluminum and carbon fiber; quattro permanent all-wheel drive; LED headlights; and an innovative seat-belt microphone.

In addition, three Audi models finished in second place. The Audi A5 Coupé 3.0 TDI quattro, the TT RS Roadster and the Audi R8 4.2 FSI quattro all won silver medals in their respective classes. Further impressive achievements: the Audi S3 2.0 TFSI, the RS 6, the TT Roadster 2.0 TFSI and the Audi TTS Coupé 2.0 TFSI came in third, respectively.

In the “Sportiest Cars of 2010” survey, 8,674 sport auto readers chose their favorites in 15 categories of series-production vehicles and ten tuning classes.

Source: Audi Worldwide News

Audi vehicles are well known for their efficiency, performance and state-of-the-art interiors designed and equipped with the latest trends and gadgets. Speaking of interiors Audi is developing the ultimate audio experience using 62 speakers inside an Audi Q7.

The prototype was named Audi Q7 WFS (wave field synthesis). Once again Audi teamed with Bang & Olufsen to create the supreme sound experience inside a car. The sound system has 52 midrange speakers, 4 woofers, 5 tweeters, 1 sub-woofer. Each one of those speakers is individually driven by an advanced computer to create a universal audio sweet spot in the cabin.

This innovative audio concept was developed by the Institute for Digital Media Technology (IDMT) who labelled the technology Wave Field Synthesis (WFS). Each speaker can individually delay impulses to keep the sound in check, creating a personalised stereo experience no matter where the listener is sitting inside the vehicle.

More about Wave Field Synthesis
Source: Wikipedia

Wave field synthesis (WFS) is a spatial audio rendering technique, characterized by creation of virtual acoustic environments. It produces “artificial” wave fronts synthesized by a large number of individually driven speakers. Such wave fronts seem to originate from a virtual starting point, the virtual source or notional source. Contrary to traditional spatialization techniques such as stereo, the localization of virtual sources in WFS does not depend on or change with the listener’s position.

The wave field tech has been applied to the Linden Lichtspiele Cinema with an epic 192-speaker system. The only downside is that neither movie companies nor the recording industry are creating material with wave field encoding.

For Audi Q7 Lease or Audi Q7 contract hire for company cars contact Audi Nationwide.

Audi continues to expand its range of vehicles with the confirmation of three new models that will soon hit the roads worldwide. The highly anticipated Audi R4, an S Line Audi A1 or if you prefer the Audi S1 and last but not least the Audi A2.

Without a doubt the most anticipated of these three vehicles is the Audi R4, set to be the Audi R8 younger brother the Audi R4 will be positioned below the Audi TT. Like the Audi TT and the R8, the R4 will have coupe and roadster (Spyder) versions with engines ranging from an 180bhp 1.4 TFSI to a 170bhp 2.0 TDI. Pricing is yet to be officially announced but rumours are that the Audi R4 will be priced around £20.000 and the coolest featured so far will be the programmable navigation system from your iPhone.

The Audi A2 is returning to the Audi range and talks are that will be powered by an electric motor only. Features will include multimedia solutions like in the Audi A1, navigation system on par with Audi A8, like the Audi R4 the A2 is set to arrive in 2013.

Also in the works is a more sportive version of the Audi A1, the Audi S1. Will the Audi RS1 follow suit? We’ll have to wait and see. Unlike the Audi A2, no electric version has been announced for the A1 but a hybrid version will soon be available, also in the works are a Sportback and a convertible Audi A1.

To sum things Audi also announced that the Audi TT next generation is coming in 2014.

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After finishing third in last year’s 24 hours of Le Mans, Audi came back strong and sweeped the podium with a 1-2-3 victory at the classic French endurance race.

For the ninth time Audi has won the 24 hours of Le Mans, the fourth with a 1-2-3 victory. That is right, all 3 Audi R15 TDI made it to the podium. The three Audi R15 TDI cars of Audi Sport Team Joest ran without the slightest technical problems over the entire distance and occupied the top three places after the fastest Le Mans race of all time.

Once again Audi relied on the brand’s special fortes to bring the Le Mans trophy back to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, efficiency and reliability were the decisive factors yet again.

Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler, who witnessed the historic moment for Audi Motorsport and commented:

“Everyone at Audi can be proud of this historic exploit. Reliability, efficiency and sustainability are particularly important topics for car manufacturers today. And these are exactly the areas in which we have demonstrated our expertise this weekend. It was one of the most thrilling races in Le Mans history, a do-or-die battle. This one-two-three victory is the fourth 1-2-3 for Audi at Le Mans and no doubt the most valuable victory claimed after the fiercest battle in our company’s history. I express my thanks and great respect to the entire squad. They have performed an incredible and flawless feat of energy. Peugeot was a formidable rival who required us to give everything. We express our respect to the French squad for this.”

Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich also commented on Audi’s historic win at the French endurance classic:

“After taking third place last year, it was our declared aim to bring the Le Mans trophy back to Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, and we managed to do this in an impressive way, I’m incredibly proud of this squad and sincerely thank the entire team and everyone who has contributed to this achievement.”

As afore mentioned efficiency and reliability played an important role to help Audi win its ninth title at the 24 hours of Le Mans, but a new technology developed by Audi Sport in strict secrecy also made the difference for the R15s: the V10 TDI engines were equipped with a turbo-charger with Variable Turbine Geometry (VTG).

VTG turbo-chargers are standard with Audi TDI engines in production vehicles. Their use at Le Mans helps the Audi engineers to continue to develop the technology for smaller, highly efficient turbo engines to be used in the future.

“At Le Mans we’re dealing with temperatures above 1,000 degrees centigrade which have not been encountered with production engines so far,” explains Ulrich Baretzky, Head of Engine Development at Audi Sport. “As a result of downsizing, production development will enter into similar temperature ranges. This makes VTG another good example of how the technology transfer between motorsport and the production side of the house works at Audi.”

Despite the fourth one-two-three victory Audi broke another record, one that many thought was unbeatable. The victorious Audi R15 TDI with Timo Bernhard (Germany), Romain Dumas (France) and Mike Rockenfeller (Germany) completed a total of 397 laps in the 24 hours. With the covered distance of 5,410 kilometres, the trio broke the 1971 record set by Dr. Helmut Marko and Gijs van Lennep in the Porsche 917 that was considered unbeatable because the Hunaudiиres straight at that time had no chicanes – another demonstration of the performance capabilities of Audi TDI technology.

In second place finished the R15 TDI driven by Marcel Fдssler, Andrй Lotterer and Benoоt Treluyer on whose front bodywork had to be changed twice after contact with the track barriers.

The R15 TDI driven by British driver Allan Mcnish, Dindo Capello and Tom Kristensen finished third after been struck by major misfortune.

Congratulation to all three Audi Team for a flawless race and a historic win for Audi at 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Audi turns A1 into 3D – Innovative Augmented Reality technology has made it possible for manoeuvrable 3D images of the new Audi A1 to be beamed from a special printed ‘magic symbol’ via a web cam to screens within special ‘kiosks’ in Audi Centres, or on home computers.

Followers of the eagerly anticipated Audi A1 compact hatchback are now free to explore miniaturised 3D ‘virtual’ versions of the car in near ‘photo real’ quality in Audi Centres across the country, and even at home, long before the first full size cars hit showrooms.

Bringing to life the next best thing to the ‘physical’ A1, the first examples of which will reach the UK in the autumn, the innovative ‘Augmented Reality’ web-based recognition technology enables customers to interact with a 3D ‘photo-real’ version of the car. Users simply hold up a special ‘MagicSymbol’ printed in the A1 brochure or downloadable from the internet, and the technology recognises this and merges an A1 model into real footage in real-time. The technology has been developed by interactive 3D content specialist Inition, and is delivered via touch screen installations positioned in every Audi Centre.

The campaign is supported by an online version which enables users to download the application at home, print out the ‘MagicSymbol’ and use a webcam to interact with the A1. Users can rotate the car, expand or contract it, roll it forwards and backwards and pan right into the interior by simply moving the magic symbol pad in relation to the web cam.

