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Tag: Audi

  • Audi closes 2017 with record sales

    Audi closes 2017 with record sales

    Audi AG has increased its global sales for the eighth year in a row. Despite a turbulent first half of the year, the company achieved a new record-breaking figure. About 1,878,100 deliveries represent an increase of 0.6 percent. The Four Rings sold more than in the previous year in all three core markets in 2017.

    In the United States, Audi achieved new record-breaking sales month by month and closed the year 2017 with growth of 7.8 percent. In China, Audi not only managed to offset the poor delivery figures from the first half of the year, but even achieved a cumulative increase of 1.1 percent in the year-end spurt. In Germany, sales built on the very high level in 2016 with an increase of 0.4 percent.

    Audi AG Board Member for Sales and Marketing Bram Schot said: “Despite a very challenging situation, we achieved positive growth in all core markets in 2017 and achieved a record-breaking sales result worldwide. Every single market contributed to this outcome. This demonstrates the attractiveness of our product portfolio to our customers.”

    Since June, Audi has managed to return to growth in China, steadily reducing the cumulative year-on-year decline month by month and ultimately achieving a positive sales balance.

    Read Also: Kia partners Cars45 for trade of used cars

    Between January and December, the brand increased its deliveries by 1.1 percent to 597,866 automobiles. With this new all-time high, the company continues to maintain its lead in the Chinese premium market. Following on from its similar achievement in November, China also posted the highest volume growth of any individual market in the last month of 2017. Here the sales figures once again increased sharply, up 34.3 percent to 69,160 automobiles year-on-year. Never before had so many Chinese customers taken delivery of an Audi in a single month.

    Audi of America also achieved another successful year despite the declining overall market. Audi was the only premium manufacturer in the United States to grow steadily in 2017: up 7.8 percent to 226,511 units. In December 2017, the company also celebrated its 84th record-breaking month in a row.

    The market downturn in the UK had a negative impact on overall results: With 175,217 deliveries and a drop of 1.3 percent, total Audi sales in the United Kingdom, however, comfortably outperformed the declining overall market.

    In 2017, the most successful member of the Q family was the Audi Q5 with around 281,850 automobiles delivered. The most Audi Q5 models were delivered to the individual market China. The successor model will go on sale at Chinese dealers as a long-wheelbase version in spring 2018.

    The Audi Q7 also saw sales increase by 3.9 percent in 2017. Since the start of the year, sales of the full-size SUV have increased in North America alone by about a fifth to around 43,800 units.

  • Six things you’ll learn after driving an Audi for a week

    Six things you’ll learn after driving an Audi for a week

    An Audi is a fashionable and beautiful German car with one of the biggest and most varied model line-ups of any car brand, with almost anything you can ask for or dream of in car. Jumia Travel, the leading online travel agency, shares 6 things you’ll learn after driving an Audi for a week.

    It’s Attractive (but not outrageously so)

    Especially for those who want to be classy without being too ostentatious, an Audi is one of the best choices. An Audi has a relatively modest outlook and conservative design that has over time garnered a broad appeal. It has what can best be described as an appealing ‘style-by-stealth’ approach to its design that is certainly working for consumers.

    It’s Like Sitting in Your Living Room

    Audi has, over the years, acquired a reputation for designing some of the best car interiors in the world. The interior is always well laid out with intuitive controls, and is filled with the best materials that have a functional and user-friendly design to maximize comfort. With the amount of time we spend in cars (especially because of the heavy traffic in the country), riding in an Audi prepares you for a comfortable experience indeed.

    Cutting Edge Technology

    Audi is one of the car brands that is always at the cutting edge of in-car technology, with an MMI infotainment system that’s among the best available. Its tech is also easy to understand and use, and it’s packed full of interesting features to explore.

    Variety

    This car brand boasts of one of the biggest and most varied model line-ups of any car brand, with virtually everything from any type of consumer. It’s a car brand that has built a car for almost any type of consumer. From supermini cars to SUVs to supercars, there’s something for everyone. Just decide on which of their line-ups you prefer, and after driving it for a week, you’ll very likely find it’ll suit you just right.

    Brilliant Engine

    Audi cars generally have a strong engine and transmission, that’s not too noisy with a very good throttle response. The car is able to tune out a significant amount of mechanical ‘music’ and has a great (even addictive) acceleration. However, be sure to stay within legal speed limits because careless speeding kills and can really wreck your sweet ride.

