Audi opens flagship Lighthouse development

In a time when most manufacturers around the globe are cutting back on expansion in the wake of the economic downturn, Audi Australia has officially cut the ribbon on its flagship ‘Lighthouse’ development in Sydney.

While motorists have been able to gawk at the new facility for a few weeks now, the $50 million ‘Lighthouse’ brand terminal on South Dowling Street in Sydney has now officially opened its doors to the public.

Demonstrating the German luxury carmaker’s confidence in the Australian market, Audi says the development of this flagship facility – the largest of its kind in the world – was embraced by the company’s global Board of Directors.

Peter Schwarzenbauer, Member of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, responsible for global sales and marketing, opened the facility earlier today with Audi Australia’s managing director, Joerg Hofmann.

It incorporates a retail showroom for both new and approved pre-owned Audi vehicles, customer facilities including a children’s play area, lifestyle shop, business centre, the Audi Café Bavaria and an aftersales centre.

Trading as “Audi Centre Sydney”, the building will also become the head office of Audi Australia as the brand prepares to reach 15,000 unit sales locally by the year 2015 at the latest.

The eight-level, 16000+ square metre facility located at Victoria Park was designed by Audi’s master architect, Allmann Sattler Wappner and interpreted for Australia by the renowned Johnson Pilton Walker.

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Spy Pics :Hardcore Audi R8 ‘Sport’

BMW has enjoyed some success with its CSL range of stripped out ready-to-race M3s and Mercedes-Benz has delivered several of its own lightweight Black Series model. That leaves the third major German luxury automaker, Audi, which will soon offer uprated sports versions of its regular production models. Speaking at a recent press event Audi’s quattro development chief Stefan Reil hinted that lightweight versions of the R8 supercar and TT were being considered.

Still in the works is a high-performance RS version of the R8 and possibly even an R8 V-12 TDI but according to Reil Audi could also offer a new “Sport” derivative of the R8 as well as the smaller TT. This wouldn’t be the first time Audi developed such a car. Back in 2005 Audi released a limited edition TT quattro Sport to mark the end of production of the previous generation TT. The car had a slight increase in power over the standard model as well as firmer suspension, a stripped our interior and Recaro bucket seats.

"This is the direction you can go and make business," Reil explained. "It makes sense for the TT, and maybe in the future in an R8."

This week reports have emerged claiming Audi is testing its new R8 Sport. A mysterious prototype with several race-inspired elements has been sighted in Germany, including an oversized fixed rear wing, small canards attached to the front bumper, and bigger brakes. Not much else is known but expect a modest power hike over the standard R8 V-10’s 525 horsepower output.

Such a model will likely be aimed at well-heeled racing enthusiasts as well as small privateer teams not willing to splurge on the more extreme R8 LMS race car.

Audi’s Italian cousin Lamborghini showed the way with the Gallardo LP550-2 Valentino Balboni, and we hope that the German automaker will follow suit.

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Audi S7 spied testing

With the new Audi A7 four door coupe ready to be revealed sometime in 2010, the German automaker is also preparing a factory tuned S7 version of the luxury limousine, and this high performance hot rod is busy testing.

Even if it seems like you are looking at an Audi A6, the German engineers made a few modifications to the full size sedan. The rear bumper has been slightly adjusted fitting in larger air intakes and a set of widened wheel arches. The production A7 will also feature the company’s signature fast back C-pillar that was introduced on the Audi A5 Sportback.

Under the hood of the future A7, Audi will use three different direct gasoline injection engines including a 2.8 Liter FSI and 3.0 Liter TFSI V6s as well as a 4.0 Liter TFSI V8. The alternatively fueled diesel options include a 2.7 Liter V6 and both turbocharged and twin-turbocharged versions of the existing 3.0 Liter TDI V6.

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Audi announces U.S. pricing for 2010 R8, including R8 V10

Audi's R8 - often referred to as a detuned Gallardo - recently got a step closer to its Lamborghini cousin with the addition of a 5.2L V10 engine, and today Audi has released U.S. pricing for the 2010 model.

The 2010 Audi R8 V10 starts at $146,000 for the manual-equipped version, while the dual-clutch R tronic transmission bumps the price to $155,100. That's a considerably better bargain than the first R8 V10 sold in the U.S., which went for $500,000 at auction back in February. A second also sold for $350,000.