The technology will enable customers to get a real ‘feel’ for the A1, which has been designed to deliver all that the Vorsprung durch Technik brand stands for in a concentrated form. The more compact and city-friendly three-door premium hatchback benefits from the same world renowned quality standards, sophisticated design details and leading edge technological advances found throughout the Audi range. SE, Sport and S line versions became available for UK order on May 6 priced at between £13,145 OTR and £18,280 OTR, and the first examples will reach Audi Centres in October.

Inside, as out, the look and feel of the A1 uses larger Audi models as a template, and it also employs much of their on-board technology. This includes the latest, ultra-efficient TDI and TFSI engines backed up by start-stop and recuperation systems, state-of-the-art ESP with a new electronic differential lock and convenience features such as the optional Multi Media Interface (MMI) infotainment system.

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Audi range insurance premiums are lowest of the ‘Big Three’. Award winning security measures and competitive repair costs cut insurance premiums for Audi drivers

Audi drivers can expect to pay considerably less to insure their cars than owners of equivalent models from the German premium sector brands, according to data sourced from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) group ratings database.

Managed by the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham on behalf of the ABI and Lloyds Syndicates, the insurance group ratings database has been updated monthly with new car insurance rating data since the 1980s, and includes all trim levels, variants, body styles and engine types. This data has been used to calculate average insurance group ratings for Audi models and their equivalents wherever applicable from German premium sector competitors. In virtually every range, Audi models post considerably lower average ratings than competitors, meaning that owners will generally pay lower insurance premiums.

These ratings are defined using a system which allocates penalty points to each vehicle based on a number of factors, including the purchase price, the cost of key parts and the ease, and cost, of repair following an independent crash test undertaken by the Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR).

The higher the outright purchase price or parts and labour charges, and the more costly and labour intensive the crash repair, the higher the points tally, and consequently the higher the insurance group rating.

Crucial security performance
Security performance is of course also a critical factor in determining each rating, and four British Insurance Vehicle Security Awards and three What Car? Magazine Security Awards for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ attest to Audi expertise in this area. Held by Audi for four consecutive years since 2006, the top BIVSA award for ‘Best Overall Manufacturer’ highlights the fact that the brand offers more ranges in which every variant has achieved the maximum five star rating for ‘theft of’ security and of at least four stars for ‘theft from’ security than any other entrant.

Award-winning security protection is achieved right across the Audi range through features including Thatcham Category 1 alarm and immobiliser technology with interior ultrasonic protection and anti-tow sensors, Thatcham Category 4 locking wheel bolts and extensive covert and overt marked parts.

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With the new Audi A8L W12 Audi aims to set new luxury standards in the premium segment. Presented during this year’s Beijing Motor Show in China. This longer wheelbase version of Audi A8 comes is powered by a W12 FSI petrol engine capable of delivering 500PS of power.

With such beast under its hood and the option of only one petrol engine the message is quite clear. The Audi A8L W12 is aimed for higher branch executives who want a comfortable, spacious and luxurious company car for their day to day activities.

As usual Audi improved fuel efficiency and off course maintained performance. With a 12% fuel economy improvement the A8 L W12 can cruise serenely to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds, and continue to a seemingly effortless governed top speed of 155mph. And with the help of FSI technology, fuel economy belies these figures, with up to 23.5mpg achievable according to the combined cycle test – a 12 per cent improvement over the outgoing model which results in CO2 output of 278g/km.

But where the Audi A8L W12 excels is in its interior. First of all it is the first car in the world to offer optional factory installed WLAN hotspot for Wi-Fi access. There is 130mm more space to recline which benefits rear passengers, who are able to enter even more easily through wider doors which are power assisted.

Rear passenger comfort is also further improved by standard seat heating, an upgraded climate control system which enables precise temperature modulation in the two rear ‘zones’ and electrically operated rear window and side window blinds. In the Audi A8L W12, comfort is taken to even greater extremes by replacing the standard rear seat arrangement with two individual sculpted rear seats which can be heated and ventilated and feature fore/aft adjustable bases and angle adjustable backrests.

Enough talking and lets watch the Promo video for the Audi A8L W12 so you can get a clear picture of what I’m talking about.

Why not share your thoughts about the new Audi A8L W12 in our comments section and let other know what you think of it.

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