    You’ll Fall in Love

    If you’re not already in love with Audi cars, you’ll definitely fall head over heels for it after driving it for a week. Aside its strong body-shell that gives impressive protection from the occasional careless driver that collides with your car, the car is classy and elegant enough to draw quite a number of admirable looks (and/or stares) here and there. It’s also what can be called a solid car and you’re very likely to enjoy driving it, as long as you drive it responsibly, take care of it well and have a good mechanic to service and maintain it for you.

     

  • Audi, Skoda say 3.3m cars have ‘cheat’ emissions software

    Audi and Skoda say they have a total of 3.3 million cars fitted with the software that allowed parent company Volkswagen to cheat US emissions tests.
    Some 2.1 million Audis affected worldwide include 1.42 million in western Europe, with 577,000 in Germany, and almost 13,000 in the US.
    Czech-based Skoda said 1.2 million of its cars were involved, but has yet to give a country or model breakdown.
    Separately, German prosecutors started a probe against VW’s former boss.
    Former chief executive Martin Winterkorn will be investigated over “allegations of fraud in the sale of cars with manipulated emissions data,” German authorities said on Monday.
    The Audi models affected include the A1, A3, A4, A5, A6, TT, Q3 and Q5 models, a spokesman told the Reuters news agency.
    VW said last week that 11 million cars within the group could be affected.
    The scandal was revealed after the US Environmental Protection Agency found that some diesel cars were fitted with devices that could detect when the engine was being tested and could change the car’s performance to improve results.
    The German company apologised for breaching consumers’ trust, and on Friday announced that Matthias Mueller was replacing Martin Winterkorn as chief executive. Mr Mueller promised a “relentless” investigation to uncover what went wrong.
    There were also unconfirmed reports on Monday that senior R&D heads working across the car group had been suspended. Reuters said the suspensions involved staff from the Audi, Porsche and the VW brands.
    Meanwhile, Volkswagen shares continue to fall in morning trading, sinking a further 6.6 per cent in addition to last week’s tumble.
    The scandal has badly tarnished VW’s name, left it exposed to up to $18billion in US fines, and wiped a third off its stock market value in a week.
    German authorities have demanded that VW set out a timeline by October 7 on how it will ensure its diesel cars meet national emission standards without using cheat technology.

    There were widespread German media reports at the weekend that the government ignored warnings two years ago that VW was using the software. However, a government spokesman denied this.

  • Audi outsells BMW, Mercedes

    Audi outsells BMW, Mercedes

    Audi has consecutively sustained the lead in luxury car sales, edging out BMW AG’s namesake brand and fast growing Mercedes Benz in April and May respectively, the German car maker affirmed.

    Audi reported that the first five months of 2015 increased 11.7 per cent from last year to 73,353 vehicles while in May 2015 sales rose 11.0 per cent to 18, 428 vehicles, total that stands as the second-best month since the brand was launched in the United States market 45 years ago.

    The brand has similarly achieved significant sales growth in Nigeria with more than 400 units sold since the beginning of the year, Anurag Shah, Audi Centre Head of Sales and Marketing said.

    Shah attributed the growing popularity of the brand to ingenuity and some intriguing Audi models that were recently launched.

    Meanwhile the best Audi sale ever in the U.S. market was in December 2014 with 19,238 cars and SUVs.

    One of the key drivers of Audi sales gains in the US was the significant increase in demand for the A3 and S3 models that form the base of the Audi product lineup.

    Audi said May 2015 was best month on record for the A3 and S3 sedan models with 3,035 cars sold, as well as for the A3 Cabriolet with 458 cars sold. Combined, the 3,493 A3 and S3 sales trailed only the 4,280 sales of the popular Audi Q5 and SQ5 crossovers in the Audi results.

    “A year after launching the new A3 models, we are seeing payoff from our bold decision to re-imagine a key component of the Audi lineup and take advantage of a luxury car segment poised to take off,” said Scott Keogh, President, Audi of America.

    He said: “The record sales for the A3 and S3 sedans, along with the A3 Cabriolet, show this was a risk well worth taking. And we aren’t done yet with the all-new A3 Sportback e-tron coming this fall as the first plug-in Audi.”

    Notwithstanding, May represented strong demand for Audi luxury SUVs with a 36.7 per cent increase encompassing the Audi Q3, Q5 and Q7 models. The Q5 posted an 11.6 per cent increase from a year earlier, and the Q7 posted a 25.3 per cent increase from last May. The Audi Q3 wasn’t available in May 2014.

    Audi Certified pre-owned vehicle sales also achieved their second-highest total for any month and the best May ever with a 5.8 per cent gain on 4,405 CPO vehicles sold. Audi CPO sales year-to-date increased 8.3 per cent.