To be fair, however, the money from those cars went to charity. The winning bidders, Tom Gonzales and George and Sue Levin, took possession of their new R8 V10s today as well.

"Plenty of people have been waiting to get behind the wheel of these remarkable sports cars, so it’s great to give these generous donors – Mr. Gonzales and the Levins – the first opportunities to enjoy the Audi R8 V10 experience," said Jon Kolody, Area Sales Manager, Audi of America.

Shipment of the rest of the R8 V10 fleet will begin now that the first buyers have their cars.

The standard R8 with the 4.2L V8 engine starts from $114,200 this year, with the R tronic raising the price by the same $9,100 interval to $123,300.

With the addition of the V10 engine, Audi moves the R8's performance into the supercar category, with 0-60mph ticking past in 3.7 seconds - a hair quicker than the 638hp Corvette ZR1.

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New Car 2009 ABT AS3 Audi A3

ABT AS3 Audi A3 2009 - Front Side View

ABT Sportsline has unveiled the new ABT AS3 aerodynamic kits and power upgrades for the Audi A3. 2009 ABT AS3 Audi A3 comes with modified bonnet, grill, bumpers, fenders and LED light line from their product range the car has an even greater presence. It stands there as if it’s ready to attack, even more so with the ABT bodywork kit signalizing extra power and sportiness: its front spoiler insert, side skirts, fender inserts as well as a rear apron have been tailor made for the cool body of the ABT AS3. Even the typical ABT 4-pipe exhaust unit blends into the sporty design perfectly. The Allgaeu company recommends mounting model AR or BR ABT Sports alloys, which are available in 18 and 19 inch, as an extravagant supplement to the optical package.

ABT AS3 Audi A3 also comes with the 1.4 TSI, brings a brisk 160HP (118kW) to the road instead of the series-standard 125HP (92kW). With the next largest unit, the 1.8 TSI 160HP (118kW) achieves an everyday 210HP (154kW). And the largest petrol engine, the 2.0 TSI, provides 240HP (177kW) with ABT as opposed to 200HP (147kW) in the basic version. In spite of the HP boost the fuel consumption does not increase and the reliability of the engines remains the same. ABT also offers performance increases for the two-liter turbo diesel: depending on the starting power output either 170HP (125kW) or 190HP (140kW) is achieved – and both bring plenty of torque with them.

Wallpaper: 2009 ABT AS3 Audi A3

Audi A3 ABT AS3 2009 - Side View

Audi A3 ABT AS3 2009 - Rear Side View

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New Car 2009 Senner Audi A5 Black and White

2009 Senner Audi A5 Black and White - Front Side View

Senner Tuning has released a new styling package for the 2009 Audi A5 with various options which includes both exterior and interior enhancements. The Senner Audi A5 Black and White sits on 20″ ASA GT1 alloy wheels that come in Shiny Silver or Matt Black with high performance tires. The Senner Audi A5 Black and White sits package also includes a Bilstein B16 PSS10 coilover suspension which is fully adjustable with individual height adjustment and a new stainless steel exhaust system with 4 tailpipes. The aerodynamics package of the Senner Audi A5 Black and White includes a carbon fiber front spoiler apron, carbon-fiber mirror housings, a rear spoiler and spoiler lip and a carbon fiber rear bumper.

For the 3.0 TDI engine, the Senner Audi A5 Black and White can be fitted with a power pack which takes the numbers up to 300 hp and 600 Nm of torque. The Senner Audi A5 Black and White 3.0 TDI has a top speed of 280 km/h and the tuner offers an engine warranty.

Senner Audi A5 Black and White 2009 - Side View

Audi A5 2009 Senner Black and White - Rear Side View

2009 Senner Audi A5 Black and White - Dashboard View

Source: Lincah

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New Car 2010 Audi A5 Sportback

Audi A5 Sportback 2010 - Front Side View

Audi A5 Sportback comes with an exciting design and powerful TFSI, FSI and TDI engines, the Audi A5 Sportback will arrive at Audi dealerships in September 2009. The car will be open for ordering with an entry price of EUR 36,050 for the 2.0 TDI version. A version with an even more attractive price will follow in the middle of 2010. This will make the Audi A5 Sportback the entry model for the A5 model range.

