Some changes are a foot at the Volkswagen Group according to an article by Top Gear UK. Bentley and Bugatti, two of its high performance sub-brands will each receive a new CEO. This news comes after Wolfgang Dürheimer who is currently the CEO of both brands, announced his retirement.
Instead of replacing Dürheimer with a single employee, VW has opted to separate both roles by picking Adrian Hallmark as the head honcho of Bentley and Stefan Winkelmann as the head of hypercar maker, Bugatti.
Hallmark previously held various top executive sales positions at Bentley, VW, Porsche and Saab. His appointment as CEO of Bentley is one of several major decisions that will take place over the course of the next few years. This is due to four Bentley board members, including Dürheimer, who are about to reach the retirement age at about the same time.
Stefan Winkelmann, who was elected to lead Audi Sport last year, will now be in charge of ensuring that Bugatti continues to dominate the high end market of luxury supercars. Prior to his appointment at Audi, Winkelmann was at the helm of Lamborghini for about 11 years.
During his tenure at the Italian manufacturer, Winkelmann helped to turn the company’s fortunes around from an ailing automaker into one that has a strong product portfolio and decent cash flow. He also saw the introduction of the Gallardo, Lamborghini’s most successful vehicle to date.
The car was also partly responsible for the Italian automaker’s financial health and relatively steady recovery. It shared quite a bit with Audi’s R8 supercar but was still unique enough to ensure that the essence of Lamborghini was not diluted in anyway.
Now, with the appointment of Winkelmann at Bugatti, the same magic that played a part in Lamborghini’s recovery, could work for the French automaker as well. If true, this would be the best time for it as the company looks to stave off attacks from Koenigsegg who seem hell bent on stealing the hypercar crown.
Audi’s new A7 Sportback sports improved looks, performance and is brimming with technology. It is said to combine the practicality of a station wagon with the svelte curves of a sedan. Featuring Audi’s new design language, the car has been fitted with the latest drivertrain and mild hybrid technologies.
At the front, the single-frame grille, narrower headlights and contoured air inlets provide the car, which is wider and lower than the A8, with a more elegant and more classy look. The design and arrangement of the 12 adjacent lighting segments that are separated by narrow spaces mimic that of the binary digits, 0 and 1.
The car’s long and sleek bonnet, short overhangs and muscular stance makes the A7 Sportback a very good looking car. As for its dimensions, the car is 4,969 millimeters long, has a wheelbase of 2,926 millimeters and is 1,908 millimeters wide, but is only 1,422 millimeters high.
Audi’s tapered rear design is retained for the new car with its larger rear harch terminating with a curved lip and an integrated rear spoiler that rises at high speeds. The animated rear lights turn on when locking and unlocking the car – its a sight to behold as are the turn signals.
Inside, Audi’s meticulous attention to detail has allowed for a neat layout of the array of switchgear. The 10.1-inch upper display that is titled toward the driver features black panel optics and a graphite grey aluminium clasp. It is operated by the MMI touch interface system that replaces the older rotary push button setup.
At the bottom of that, there’s a second 8.6-inch display that is used to access the climate control system, comfort functions and text input. Available as optional extras are a head-up display system and a more sophisticated 12.3-inch display that offers virtual switch gear instead of physical ones.
This MMI package will be made available with a choice of two sound system upgrades with the noteworthy onr being the Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System capable of delivering advanced 3D sound.
AI or artifical intelligence is at the heart of the A7 Sportback, and by pushing the AI button, drivers will be able to active the remote parking pilot and remote garage pilot systems. They allow the vehicle to maneuver in and out of parking spaces autonomously.The driver can even get out of the car and activate the system via the MyAudi app and allow the car to do the rest.
Monitoring the car’s autonomous activity is the central driver assistance controller (zFAS) that merges the data from a sophisticated set of sensors to continually compute an image of the surroundings. Depending the upgrades that are chosen, the A7 Sportback can come with as many as five radar sensors, five cameras, 12 ultrasonic sensors and a laser scanner.
This generation of the car is equipped with a new mild hybrid system that consises of a V6 engine and a 48-volt primary electrical system. A belt alternator starter (BAS) recuperates energy under braking, which can be up to 12kW of power, and stores it within a lithium-ion battery.
The V6 engine is a 3.0-litre TFSI turbo engine that produces close to 340bhp and 500Nm of torque. Coupled with a 7-speed S tronic dual clutch gearbox, it allows the car to sprint from 0-100km/h in just 5.3 seconds. The quattro drivetrain which consists of a clever all-wheel drive and steering systems allow for better maneuverability and stability.
