Audi celebrating centenary on July 16

This year will see Audi celebrate its hundredth anniversary and to mark the occasion the carmaker has organized more than 50 events to be held across the globe. Two dates are especially significant: on 16 July 2009, exactly 100 years after the company was established, Audi will host a commemorative ceremony in its hometown of Ingolstadt, Germany, and then on August 21 it will compete in a recreation of the historic Grand Prix in Berne, Switzerland. Another important event will be this July’s Goodwood Festival of Speed in England.

Audi adds S tronic dual-clutch transmission to European A4 and A5

Shifting into a higher gear in Audi A4 and A5 models for European drivers could take as little as 0.2 seconds from this month as the S tronic dual-clutch automatic transmission is now available in the base 2.0L TFSI quattro versions of the A4 Sedan and Avant models as well as the A5 Coupe. In Sedan form, the A4 2.0L TFSI quattro S tronic can power to 62mph from rest in 6.5 seconds - a 0.1 second improvement over the manual - reach a top speed of 150mph and return 31.8mpg according to the combined cycle test.
2008 Audi A4

2009 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro - Auto Shows

Remember the Allroad Quattro? Audi's upscale answer to the Subaru Outback, based on the last-generation A6 Avant, was originally developed with the U.S. market in mind. It came with tough-looking cladding, a cool concept car-like interior treatment, and an air suspension that allowed ground clearance to be adjusted from up to 8.2 inches or lowered to 5.6 inches, putting it so close to the ground that it actually looked sportier than a regular A6 Avant. It was even available outside the U.S. with a low-range transfer case. Surprisingly popular in Europe, Audi developed a successor, but because the original Allroad sold so poorly here, the company decided to keep the current generation away from the unappreciative U.S. market. Nevertheless, the A6 Allroad Quattro has since been downgraded to a styling package, losing some of its off-road capabilities. Keep Reading: 2009 Audi A4 Allroad Quattro - Auto Shows

 

Audi A5 Cabriolet Renderings

We still have a year or so before Audi launches the A5 Cabriolet into the market next spring, but a member of the Germancarzone called "Quinty" decided to give us a preview of the car by photoshopping an A5 Coupe into a soft-top convertible. The A5 Convertible is expected to employ the same 4-cylinder, V6 and V8 engines as found in the Coupe with power ranging from 170 Hp for the 1.8TFSI to 355 Hp for the 4.2 V8. via carscoop

 

The Audi A5 Veyron

 

2009 ABT Sportsline Audi Q5 SUV

Making its way through the Volkswagen Group SUV line-up with the Touareg, Q7 and Tiguan Sportsline models, ABT has now turned its focus on the new Q5 crossover.

The 2.0 and 3.0 TDI models along with the 2.0 TFSI have all received the ABT Sportsline treatment, evoking the ‘five wows’ in the words of Hans-Jurgen, managing director of ABT Sportsline - fast, beefy, extravagant and extremely versatile.

The two 2.0-litre options have greatly benefited from their ABT tune-up, with the 2.0 TDI delivering 140kW - up from 125kW, and the 2.0 TFSI boosted by 22kW to 177kW.

The modified 3.0 TDI represents the most powerful model in the ABT Sportsline Q5 range with 220kW (up from 176kW) and an enormous 610Nm.

Suspension and brake components have been upgraded to match the increased power, offering lowered suspension or ABT Level Control, an electronic lowering system for the air suspension together with larger 380mm brake rotors.

The exterior of the ABT Sportsline Q5 has been differentiated with a new front and rear apron, front grille, fender extensions, rear wing, quad exhaust pipes and huge 20-inch wheels.

The ABT Sportsline Q5 will be available in Australia from RamSpeed by the end of March 2009.

Audi Q5 to headline Melbourne International Motor Show

Audi will headline its all-new Q5 amid an impressive array of new models at this year’s Melbourne International Motor Show.

As the only major motor show to be staged in Australia this year, Audi is pleased to maintain its status as one of the major exhibitors at the Show, and is very proud the Q5 will debut to an Australian audience, an audience it says will be well suited to the Q5’s combination of dynamism and versatility.

Featuring Audi’s renowned quattro all-wheel-drive and innovative chassis architecture, it offers a superior technology package for both on-and off-road driving. The latest version of the quattro system is rear-biased and distributes drive power asymmetrically and dynamically between all four wheels, redistributing the power as necessary if one wheel loses grip.

The front end is dominated by expressive headlights on both sides of Audi’s signature single-frame grille, while prominent features in profile are the large wheels and rising edges.

Q5 is expected to make a significant contribution to Audi’s rapidly growing market presence in Australia, which has seen four consecutive years of record growth and a doubling of its local market share since 2004.

The Melbourne International Motor Show runs from February 27th until March 9th at the Melbourne Exhibition Centre.