The next A8 model was revealed in Miami the prefect destination for taking the veil off of Audi’s biggest ever creation but sadly that is all it is “A big Audi”. Its contenders S-class and 7-series are much more than just big luxury cars, with the S being the technological benchmark and 7 the sportier exec-sedan. A8 doesn’t seem to have anything going for it, sure it is loaded with clever technology and inherits the Audi shine but that’s clearly not enough.
Though it lacks to stamp a certain image the car is quite good on paper. Compare to the current model it is 3inchs longer and 2inchs wider, yet Audi has managed to keep the weight low, thanks to Audi’s very own Aluminium Space Frame (ASF) body. It’s not just lighter than the current A8 but also lighter than the S and 7 by a huge gap. Audi claims its ASF is 40%lighter and still 40% stiffer.
The best thing about the 2011 A8 is its interior. Take for instance the gear lever, it is shaped like a thrust lever one would find on the starship enterprise, too bad the manual shifting of the tiptronic gearbox is on the steering wheel, I would so want to shift gears the Spock way. Let alone the gearlever the technology below it reduces fuel consumption by 15% compared to the current A8 this on top of the new A8 having a more powerful V8 engine which produces 372 horse power.
The car is exceptionally bestowed with luxuries on the interior with a contemporary feel only a few other than Audi can pull off. But the exterior is one of the worst things ever. There isn’t one single angle from which this A8 makes me say “wow”. The side profile is something a cheap Chinese car maker would come up with, the alloys a total rip-off of the Aston Rapide and the hood, flat as a floor. It lacks the presence big time and that’s about it.
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After Audi of America’s president Johan de Nysschen confirmed that they are working on a Tesla Roadster rival, Auto Express has put together a rendering of the car under development.
This new Audi has been named R4 as in half of what an R8 is. The R4 will get the drive train from the Frankfurt fame R8 e-tron concept. 4 electric motors powered by lithium-ion batteries will power the R4. Two motors to each axle makes it a 4-wheel drive, the way Audi likes it.
The R4 is expected to have a power out put of 300bhp with a mammoth electric torque of 4500Nm, which will push the car to 60mph from stationary in under 4.8seconds. The top speed is 140mph which is the top of the line for any electric. It promises a range of 155 miles per charge. The car comes in both coupe and drop-top versions.
If you aren’t an electric person like Clarkson, Audi is also making a petrol version.
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The German auto maker is doing well in India lately. Its sales has increased by 60% compared to last year with the sales of 1130 units. To match the growing market, Audi has decided to build up 5 new showrooms. The new showroom will be set up in Delhi, Chennai, Bangalore, Ludhiana, Kolkata and Mumbai.
Delhi and Mumbai already have Audi showrooms, this ones will be the second. Audi also has plans to open outlets in Jaipur, Nagpur, Lucknow and Coimbatore. Presently Audi has showrooms in Bangalore, Gurgaon, Chandigarh, Mumbai, Pune, Ahmadabad, Bangalore, Hyderabad and Kochi.
Audi currently sells A4, A6 and A8 sedans in India, which are assembled at its parent company VW’s plant in Pune. It imports the SUVs Q5 and Q7 and the sports cars TT and R8.
Audi spoiled Ironman’s car. Instead of leaving it alone, Audi cut off its top and made into an Iron women’s car. It looks more like the TT now than a R8 but the more depressing thing is that it looks worse than the TT.
R8 spider will be officially unveiled at the FMS in a couple of days. We couldn’t be less bothered.
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Today Audi launches its Face-lifted SUV Q7 in India. this is the biggest SUV Audi offers and it is a one up from Audi’s Q5. The new Q7 comes in 3 engine variants with a range of colors. The SUV is imported as a CBU. The price starts at 55.2 lakh for the basic model and 59.9 lakh for the high-end Variant. All prices are Ex-showroom Mumbai.
Q7 is long and spacious with 7 seats and a boot space of 2,050 litres. It will have voice controls for the music system and for phone calls. All you have to do is tell the name of the person you want to call and it dials the number for you. You can tell the car which track to play and it does. But the party piece of the Q7 is its panoramic sunroof. It almost covers the entire roof and kids will love it.
Q7 also has adaptable headlights which switches on or off based on the movement of the car. The car comes packed with all the entertainment system imaginable. It has a DVD-player, radio tuner, LCDs for the rear seat occupants and a proper sound system.
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This is the list of our favorite concept cars from 2009. As the title reads carpet to tarmac, this list consists of concepts which might have a chance at production. But this is all pre-Frankfurt Motor Show, we might have to re-think the list after Frankfurt. keep in touch for updates.
Click through for the list.
