Even though we've yet receive any official confirmation on the production model, the German automaker continues to release new material on the Quattro concept. This time, the Ingolstadt firm has published a new promotional film showcasing the design study as well as its spiritual predecessor, the 1984 Quattro Coupe. Watch the video right after the break.
According to this video, BMW's xDrive is vastly superior to Audi's quattro - at least when driving up metal inclines built by BMW... In the clip, we get a glimpse at what appears to be some sort of BMW press event and a hill climb-off between two small-ish diesel-powered premium soft-roaders: Audi's Q5 and BMW's X3.
Fitted with strong magnets and stuck to lamp posts, newspaper boxes and the like, passers-by were encouraged to remove the die-cast models and take them home with them. On the underside of each model is a sticker that reads, "Nothing sticks like quattro."
"Our goal with the A1 is a bold one: to repeat the success that we have enjoyed with the A3 in the compact segment," says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi. "With the A1 we're opening another door into the world of premium cars."
Audi previewed the A1 with the three-door Metroproject Quattro study in 2007 and more recently, with the A1 Sportback Concept that was shown in Paris last year.
Exact details are scarce, but the German automaker says that the A1 will "condense all of Audi's virtues into a car that is less than 4 meters long."
It is believed that the production model will remain very close to the two concept models in terms of styling while the premium mini will most likely share its hardware with the recently launched VW Polo.
Longer and wider than a Mini, Audi's premium supermini will be offered with a raft of four-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines with direct injection including the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged petrol units.
According to previous reports, the A1 will initially be launched as a three-door hatch with a five-door Sportback model said to follow shortly after.
There has also been speculative talk about a possible convertible version as well as a MINI Cooper S challenging S1 model with a high-performance turbo engine, but nothing's official yet.
Over the next few weeks, Audi plans to release more details and digital material on its new entry-level model that will challenge both the MINI and the Alfa Romeo MiTo. The first full-blown pictures of the premium hatch are slated to go online in early February.
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2007 Audi Metroproject Quattro and 2008 Audi Sportback Concepts
- Thanks for the tip Arie!
Being a new model and all, we thought that, aside from our comprehensive photo gallery, you'd also enjoy some video footage of the 2011 Audi A8 limo that was unveiled on Monday night in Miami. Audi's flagship model that will challenge the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS will begin arriving at European dealers in early 2010 while North American consumers will have to wait until the end of next year. Watch the video after the break.
Today, at 6:30pm EST / 3:30pm PST, Audi will perform the world premiere of its next generation A8 luxury sedan at a special event in Miami. For your enjoyment, we've added a video player after the jump where you can view the unveiling live. Shortly after, we'll post all the details and photos of Audi's new BMW 7-Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class rival, so stay tuned.High Quality - ENGLISH
Low Quality - ENGLISH
Audi has released a new video teasing its 2011 A8 luxury sedan ahead of its world premiere at the Audi Pavilion in Miami on November 30. The word teasing translates here to a few cryptic shots of the Audi flagship sedan such as the grille and front quarter panel. Nothing really to get excited about but if you must, hit the jump to watch the teaser film.Via: Autoblog.it
This here is the Autonomous Audi TTS, a research model for a car that does away with the driver altogether in order to explore the best capabilities of current and future driver assistance technologies. The prototype car is the collaborative work of the Volkswagen Group Electronics Research Laboratory (ERL), the Stanford University Dynamics Design Lab (SDDL) and Sun Microsystems.Nicknamed after Michelle Mouton, one of the most successful female rally drivers ever, the Autonomous TTS is equipped with a fully automated drive-by-wire system that controls the steering, throttle, brakes, gearbox and parking brake as well as a special GPS system to help communicate with the piloting software developed by the researches over at Standford University.
The software package is what enables the vehicle to drive at the limits of handling in various speeds and conditions on a range of surfaces.
While Audi doesn't intend to use the Autonomous TTS to completely substitute the driver (or at least we hope it doesn't...), the company says that the technology found in the car could help dramatically reduce the number of fatalities worldwide by intervening in hazardous situations as well as to take over routine driving tasks such as parking the car in an assigned spot in a garage.
The prototype model is still in the testing phase but if all goes well, Audi is considering a run up at Colorado's famous Pikes Peak to replicate the 12.4-mile Pikes Peak International Hill Climb sometime in the first quarter of 2010.