At cruising speeds, the A7 Sportback is able to coast in freewheeling mode with the engine shut off but then restarts it via the BAS, once more power is required. Adding to that, the new start-stop function uses a front mounted camera that can anticipate when the vehicle in front is about to move, and activates or shuts off the engine accordingly.
Audi says that the new A7 Sportback will be in showrooms in places like the UK as early as the beginning of next year. Built in Neckarsulm, Germany, the car should hit markets worldwide sometime next year, though the exact details haven’t been revealed yet.
Audi will be fielding its first ever factory-backed Formula E racer this coming season. The car adorns a livery that has a white, metallic green and black paint scheme. Due to the restrictive nature of the sport, there’s very little that teams can do with regards to the design.
Teams and manufacturers are only allowed to develop the motor, transmission, parts of the suspension and their respective software. Audi claims its motor-generator unit, that is the heart of its e-tron FE04 racer, has been engineered to deliver greater efficiency. Transmitting power to the wheels is a high-efficiency transmission with only one gear that should lower power loses.
This year’s Formula E championship winner, Lucas di Grassi, will be piloting the new Audi e-tron FE04 and his teammate for the upcoming season will be a youngster named Daniel Abt. Lucas di Grassi will be driving the car with a number ‘1’ badge while his teammate gets ’66’ on his with additional red colored markings to enable spectators to differentiate between both cars.
“After nearly 40 years of being successfully active in Motorsport on the highest level, Audi now becomes the first German automobile manufacturer to compete in Formula E in order to test and advance the development of new technologies for production,” says Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management, Technical Development, AUDI AG.
“Following quattro, TFSI, TDI, hybrid drive and many other innovations, our first single-seater race car is a portent of our product offensive in the field of electric mobility that we are ringing in with the Audi e-tron in 2018,” he later added.
Called Team Audi Sport ABT Schaeffle, the factory-backed Formula E team will be lead by team principle, Allan McNish. It’s a name that needs no introduction, McNish is veteran when it comes to Motorsports and was involved in number of racing disciplines that included Formula 1.
He has been an Audi factory driver for many years and is a celebrated three-time Le Mans winner. McNish, brings a significant amount of knowledge of racing to the team, which should give it a considerable advantage during the new season.
The Audi e-tron FE04 will make its racing debut at the Formula E season opener in Hong Kong on December 2, 2017. That said, Audi will be readying the car for test sessions within the coming days. First, the car’s abilities will be put on display by Daniel Abt during the E-Mobility Play Days at the Red Bull Ring in Austria.
Then, the team heads to Valencia, Spain, which is the official venue of the Formula E pre-season tests. Audi will be putting both cars and drivers through their paces as they gear up for the upcoming 2017/2018 Formula E season.
According to recent reports, Lamborghini is looking to ‘one up’ Ferrari at its own game by certain restructuring strategies. But out of the lot, we are most interested in the plans of launching its first ever SUV.
Based on an article published by automobilemag.com, there has been some talk of the production of the automaker’s upcoming hyper-SUV, the Urus, which is slated for launch next year. It is said to be based on the third generation Cayenne, and will sport a number of engine options including a 458bhp plug-in hybrid V6 and a 660bhp 4.0-litre V8.
That isn’t breaking news, but what is however, is the idea that Porsche instead of Lamborghini might be running the show. Audi, acquired Lamborghini in 1999 and the former, is owned by Volkswagen who also owns Porsche. (It’s complicated family tree)
Perhaps the powers that be, hope that with Porsche at the helm of the project, things would progress smoothly as opposed to having the Italian automaker calling the shots. Mind you, this isn’t the first time that the Germans have abruptly stepped in.
The Gallardo, Lamborghini’s most popular vehicle, and which has accounted for a significant portion of the brands sales growth over the yers, shared the same platform as the Audi R8. This had many purists up in arms because they feared that the move had diluted the appeal.
However, they were sadly mistaken and the Gallardo went on to sell like hot cakes in the 10 years that the model was kept in production. And this same strategy could work for the Urus as well.
As a side note, Lamborghini are also working on a Huracan that can do some mild adventure-like activities. Unlike the regular car, this one will have an increased ride height to allow for improved ground clearance. This Huracan will probably be fitted with bigger tyres as well as wider fenders to compensate for them.
Based on this, we can surmise that no automotive manufacture, regardless of heritage, can resist the allure of the SUV. It’s a product line that is in constant demand, especially when they are made by luxury brands.
Audi’s new A8 has been revealed and though it retains the signature design elements of its predessor, with every incremental upgrade, the German automaker makes certain adjustments to rejuvenate the design to a certain degree. And this time, the front end features a wide, upright single-frame grille that is complemented by fludic and muscular bodywork giving the car a sporty yet elegant look.