The Audi A5 Sportback excels in its elegant, elongated, sporty profile. The large hatchback fits perfectly into the tail-end styling. The spoiler lip and the diffuser insert provide contrast and emphasize the athletic tautness of the elongated contour. The coupe-like silhouette is the result of a roof section with a long, tapering roofline that is moderately lower by 36 mm (1.42 inches) than the Audi A4 Sedan and of the short overhangs at the front and rear as well as the long wheelbase of 2,810 mm (9.22 feet) and the four frameless doors with their slim, dynamic window styling.

The Audi A5 Sportback provides a full measure of comfort on all four seats and convenient entry and exit through every door. Despite the fact that its exterior height is less than that of the A4 Sedan and that its roof tapers at the rear, the Sportback has comparable headroom and legroom.

All Audi A5 Sportback engines are of the direct injection type – the diesel versions are sophisticated common rail TDI units while the gasoline engines are based on the FSI concept. All engines meet the EU5 exhaust emission standard. The diesel versions are equipped with particulate filters.

Initially the Audi A5 Sportback will be available with a choice of two gasoline and three diesel engines. The two gasoline versions, the 2.0 TFSI quattro with an output of 155 kW (211 hp) and 350 Nm (258 lb-ft) of torque and the 3.2-liter V6 quattro generating 195 kW (265 hp) are both equipped with the Audi valvelift system.

The following engines are also available right from the start: the 2.0 TDI with 125 kW (170 hp), 350 Nm (258 lb-ft), a 6-speed manual gearbox and start/stop system, the 2.7 TDI with 140 kW (190 hp) and 400 Nm (295 lb-ft), and the three-liter V6 TDI with 176 kW (240 hp) plus an enormous 500 Nm (369 lb-ft) of maximum torque and quattro all-wheel drive.

2010 Audi A5 Sportback - Front Angle Top View

Audi A5 Sportback 2010 - Rear Angle Top View

2010 Audi A5 Sportback - Side View

Audi A5 Sportback 2010 - Front Side View

2010 Audi A5 Sportback - Rear Side View

Audi A5 Sportback 2010 - Front Angle View

2010 Audi A5 Sportback - Dashboard View

Audi A5 Sportback 2010 - Seats View

Source : Lincah

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New Car 2009 ABT Audi S4

ABT Sportsline has released the ABT Audi S4 performance upgrade program. The ABT Sportsline Audi S4 is powered by the 3.0 TFSI V6 engine that outputs in standard form 333 HP (245kW) and 440 Nm of torque. With the ABT Audi S4 power pack takes these numbers up to 435 hp / 320 kW and 520 Nm of torque. the top speed of the ABT Sportsline Audi S4 is 282 km/h and the 0 to 100 km/h acceleration time is 0.5 seconds faster than the standard car which means the custom S4 can reach the mark in 4.6 seconds.

The Allgäu tuner recommends the 4-pipe sports exhaust unit and the ABT AR or BR wheels as fitting supplements to the power image of the car. The smart “round pieces” are available in sizes from 18 to 20 inches and can be supplied with fitting sports tyres.

2009 ABT Audi S4 Wallpaper

ABT Sportsline Audi S4 2009 - Front Side View

2009 ABT Audi S4 - Rear Angle View

ABT Audi S4 2009 - Rear Side View

2009 ABT Audi S4 - Side View

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Audi A5 upgrade

Unlike many of their competitors, the designers at Senner Tuning don't do the European version of tacky, flashy tuner cars. Instead, they focus on adding minor enhancements that give the owner a unique look without clamoring for attention.

The design program for the Audi A5 offers a range of front and rear fascias, side skirts and a roof spoiler. The new pieces are designed to fit and enhance the newly introduced drop-top, with special pieces for the high-performance S5 model.

An exhaust kit is also available, but only on non-quattro models, while the two-piece front spoiler kit only works on non-S-line models. Wheels in both 20 and 21in sizes are available as part of the program, though since it's a piecemeal system, you can always opt for your own if Senner’s designs don't suit your tastes.

Other available mods include a fully adjustable Bilstein B16 PSS10 coilover suspension and a new stainless steel exhaust system with quad tailpipes.

