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Audi
Audi E-Tron Spyder Highlights Diesel PHEV Tech
By John O'Dell October 13, 2011Germans are a practical people, so when automakers such as the Volkswagen Group’s Audi churn out an expensive new concept car, there’s usually a retail version lurking somewhere in the background. That the company flew the only existing version of its latest advanced-drive concept – the hand-built, $2.75-million (give or take) Audi E-Tron Spyder plug-in hybrid -- from Germany to Los Angeles to let U.S. journalists sample it says even more about the likelihood of production intent. It may be a few years, but it’s a pretty safe bet that some sort of a production mid-engine Audi roadster will more
Audi Unveils Weight-Optimized Electric Concept Car
By AutoObserver Staff August 10, 2011Audi AG showed today a technical-study vehicle called the "urban concept" (above) that the company said is “an ultra-light car for congested urban spaces.” The car tandem-seats two occupants, with the rear passenger slightly offset from the driver. Audi didn’t reveal the weight of the vehicle, but said “the cockpit consists of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer, which integrates the undercarriage of both seats.” No bodywork surrounds the wheels. Indicating a continuing emphasis on electric drive, propulsion for the urban concept comes from dual electric motors from Audi’s ongoing “e-tron” electric-vehicle development program and a lithium-ion battery is the power source. more
Audi Predicts 2011 Will Eclipse 2010 Sales Record
By Michelle Krebs March 9, 2011Audi of America expects to shatter 2010's sales record this year and predicts sales will hit 150,000 vehicles a year -- enough to warrant U.S. production -- by the second half of the decade. In a media webcast Tuesday, Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen predicted the automaker will sell 114,000 vehicles in the U.S. this year. That would be a 12-percent increase from 2010’s record 101,629 vehicles sold, which was a 29-percent rise over 2009 and marked the first year that Audi broke the 100,000-sales mark in the U.S. more
Audi On Tech Forefront At Its First CES
By Paul Seredynski January 10, 2011Audi was an official participant for the first time ever at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. This annual trade show, covering nearly all things electronic, dwarfs your typical auto show in terms of industry attendance and media coverage, and Audi used the event to introduce the next generation of its Multi-Media Interface (MMI) and a new partnership with media chip specialist Nvidia. At the show, we had the chance with a few other journalists to participate in an extensive roundtable discussion with Johan de Nysschen (above, right), President of Audi USA, and Dr. Peter Steiner more
Auto Sales Firmed in September, Brightening Picture
By Bill Visnic October 1, 2010U.S. auto sales steadied last month, rising slightly from the seasonal pace of August and reassuring carmakers that they'll still finish the year ahead about 10 percent in sales volume compared with a dismal 2009. Industry-wide sales were about 958,835 units in September, up a healthy 30.8 percent from year-earlier sales of 733,069 units. The percentage increase this year was discounted because it was such an easy comparison with September, 2009, when sales dropped off atypically after the federal government's "cash for clunkers" program touched off a buying frenzy in August. But the seasonally adjusted annual sales rate for more
Audi Sees New Brand of Luxury Buyer in its Future
By Michelle Krebs April 20, 2010The luxury buyer returning to the automobile showrooms as the economy emerges from its deep recession is a different kind of buyer with a new set of requirements, says the head of Audi of America. "At Audi, we believe the future belongs to the automaker that can best define - and deliver - what we are calling progressive luxury," Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen told reporters at the Automotive Press Association in Detroit this week. In a video interview with AutoObserver after his speech, deNysschen insisted this current era that he called the end of excess is not a more
Big Boost for Hyundai, Audi From Super Bowl Ads
By Michelle Krebs February 8, 2010Commercials during the Super Bowl are the Gucci handbags of the advertising world: everyone knows they're expensive -- but do you even remotely get your money's worth? A couple of automakers just might have. Although Edmunds.com, parent of AutoObserver.com, can't answer for other industries, Edmunds data indicate the big-dollar Super Bowl commercials by Hyundai Motor America Inc. and Audi of America Inc. seem to have connected. Both companies enjoyed outsized spikes in consideration on Sunday after their ads appeared during what is called the most-watched single sporting event on the planet. more
Audi A3 Production Halted for Slow Sales
By Michelle Krebs January 20, 2010Volkswagen's Audi will suspend production of its A3 compact model at its main plant in Ingolstadt, Germany, in February because of slow sales. More than half of the plant's 4,500 employees will be off work the week of Feb. 15. The automaker said demand for the small car is low because Germany's version of Cash for Clunkers has expired, and the A3, introduced in its current version in 2004, is aging. The 2011 version of the A3 sedan arrives in the U.S. in the fall as an addition to the Sportback already on sale. more