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ABT unveils engine/aesthetics kit for the Audi A1

July 29, 2010 at 3:37 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

The A1 is Audi’s new entry level model that was launched internationally recently catering for the urban young professional market. Prospective buyers of the A1 can already customize each car to their own specification with paint and colour schemes, but there will always be those who want even more customization. This is where the traditional tuners come in.

ABT are now gunning for a chance to improve the whole ‘yuppie’ theme with exterior revisions and most importantly an improvement in power delivery across the range of engines. The first thing that catches your eyes are the bright red KLECKS, ALOHA and HIGH-VOLTAGE colour schemes. This makes each car more unique than the next.

Under the hood the engine range has gone through some revisions. Thanks to a professional remap, the new 1.2 TFSI engine now puts out 115hp compared to the standard 86, while the 1.4 TFSI engine produces 150hp which stood at 125hp previously. Fans of oil burners are also given a treat as the 1.6 litre engine has been uprated to 125hp.

Complementing that increase in power is the use of ABT performance springs that also lower the car’s centre of gravity. Other additions include a front lip, side skirts, rear wing insets, rear skirt insets and a rear spoiler. All of which can be customised in brushed aluminium, grass-green or lavender depending on your choice of theme.

Giving it a sporty look and no doubt strong aural presence is the ABT double pipe sports rear muffler. This when coupled with the choice of 17 or 18 inch alloy wheels complete the package.

It’s quite smart of ABT to take a slightly different approach to the A1. Owners of cars like the A1, the MiTO, and the MINI Cooper may tick differently compared to owners of larger cars and thus you see these ‘themes’ with ABT’s styling.

If you like the ABT design, there are more pictures available after the jump to enjoy.
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Audi Q7 gets more power and mean looks from JE Design

July 28, 2010 at 11:47 am By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

It seems like a trend to pimp up big SUVs to look like those in R&B videos. Popular models for conversion are the Porsche Cayenne, Range Rover and Audi Q7. Here, JE Design has come up with a proposal for the latter, which includes styling and performance upgrades. Power from the 3.0-litre diesel engine has been uprated to 285 hp from the standard 233 hp while the torque has increased from 500 Nm to 550 Nm.

These improvements have been achieved with a revised ECU that now propels the 2.3-tonne SUV to the century mark in 8.4 seconds, 0.7 sec down from the previous 9.1 seconds. Top speed is 219 km/h.

The increase in power is complemented by the assertive body kit that gives the Q7 a wide body look. The kit includes a rear bumper extension with square tipped double exhausts on both sides, headlight covers, roof mounted spoiler, flared wheel arches and a new front spoiler.

Apart from a roof mounted spoiler to add downforce, there is also the option of an electronic lowering kit that lowers the Q7 by 35 mm. The big Audi sits on 22-inch graphite-silver alloys covered with ultra-high performance tyres.

Gallery after the jump.
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2011 Audi A7 Sportback – official details and gallery

July 27, 2010 at 4:53 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

The Audi A7 Sportback has been officially launched. It is a big four-door coupe type of car with a hatch, like the Porsche Panamera. Audi says its latest car encapsulates the best of three worlds with the sporty elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon.

An accurate rendition of the Audi Sportback Concept from the 2009 Detroit show, the A7 is a big car at 4.97m long and 1.91m wide, with a 2.91m wheelbase. It’s sits 4 cm lower than the A8 limo and the overall size is between the current generation A6 and the A8. Weight is reduced via the extensive use of aluminum and “high-tech steels”. A 2WD A7 weighs in at 1,695 kg, which makes it lighter than a Mercedes CLS. The Audi’s 535-litre boot can be upped to 1,390 litres by folding the rear seats.

There will be a choice of four direct-injection V6 engines: the 3.0 TFSI supercharged unit producing 300 hp/440 Nm, a 2.8 FSI engine with 204 hp/280 Nm and two versions of the 3.0 TDI engine; one with 245 hp/500 Nm and another with 204 hp and 400 Nm of torque. The latter boasts amazing fuel consumption of 5.3 L/100 km while only producing 139 g/km of CO2, and is the eco champion of the range.

The engines can be had with Multitronic CVT and FWD or the seven-speed S tronic (dual-clutch) with quattro AWD. The latest quattro system has a crown-gear center differential and torque vectoring. Brake recuperation and start-stop is standard across the range.

A “sporty character” is brought by a five-link front suspension and the track-controlled, trapezoidal link rear suspension. The chassis features aluminum control arms and a newly developed power steering system with an electromechanical drive for high efficiency. The Audi Drive Select system is standard and can be supplemented by optional adaptive air suspension or a sports suspension that sits 10 mm lower. The smallest wheels are 18-inch items, with 20ins being the largest.

