Audi Begins Production of New Q3 SUV in Spain

The first series production version of Audi’s new Q3 small SUV rolled off the assembly line today at the SEAT factory in Martorell, located in Spain’s Catalonia region. Built in 1993, the Martorell plant currently employs more than 10,000 workers. This is the first time that the Ingolstadt-based automaker makes use of the SEAT factory. To build the Q3, the VW Group invested around €330 million in infrastructure and upgrades to the production facilities. Audi said around 100,000 Q3s are slated to leave the three-shift assembly line each year. Read more »

A Photo Tribute to the Ladies of the 2011 Wörthersee Show

Having brought you all the automotive-related news from the 2011 Wörthersee Tour including the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet in GTI and R formats, the 503HP Audi A1 and the Skoda Fabia RS2000 Convertible, now it is time for us to share with you something related but far more spicier if you catch our drift…

Yes, that is right; we are talking about a photo gallery of the booth professionals and ladies who made their presence felt in full force at the world’s largest annual Volkswagen Group meeting, which took place in Austria from June 1 to 4. Hop over the break to get a taste of what you missed at Lake Wörthersee in our photo set that includes more than 70 images.

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A Photo Tour of the VW Group’s 2011 Wörthersee Festival with 150 Images

For the past thirty year, tens of thousands of enthusiasts of Volkswagen Group cars assemble on the shores of Lake Worthersee in Austria to participate in the largest festival of its kind in the world. Over the years, Volkswagen and the other brands of the German group including Audi, Seat and Skoda, have used the show to unveil special concepts, new models and studies that hint at future production versions or accessories.

At this year’s event (June 1 to 4, 2011), the VW Group prepared several vehicles for the festival including the production VW Golf GTI 35 Edition with 235HP, the VW Golf Cabriolet GTI and R concepts, the wild 503HP Audi A1 Clubsport Quattro study, and the Skoda Fabia RS 2000 Convertible prototype. As you may have noticed, the company didn’t show much love for its Seat brand which was left to display its current lineup.

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Audi Drops the Top on Extreme R8 GT Spyder with 560HP V10

Audi continues to expand its vehicle range filling every possible niche in the market. After the recent debut of the A6 Avant, today, the Ingolstadt-based automaker revealed the convertible version of its hardcore R8 GT coupe, which was launched as a limited edition model in 2010 with only 333 cars being produced. The new R8 GT Spyder follows the same recipe featuring a more powerful V10 engine and a lighter body.

Power comes from an updated version of the standard car’s 5.2-liter V10 engine with a modified ECU that helps lift output from 525HP and 530 Nm (390.91 lb-ft) to 560HP and 540 Nm (398.28 lb-ft) of torque at 6,500 rpm. An R tronic sequential manual transmission and Audi’s quattro permanent all-wheel drive system with a strong rear-wheel bias completes the setup.

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Audi A4 2.0 TFSI Convertible Tuned to 260HP by Sport-Wheels

Even if it has been out of production for some years, the Audi A4 Convertible continues to command the attention of the tuning industry. Sport-Wheels, one of the lesser-known tuning companies in Germany, has presented a new take on the soft-top model with a package for the 2.0-liter TFSI version comprising both mechanical and cosmetic updates. Read more »

Did Audi Import Its New A6 Avant Commercial from Detroit? Chrysler Thinks So

It’s not uncommon these days for certain companies to reproduce (or at least try to) the styling and/or the available technology features of Germany’s finest carmakers but this time we have a story that turns the tables the other way around. In mid-May, Audi aired a new commercial for the just launched A6 Avant in its home market. The ad shows the executive station wagon model cruising through streets of a German city as a version of Eminem's "Lose Yourself" song plays in the background.

If you watch the commercial in the video after the jump and it reminds you of Chrysler’s “Imported from Detroit” ad for the new 200 sedan from this year's Super Bowl event, rest assured you are not alone.

"It is absolutely shocking," said Joel Martin, manager of Eight Mile Style, the company that handles the song licensing for Eminem. "We believe Audi not only used 'Lose Yourself' to sell their product without permission, but their spot actually feels inspired by elements of Chrysler's commercial campaign,” Martin added.