    Audi currently holds the longest running record sales streak in the premium car market according to a competitive sales report from motorintelligence.com

  • Audi to launch three new SUVs by 2020

    Audi to launch three new SUVs by 2020

    Audi is planning to launch three new Sport Utility Vehicles (SUVs) by the end of the decade, including a Q1 crossover, range-topping Q8 and one with electric drivetrain.

    This was revealed during the carmaker’s 126th Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Neckarsulm. The cars are a few of the newcomers which will take its range to 60 models by 2020 – up from 52 in 2015. The company will invest €24billion (£17billion) in its facilities by the end of 2019, developing new technologies and increasing production capacity.

    New SUV models will arrive starting with the Q1 next year, which Audi confirmed in 2013 will be underpinned by the same platform used in the A3 and broaden the A1 family to include a crossover version. The Q8 – which will take on the Mercedes-Benz GL-Class (soon to renamed the GLS) will follow in 2019 and is likely to share its platform with the new Q7 launching later this year.

    There are fewer details about the third SUV, which Audi says will be a sports-focused model featuring an electric drivetrain, due in 2018. This could denote fully-electric system similar to the forthcoming Tesla Model X, or possibly a plug-in hybrid or range-extender setup – both of which have been displayed in concept cars and production models.

    Audi says the newcomers will set out the foundations for ongoing growth. The carmaker delivered 591,000 cars in the first four months of the year and, with the new Q7 and A4 arriving during 2015, it expects this to be a record year.

  • Self-driving cars and accidents

    Self-driving cars and accidents

    When the self-driving car was first introduced officially a couple of years back, the incidents of auto-crash were expected to become a thing of the past.

    Meanwhile, the new innovation is not impeccable in its self as faults are beginning to emerge. These faults are either man-made or failure in the part of technology.

    According to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), in less than thirty years self driving cars will make up 75% of all cars on the road.

    And these would raise the question of how many human beings are ready to commit their lives to the care of a car driving itself through the use of radars.

    The IEED also projected that the number of more autonomous cars by 2040 will provide world traffic lights; stop signals or any visible signals.

    “Intersection equipped with sensors, cameras and radars that can monitor and control traffic flow to help eliminate drivers’ collision and promote a more efficient flow of traffic,” said Dr. Azim Eskandarian of the IEEE.

    It was believed that the production of more self-driving cars will bring about decrease in accident rate, reduction of fuel consumption and decrease in traffic jams.

    We also would not forget the lacuna of job unemployment that would be left open across the global.

    But on the contrary, a couple of accidents have been recorded. Maybe not at the same rate as in the case of manned cars anyways.

    It was recently reported that four out of the about 50 self-driving cars rolling in California were involved in accident since September when the state issued permits to companies to test them on public roads.

    Two of the four cars involved were reportedly in self driving mode and Google, a major partner in the production of the cars, would not discuss the incidents in details.

    In an October 2014 accident involving Delphi, the front of its 2014 Audi Sq5 was moderately damaged when hit from the side by another car while it was waiting to make a left turn.

    In a statement, it claimed that since September, cars driving on streets near its headquarter in mountain view had a handful of minor fender benders, light damages and no injuries.

    Google, who blamed the accidents on female drivers also added that the accidents were caused by human error and inattention.

    According to reports, five other companies have testing permits and they all said no accident so far.

  • Audi expands investment with €24 billion

    Audi expands investment with €24 billion

    Audi is expanding the biggest investment programme in its history. From 2015 through 2019, the Ingolstadt-based company plans to invest €24 billion, which is €2 billion more than in the previous planning period. Seventy  percent of the investment will flow into the development of new models and technologies. Audi aims to meet stringent CO2 limits worldwide with a new generation of extremely economical combustion engines and alternative efficiency technologies. Furthermore, new features in the areas of connectivity and driver assistance are designed to extend the “Vorsprung durch Technik” of the brand with the four rings. At the same time, the company is expanding its worldwide production network. More than half of the planned investment will take place at the German sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.

    Audi plans to develop new cutting-edge technologies and to create additional production capacities worldwide in the next five years through large-scale investment.

    “We place top priority on sustainable growth. That’s why we are making large investments in the innovative areas of electric mobility, connectivity and lightweight construction,” stated Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management (CEO) of AUDI AG. The company is also pushing ahead with the expansion of its global production network.

    The total investment volume of €24 billion comprises approximately €17 billion of investment in property, plant and equipment and €7 billion of capitalised development costs.