Inside you find the usual luxuries from Audi which include fine leathers and Alcantara, aluminium and quality wood inlays, aluminium finish on rotary knobs, four-spoke leather multifunction steering wheel, touchpad controlled MMI system with a HDD based sat nav and 6.5-inch monitor, electromechanical parking brake, a new head-up display and optional climate-control/massage functions for the front seats. Like the A8 limo, the Audi A7 is a mobile WLAN hotspot. You can also have the Advanced Sound System from Bang & Olufsen featuring 1,300 watts of power and 15 speakers. Sounds like a nice place to be in!

Safety wise, standard kit includes Audi pre sense, adaptive cruise control with stop & go function, active lane assist, night vision assistant, speed limit display and park assist. The A7 Sportback is set to go on sale in Europe at the end of this year. A large hi-res gallery awaits you after the jump.
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Audi A7 Sportback images leaked ahead of reveal!

July 26, 2010 at 2:19 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News


The much anticipated production version of the Audi A7 Sportback will make its debut later today (European time, tomorrow for us) at the home city of its Bavarian rival, specifically at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich. But as usual these days, some images of the new car has found its way to the Internet ahead of its debut, and we have them here.

As you can see, this larger version of the A5 Sportback retains much of the Audi Sportback Concept’s looks from the 2009 Detroit Motor Show, down to the distinctive rear end design and five-door format with a rear hatch opening. The interior is also recognisable from the concept’s, although the steering wheel design is different. No leaked pictures of the rear section though, so we can’t confirm whether the production car is a four-seater like the concept.

For a gallery and a video of the Audi Sportback Concept, click here. The leaked images are after the jump. Stay tuned for more updates.
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Nissan pokes fun at German brands in new ad campaign

July 23, 2010 at 2:36 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, BMW, International News, Nissan, Porsche

Nissan’s new advertising campaign is causing quite a stir, poking fun at German rivals Audi, BMW and Porsche. This was done by releasing print and poster adverts highlighting German brands flaws as compared to the 370Z and the GT-R.

Using such phrases as “The Winner Hans Down,” “The Germans Came Off Wurst,” “Kaisers Chiefed” and “Deutschland Deutschland Über-Rated,” the ad campaign was officially launched in London on a giant 360 degree 47ft IMAX billboard.

Talk about taking it to the extremes!

If you don’t think that’s enough, they’ve even scrawled statements like “More expensive, slower and less powerful than a Nissan 370Z” on an Audi TT-S. Similarly themed slogans can be seen on a Porsche Cayman as well.

Just in case you’re curious they’ve supplied the public with a spec chart comparing all the aforementioned cars, and on paper it does look like the 370Z and GT-R’s are better buys than the German equivalent. It’s also worth remembering that spec sheets can’t describe driving feel and pleasure, which can only be accomplished with a test drive.

Nevertheless Steve McLennan, Nissan UK Marketing Director, is quite pleased with his ad stating “It simply challenges the convention of German sportscars being the only benchmark for performance and quality. Nissan is confident in the ability of 370Z and GT-R to eclipse our comparable German rivals in terms of outright performance and accessibility and it’s now time to shout about it.”

Do you think Nissan has a point? An equivalent BMW Z4is M Sport costs RM598,800 as opposed to a Nissan 370Z which costs RM370,000, while the Porsche Cayman S easily reaches RM640,000.00! Have your say.

High-res pictures are also available after the jump.
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Audi releases teaser site for the new Audi A7

July 14, 2010 at 11:49 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi have launched a dedicated site for what appears to be the Audi A7 with a rotating sketch of the coupe-like design. The website is in Dutch and is part of Audi Netherlands, but no doubt the scrawling on the website highlights features of the new model without giving too much away. The Sportsback Concept was previewed at the Detroit Motor Show in January 2009 and featured a 3.0 litre TDI V6 that produces an amazing 225hp along with 550Nm of torque. The A7 is inspired by this particular concept.

The strange thing is, the sketching looks bulkier than the Detroit concept. It seems to look more like a SUV than a Sportsback while the front looks like an Audi Q7 at some angles. Could be just an illusion as the the A7 doesn’t have a “Q” in its name.
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Audi A5 launched in Malaysia – 2.0 TFSI Quattro, RM400K

July 13, 2010 at 6:25 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, Local News

It took three years for it to come here, but a car as sleek as the Audi A5 can at least claim to be fashionably late. We just got back from the Audi Hangar in Glenmarie where the long awaited A5 was unveiled to the media and guests. There’s only one spec, for now – the 2.0 TFSI with 211 bhp and 350 Nm of torque from 1,500-4,200 rpm. This is paired to a 7-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox, which is Audi’s name for DSG.

This is the direct injected turbo EA888 engine, as found in the Mk6 Golf GTI, but with torque boosted by a substantial 70 Nm over the VW, and made at 200 rpm lower. This translates to 0-100 km/h acceleration of 6.5 seconds and a top speed of 245 km/h. That sort of performance from just two litres, coupled with 13.3 km/l fuel economy, is why Euromobil isn’t offering a bigger engine, but if you really want to fight the downsizing trend, special orders will be considered.