From the side, the steep curvature of the front end blends well with the gently inclined rear quarter for a sleek silhouette. The sophisticated HD LED headlights with Audi laser lighting are impressive additions that are complemented by the DRL LED light-strips and OLED lighting tech for the rear.
Available as either the A8 or A8L, with the later being the long wheelbase version and 13 centimeters longer than the former. Overall, both feature lightweight construction and quattro permanent all-wheel-drive system. That is complemented by the all-wheel-drive steering system that allow for better control and turning radius.
Inside, the vehicle features the usual luxurious upholstery as well as electric seats that warm the soles of your feet (A8L). The extensive use of high quality materials is evident throughout the cabin, including the centre stack where the 10.1-inch touchscreen (MMI) infotainment system resides. Auxiliary functions can be controlled through another touch interface located on the centre tunnel console, including accessing air-conditioning and other comfort related options.
Audi touts that the glass display system, is very responsive and behaves in a very elegant manor. The combination of acoustic and tactile feedback that it offers as well as common touch gestures makes for a pleasant and user-friendly experience.
As advanced as these systems are, the new A8’s crowing achievement is its reliance on artifical intelligence both for autonomous driving and the manipulation of its active suspension setup. Thanks to a slew of radar sensors, image cameras as well as other sensors that include the ultrasound ones, the A8 is able to drive and navigate through traffic jams and slow moving traffic of up 60km/h.
It’s able to do so on roads and highways where a physical barrier separates the carriageways. The system can be activated by pressing the AI button on the centre console. When activated, the driver can take his/her hands off the steering wheel and relax while watching content on the TV.
Audi’s AI remote parking and remote garage pilot systems give the car the ability to steer in and out of parking spaces or a garage. The best part of this, the driver doesn’t have to be in the car while this is being done. He/she only needs to tell the car to do so by using he myAudi app on their smartphone.
Then there’s the active suspension, that depending on driving conditions, is able to raise ad lower each individual wheel via electric actuators. by doing so, it will be able to alter the suspension setup from a firmer sporty one, all the way to a soft and supple configuration. The reaction time of this particular AI system is said to be lightning quick should it sense an impending lateral collision, which will help reduce the severity of the accident and injuries to the occupants.
The system requires a great deal of energy to function, which is why the A8 uses a 48-Volt electrical system. Depending on region, there will be a number of engines on offer, which include 3.0 TDI, 3.0 TFSI, 4.0 TDI and 4.0 TFSI as well as the top of the line 6.0-litre W12 powerplant. When equipped with a mild-hybrid platform the A8 is able to switch off its engine at certain times to save fuel as well as recover energy of up to 12kW when the conditions suit it.
The new Audi A8 and A8L are being built at Audi’s Neckarsulm site and will appear in the German market in late 2017. We will let you know when it eventually reaches our shores in the not so distant future.
Audi has announced its fastest series-production convertible – the R8 Spyder V10 Plus. Like the Coupe, it will have a naturally aspirared 5.2-litre FSI V10 engine that produces nearly 610bhp and 560Nm of torque. It has nearly a 70bhp power advantage over the standard R8 Spyder V10, giving it that little bit of an edge.
A seven-speed S tronic dual clutch transmission is tasked with sending the engine’s power to the all-wheel-drive quattro drive system. This level of performance will allow the R8 Spyder to accelerate from 0-100km/h in just 3.3 seconds and reach a top speed of 327km/h.
It takes just 20 seconds to open or close the hood at speeds of up to 50km/h, which is on par with that offered by competitor supercars in the same category.
The car will also be fitted with an array of equipment which include an infotainment system, Audi Drive Select, sophisticated suspension setup, ceramic brakes, R8 bucket seats, Audi virtual cockpit, exclusive micrommata green paint finish and carbon trim panels both inside and out.
Like its Coupe brethern, the Audi drive select system alters the vehicle’s accelerator pedal feel, gearchanges, steering sensitivity, flaps, exhaust sytem and mangetic ride damper control based on the individual drive mode that is selected.
The body is made from the Multimaterial Audi Space Frame (ASF) and incorporates aluminum and CFRP (Carbon Fibre Reinforced Polymer) in its construction. In total, the R8 Spyder body, weighs just 208kg and is said to have exceptional structural rigidity. It is about 25kg lighter than that of the R8 V10 thanks to the various different materials used and other weight saving measures.
This is the first time in the German automaker’s history that the Plus version has been made available as a Spyder. And as a whole, Audi says that the car will deliver exceptional levels of performance thanks to a powerful engine, lightning quick DCT gearbox and an intelligent quattro system. The car should go on sale by the end of this month in Europe.