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STaSIS Engineering Gives the Audi S5 Cabriolet a Power Boost

North American aftermarket specialist STaSIS Engineering has released a new performance package for the Audi S5 Cabriolet in the UK. The STaSIS Engineering S5 Cabriolet Challenge Edition features an upgrade kit that includes an engine tune, Ohlins performance suspension, monobloc brake calipers and a limited-slip differential. Read more »

Audi Design Student Creates the Trimaran Hybrid Yacht

Audi's concept design studio in Munich came up with an interesting proposition for a luxury yacht that would wear the four-ring logo. The Trimaran is the project work of Pforzheim Technical College student Stefanie Behringer, who explains the idea behind the study:

“The Audi Trimaran is a new concept which integrates two jet skis in a motorboat. The hull architecture is based on a trimaran, consisting of a main center hull supported by two smaller outrigger hulls. Two jet skis are stored inside pods in the outriggers. The main boat is powered by two lightweight and efficient Audi TDI diesel engines, whereas the jet skis are electrically-driven,” said Behringer.

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Audi Prepares Insane 503HP A1 Clubsport Quattro for Worthersee Fest,

Every year, fans of the Volkswagen Group get together at the Wörthersee festival, held in Reifnitz, Austria, to share their passion about cars. The show is so big that the VW Group’s brands spare no money to develop dedicated one-off models for the event. Audi’s star attraction at this year’s Worthersee Tour (June 1 to 4, 2011), which celebrates its 30th anniversary, is the ludicrous A1 clubsport Quattro.

The one-off show car is a rally-inspired A1 hatch that uses a heavily modified version of the 2.5-liter turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine found in the TT RS and the RS3 Sportback. The five-pot normally produces 340-horsepower and 450 Nm (331.90 lb-ft), but thanks to the systematic tuning of the turbocharger, intercooler, induction tract and the exhaust, output has been boosted to 503-horsepower and 660 Nm (487 lb-ft) of torque.

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Audi's Allan McNish Explains 24 Hours of Le Mans in Animated Film

Audi will attempt to achieve a new victory next month at the Le Mans endurance race, with last year's victorious trio of veteran drivers (Allan McNish, Tom Kristensen and Rinaldo Capello) aiming for a win in the new R18TDI. Audi has won the Le Mans 9 times in the past 11 years, with both petrol and diesel racing cars.

In this eye-catching animated film, driver Allan McNish walks us through some interesting facts related to the famous 24 hours race, the Audi team as well as about him. Entitled “A Day in the Life of an Audi Driver”, the video shows us in an interesting way the difficulties a driver has to overcome during the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Roll down after the break to see the race through the eyes of the Scottish driver.

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Lexus Loses Big In the U.S.A.: Outpaced by Two of its German Rivals

It took eleven years for Lexus to earn the title of top dog of the U.S. luxury car market, and roughly the same amount of time for it to lose it. As a result of parent company Toyota’s accelerator pedal recall saga and the fifty percent drop in production capacity caused by the Tōhoku earthquake, old guard automakers BMW and Mercedes-Benz have left the Japanese upstart gasping for air in third place.

According to automotive forecaster IHS, Mercedes-Benz will most probably sell 254,100 cars and SUVs in the States topping BMW’s estimated deliveries of 250,400 units. Lexus is projected to drop to third place with 192,900 sales.

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Audi-fied Fiat Uno Turbo is a Hideous Eyesore

Along with Peugeot’s award winning 205 (remember the Rallye and the GTi?), the Fiat Uno is considered one of the finest superminis to come out of Europe in the 1980s. And the fact that both models remained in the market with small changes for more than a decade is a testament to that. The Uno’s clean and modern lines were the work of Giorgetto Giugiaro's ItalDesign, which has now passed into the hands of the ever-growing Volkswagen Group.