The handsome A5 Quattro retails for RM399,900 (on-the-road without insurance) which is more expensive than the recently facelifted 218 bhp/250 Nm BMW 325i Coupe, which goes for RM378,800. However, this S Line A5 is fully loaded with kit. Among the standard equipment are six airbags, ESP, adaptive xenons with Audi’s trademark LED running lights and Audi Drive Select damping control with three modes – Auto, Comfort and Dynamic. A tyre pressure monitoring system and electric parking brake is standard, too.

The familiar but classy and solidly built cabin boasts a Bang & Olufsen sound system (10 channel amplifier, 14 speakers, 505 watts output) with iPod, USB and Bluetooth compatibility. The system can accept six CDs and SD cards. There’s also a three-zone climate control system and Milano leather sports seats with embossed S Line logo plus an S Line multifunction steering wheel.

Euromobil wants to sell 20 to 30 A5s from now till the end of the year, and we reckon that they’ll have no problems doing that. At the launch, Euromobil chairman Dato’ Sri Khamil Jamil promised that the waiting period shouldn’t be more than four months, a considerably shorter time than the Q5′s epic waiting list. What’s next for the brand? Euromobil is seriously looking at bringing in the A5 Sportback, which is a four-door coupe version of this car.

They are also looking into CKD assembly in Pekan which should be able to bring down the prices of the car as well as reduce waiting lists for the CKD models. To do this they need to sell at least 1,000 cars annually and this year’s target is about 700, so we have about 300 units to go before we see locally assembled Audis here.

Live images from the launch are after the jump.
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Audi redesigns diesel fuel filler to prevent wrong refueling

July 8, 2010 at 8:23 pm By Paul Tan Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi has updated the fuel filler design for diesel models of the Audi A4, Audi A5 and Audi Q5. They’ve been updated to incorporate contact points that open an internal fuel flap to allow fuel to flow into the tank only when the larger diesel pump nozzle applies pressure on them. Smaller diameter petrol nozzles do not make contact, ensuring that the filler flap remains closed to prevent access to the fuel tank.

This is of course of no relation to us at all at this point because Euromobil have not brought in any diesel model Audi at this point of time. The only two marques who have passenger diesel vehicles in Malaysia is BMW with their range of diesel models and Ford with their Focus TDCi. Well, technically the Renault Kangoo is a passenger diesel of sorts too.

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Audi starts assembly of the Q5 at their Indian plant

July 8, 2010 at 6:52 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi have announced that they have started assembly of the Q5 subcompact SUV at their Aurangabad plant in the Indian state of Maharashtra. They eventually plan to pump out over 1,500 units from their assembly line each year.

The SUV will be the third model Audi are producing in India after the A4 and the A6, increasing vehicle production capacity this year to 2,400 units compared to the 732 vehicles they sold the year before. As it stands Audi have produced a total of 2,000 vehicles since they first started in September 2007 and are planning to reach a production level of 6,000 units by 2015.

“The production of the Q5 is part of our long-term growth strategy in India. The Indian market for automobiles will grow very rapidly, and the Q5 is the right automobile at the right time,” says Frank Dreves, Audi Board Member for Production. Apart from the standard locally built models, Audi also offers its Indian customers the Audi A8, Q7, TT along with the R8.

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Audi R8 Spyder with the 430hp V8 4.2 FSI engine

July 4, 2010 at 8:01 pm By Jacob Alexander Filed Under Audi, Cars, International News

Audi has released the V8 version of the R8 Spyder which now completes the model line-up, for now. The drop top R8 was previously only available with the V10 that tops the V8 by about 130 horses. Powering the car will be a tuned up version of the standard 4.2 FSI engine which now produces 430hp and 430Nm of torque, which was previously 414hp in the coupe. This tuned up V8 is mated to the standard six-speed manual gearbox or the optional R-Tronic semi-automatic gearbox.

The car will also feature Audi’s standard Quattro all-wheel drive as per the coupe, along with the option of the Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping. This uses a magnetic field in the hydraulic shocks that adjusts according to the road surface and driving style within milliseconds. A much needed option in pothole ridden roads such as ones seen in Malaysia.

Of course after all said and done, the highlight of this car is the open top fabric roof, the main reason why one would buy a Spyder of the regular coupe. Weighing in at only 42kgs, the setup takes only 19 seconds to fold and unfold out of the storage compartment over the engine, while structural rigidity problems are solved by specially reinforcing the sills, the centre tunnel, the rear bulkhead, the floor and both the A and B pillars.

All of this takes up extra weight, which explains why Audi tuned up the V8 for Spyder. The reinforcements have added 216 kilograms to the total weight of the car which now stands at 1,735 kilograms (including the driver) compared to the coupe which comes in at 1,560kg. Making its appearance in the European market in the third quarter of 2010, the V8 Spyder will come in at a base price of €121,000. Audi has yet to release pictures of the V8 variant but have included these power figures and schematic drawings of the R8, which can be viewed after the jump.
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