Overall, the result is surprisingly tasteful, and a definite step outside the norm for the latest round of German car body kits.

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Most Popular Car Audi TT RS

Five-cylinder engines are in Audi’s DNA. The company is once again building such an engine – this time a high-performance engine. The Audi TT RS, developed by quattro GmbH, sports a turbocharged 2.5-liter engine with FSI direct gasoline injection under the hood that produces 250 kW (340 hp) and 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) of torque, yet consumes only 9.2 liters/100 km (25.57 US mpg). In conjunction with quattro permanent all-wheel drive, the powerful five-cylinder model offers explosive performance, making the compact Audi TT RS – whether the Coupé or the Roadster – a purist driving machine.

Potent five-cylinder gasoline engines enjoy a long tradition at Audi, powering cars like the “Ur-quattro” (original quattro) to the head of the pack. Audi has resumed using this recipe. The newly developed engine combines a turbocharger with FSI direct gasoline injection to make the TT RS an uncompromising sports car.

The TFSI delivers 250 kW (340 hp) from a displacement of 2,480 cc: an output of 137.1 hp per liter. Weighing only 1,450 kilograms (3,197 lb), the Coupé boasts a power-to-weight ratio of only 4.3 kilograms (9.5 lb) per hp. For the Roadster (1,510 kilograms (3,329 lb)) this figure is 4.4 kilograms (9.7 lb) – the low values are made possible by the extremely lightweight bodies utilizing the Audi Space Frame (ASF). They are made of aluminum up front and steel sheet at the rear.

The TT RS Coupé rockets from 0 to 100 km/h (0 to 62 mph) in 4.6 seconds, the Roadster in 4.7 seconds. The governed top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph) is merely the official figure for both versions; as an option, it can be increased to 280 km/h (174 mph). Peak torque of 450 Nm (332 lb-ft) is available between 1,600 and 5,300 rpm, providing tremendous pulling power. The TT RS Coupé requires only 9.2 liters of fuel per 100 km (25.57 US mpg), while the Roadster consumes just 9.5 l/100 km (24.76 US mpg) – another example of how Audi combines dynamics and efficiency.

The powerful five-cylinder unit is very compact and particularly lightweight. Its large turbocharger generates up to 1.2 bar of relative boost pressure. At full load, the intercooler reduces the temperature of the compressed air and achieves an efficiency of more than 80 percent. When the driver pushes the standard Sport button on the center tunnel, a flap installed in the left exhaust tailpipe renders the exhaust noise even more intense while making engine response more direct.

Purist character: drivetrain and suspension
A manual six-speed transmission characterized by high efficiency and tightly spaced gears of a sporty nature distributes the tremendous power of the five-cylinder engine to the quattro permanent all-wheel drive system, which gives the TT RS enormous traction, superb dynamics and supreme stability.

The innovative mix of materials in the body provides of an exquisitely balanced axle load distribution and outstanding rigidity. This rigidity is the basis for the car’s precise handling. The standard sports suspension lowers the body by 10 millimeters. Available as an option is the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system, which offers two basic characteristics: Comfort and Sport.

The Audi TT RS rolls on 18-inch tires shod with 245/40 tires. The internally ventilated brake disks measure 370 millimeters in diameter up front and 310 millimeters at the rear. The front friction rings are perforated. They are connected by hollow pins to the aluminum brake disks, which are encircled by black four-piston brake calipers bearing RS logos. The ESP stabilization system has a Sport mode and can be completely deactivated.

The full potential of the Audi TT RS driving machine is obvious at first glance. The front and rear skirts and the side of the car have been distinctively modified. A stationary rear spoiler is standard, though customers can opt for one which automatically extends and retracts.

The dynamic image of the TT RS carries over into the all-black interior. Standard equipment includes heated sport seats with leather and Alcantara surfaces, brushed aluminum inlays, a flat-bottomed leather multifunction sports steering wheel, a boost pressure indicator, an oil temperature gauge, a lap timer, automatic air conditioning, the concert audio system and xenon plus headlamps with LED daytime running lights. The Roadster also includes an electrohydraulic top and a power wind deflector.

Delivery of the TT RS begins this summer, with the Coupé priced at €55,800 and the Roadster at €58,650.

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