The Uno Turbo with its 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine developing 105HP at launch and 118HP in the refreshed model was the flagship version of the range. And as with any other hot hatch, the Uno Turbo was subjected to numerous modifications, be that in design or performance. That said, we’re accustomed to seeing the Uno Turbo in strange outfits, but what we have here is beyond words…

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SCOOP: Audi’s Über R8 GT Spyder Hits the ‘Ring

There’s a new Audi model coming to town. We’re talking about the 2012 R8 GT Spyder that will make its global premiere at the upcoming 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show and which we caught testing in and around the Nurburgring racetrack in Germany. Even though Audi recently teased us with a set of renderings, these are some of the first real life photos of the R8 GT Spyder, which is seen here in prototype guise.

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Novo Audi A6 Avant

A Audi revela as primeiras imagens do A6 Avant que possui agora mais espaço, motores 2.0 TDi e3.0 TDi e visual mais esportivo.

O Audi A6 Avant tem 4,93 metros de comprimento, 1,86 metros de largura e 1,46 metros e porta-malas de 565 litros podendo chegar a 1680 litros com os bancos rebatidos.

Ele deve ser lançado no mês de outubro, e terão dois tipos de motores um 2.0 TDi de 177cv e um 3.0 TDi de 204 e 245cv que o leva de 0 a 100 km/h em apenas 5,4 segundos. Ele dispõem de quatro tipos de caixa de marchas uma manual de seis velocidades e três automáticas a S Tronic com dupla embreagem de sete velocidades, Multitronic de variação contínua e Tiptronic de oito velocidades.

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A bit of Abracadabra turns a Seat into an Audi Alhambra

Leaving the revolutionary but with a small footprint A2 from the late 1990s aside, Audi never really delved directly into the minivan market preferring instead the more lucrative premium crossover segment. And this despite the fact that the VW Group has presented several people carriers over the years. However, when there’s a will, there’s a way, as this creation proves.

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It’s Official: Audi Debuts Stylish and Practical 2012 A6 Avant

The all-new 2012 Audi A6 Avant has just made its world premiere during a special happening in Berlin Germany, but not before we got our first taste of the estate model with a set of photos that we showed you earlier today. The latest addition to the new A6 range has grown in size offering improved interior space but without any penalties in weight or fuel efficiency thanks to a new composite construction of the body.

Audi has a knack for designing stylish station wagons with clear lines and details that will delight the aesthetically cultured, and the latest A6 Avant is no exception to this rule. Inside, the estate model features the same materials and dashboard layout as the four-door version adding some bespoke options such as a load-through hatch, a fixing set and a power rear hatch.

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New Audi A6 Avant: First Official Photos Out in the Open

We told you last week that Audi’s next generation A6 Avant would debut today, and now the first official photos have just found their way onto the internet. The presentation of the station wagon version of new A6 Avant is taking place in Berlin, Germany, as we speak, so it should not be long before we get full information and pictures of the car. Read more »

Project Kahn's Lil' R8 is a dressed up Audi TT

Given the huge price difference between Audi’s two core sports coupe models, the mainstream TT and the niche R8, it doesn’t come to much of a surprise that many tuners have tried to offer the first a taste of the latter, both in terms of performance and styling. In the case of Project Kahn’s newest tuning take on the Audi TT, the goal was to flavor the small coupe with some R8 seasoning. Read more »

Audi Challenges BMW, Mercedes and Lexus with new Ad Campaign

Audi of America has launched a new advertising campaign that will most likely generate a similar response from the competition in the premium segment. Under the tagline “Car Carrier”, the two Audi commercials feature a BMW owner that goes nuts when he sees a truck full of brand new automotive metal from Ingolstadt.

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Audi UK Puts a Price Tag on its New Q3 ‘baby’ SUV

The third crossover model of Audi’s Q-series, the new Q3, will carry a base price tag of £24,560 OTR (about US$39,800 / €28,200) when order books open in Britain this June, with first deliveries set to take place in November. Buyers will have a choice of four powerplants, all combining direct fuel injection with turbo charging and all backed up by start-stop and energy recuperation systems, while Audi will also offer a front wheel drive only version. Read more »