Audi has become the first automaker to test its autonomous vehicles in New York. It intends to demonstrate and test the abilities of its self driving cars in the Big Apple with Society of Automobile Engineers (SAE) Level 3 automation. SAE’s Level 3 is a classification for vehicles that are capable of automated driving at posted highway speeds when specific conditions are met.
Testing will begin in mid-June where two trained engineers will be present in each of these Audi vehicles while the autonomous tests are conducted. One will be seated in front and the other in the back seat to monitor the vehicle’s systems and ensure that they are working as intended.
According to the automaker, Audi’s autonomous demonstration vehicle has already covered thousands of kilometers on limited access highways across the US safely and without incident. This is a testament to the reliability of the automaker’s self-driving systems that allow the vehicles to navigate through public roads and traffic safely.
Unlike certain other US states, New York is more open to idea of allowing self driving vehicles on its city streets. Last month, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced that New York was accepting applications from companies interested in testing or demonstrating autonomous vehicles on public roads. New legislation was included in New York’s 2018 financial year budget to allows for testing autonomous technology through a year-long pilot programme.
Regarding this, Scott Keogh, president of Audi of America said, “We have been leading the way in the development of piloted driving technology for more than a decade now, and testing in real-world environments is a key step in our pursuit of safer roads. We applaud Governor Cuomo for his leadership and stand ready to assist in defining how this future will unfold in the Empire State now and for years to come.”
The routes that will be used for Audi’s tests have been pre-approved by the New York Sate Police its application was approved by the Department of Motor Vehicles. The Police department will review the routes that will be taken and supervise the test demonstrations.
At the ongoing Shanghai Motorshow, Audi has unveiled its design study, the all-electric E-Tron Sportback Concept. Sporting futuristic design elements, this vehicle provides a glimpse into what the actual car might look like when it hits the road next year.
This vehicle measures 4,900mm long, 1,980mm wide and 1,530mm high. It has a wheelbase of 2,930mm and according to Audi is positioned in the C segment which is close to the Audi A7. The front end features an octogonal single frame grille with a wide horizontal cut but unlike conventional models, it forgoes the large opening at the front due to the fact that electric motors require far less cooling than petrol engines.
The edges of the central surface are drawn back which help channel airflow. The sharp creases, angular headlights and blacked-out grille provide for a futuristic yet menacing stance.
The contours are angular yet simple and provide the vehicle with a coupe-like look. The wing mirrors have been replaced with cameras that provide a better field of view and almost eliminating blind spots that come with conventional mirrors. The LED lighting features digital matrix projectors that help illuminate the road ahead during the day or night. Below the DRLs are 250 LEDs that display engaging graphics and communicate signs while on the move.
Inside, the E-Tron features a signature white Audi interior with a digital instrument cluster and switchgear that wouldn’t look our of place on a commercial airliner. Unlike conventional Audis, this one has two rear seats instead of the stretched three seat set up. The dash up front features a sports steering wheel that resembles that of the R8 but overall, has a very minimalistic look as opposed to its competitors that feel very busy and complicated.
The E-Tron also has 23-inch wheels that feature a 6-spoke design and add to the sporty look but also give the car a wider track. But Audi may choose drop the rim size for the production version in the name of power conservation later on.
Since this is an all-electric vehicle, it features three motors, one on the front axle and two on the rear one. Working in tandem they provide it with an-all-wheel-drive system. Power is rated at 320kW (429bhp) which increases to 370kW (496bhp) when in boost mode. The 0-100km/h sprint is accomplished in 4.5 seconds, which isn’t supercar quick but impressive considering this Audi’s dimensions. Juice is supplied via a 95kWh lithium-ion battery pack that also provides the vehicle with a range of 450km.
The liquid cooled Lithium-ion battery pack is positioned between the front and rear axles and placed below the passenger compartment. Due to this, the vehicle has a lower centre of gravity and a balanced axle load distribution of 52:48 (front/rear). The battery can be charged by the Combined Charging System which accepts Alternating or Direct Current (AC or DC) charging outlets.
Regarding the reveal, Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of AUDI AG, said, “Our Audi e‑tron will be starting out in 2018 – the first electric car in its competitive field that is fit for everyday use. With a range of over 450km and the special electric driving experience, we will make this sporty SUV the must-have product of the next decade. Following close on its heels, in 2019, comes the production version of the Audi e‑tron Sportback – an emotional coupe version that is thrillingly identifiable as an electric car at the very first glance.”
Though it has been labeled as a design study, the production ready car is slated for launch in 2018, which means several elements will be carried over from the concept vehicle.