    “Seventy percent of all our investment in the next five years will flow into new models and innovative technologies,” explained Board of Management Member for Finance (CFO) Axel Strotbek.

    “Despite the growth in total investment, we will keep a watchful eye on the upcoming challenges and exercise the required cost discipline,” stated the CFO. Top priority is being placed on progressing as efficiently as possible. The expansion of international manufacturing structure and higher advance expenditure for new models and technologies, in particular to meet stricter CO2 limits worldwide, require enormous efforts from the entire workforce.

    In order to fulfill the ambitious CO2 limits, the company is working not only on the next generation of fuel-efficient gasoline and diesel engines, but also on plug-in hybrids such as the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, which became available in the first markets at the end the year.

    “We are constantly further developing alternative drive systems and focusing above all on connecting the car with its digital environment,” said Dr Ulrich Hackenberg, Audi’s Board of Management Member for Technical Development. “The car will communicate with the driver, the Internet, the infrastructure and other vehicles, while moving in an environmentally friendly manner.” The new Audi TT is a pacemaker in terms of seamless connectivity. Its integrated Audi virtual cockpit, which merges a combination of instruments and an MMI screen into a central digital unit, sets new standards.

  • Audi storms LA show with Prologue

    Audi storms LA show with Prologue

    The Los Angeles (LA) Auto Show is one of the events that prepares the mind for new vehicles. There are big announcements and debuts from automakers. Audi has chosen this year’s show to unveil its new Prologue, writes TAJUDEEN ADEBANJO with agency addition.

    Nowhere are looks as directly proportional to value as in Los Angeles, California. Fitting, then, that Audi chose to unveil its latest concept, the Prologue, among the palms, producers and plutocrats of the Hollywood Hills.

    The Audi Prologue concept can essentially be thought of as an A9; at least, that is where it would fit into the brand’s lineup, as a two-door A8. Revealed last week in Los Angeles, the stunning coupe actually serves as the template for Audi’s future design ambitions, and the low-slung stance, muscular bodywork, and the sharp, accentuated features will find their way on to the new A7 and A6 sedans.

    If nothing else, the Prologue is perhaps the most soberly named concept car in recent memory, as its chief purpose is to announce the brand’s new design direction, now under the full influence of Audi design chief and Volkswagen design graduate Mark Lichte. The Prologue is effectively Audi’s new Rosetta Stone.

    But why would Audi, a brand that few individuals possessed of eyeballs would accuse of homely styling, need to change its design direction? As the world’s second-largest luxury car brand by volume behind BMW, and contributor of 40 per cent of the entire VW Group’s total profits, it clearly is doing something right.

    “Never sit still,” Lichte said.

    Indeed, some keen observers have grown less expectant of new Audis in recent years. The cars are all pleasing, attractive and discernable as Audis, but differentiation has diminished among the model ranges. While this builds cohesion, it leaves little opportunity for distinction or charisma, particularly in the sedan classes, where the pricing brackets could span a range of over $100,000 between the A3 and top-line A8.

    Key influences for Lichte and his team were the mechanicals beneath the metal; engineering considerations were top of mind in the design studio. As in human physiology, Lichte is able to suggest what is under the skin in muscle and bone. And in Audi’s case, those immutable innards are Quattro all-wheel-drive and a front-mounted, 4-litre twin-turbo engine, sited just ahead of the front axle line. The front weight bias and all-wheel-drive foundation simplified and clarified the design task, Lichte said.

    The Prologue’s grille is lower, wider and a touch more angular than other Audi maws, flanked by thin, icy headlamps. The air intakes beneath the headlamps can therefore be “technological”, in Lichte’s words. Some might take that to mean “busy”, but with simple lighting elements above, the Prologue can afford the pizzazz.

    Out back, severely raked rear glass contrasts with the more upright windshield. The greater intrigue, though, is the rear glass’s slightly concave shape, which suggests that the C-pillars – the solid buttresses behind the rear-passenger glass – are sail panels. This also affords a more expansive trunk deck, and ultimately more luggage space. A liftgate was never considered for the Prologue, Lichte said, even though the car’s profile sooner evokes a fastback like Audi’s svelte A7.

    Finally, reinforcing Audi’s position as the industry’s most lighting-conscious brand,  LED taillights are highly three-dimensional, with strong texture and a light-band element that runs the width of the trunk lid – an element that Lichte said will distinguish many future models.

    Inside, the pillar-less roof design pays dividends, yielding a clean, airy interior accented by sharp horizontal planes and a near total lack of buttons and dials.

    “I worked the last 17 years almost exclusively on exteriors,” Lichte said. “I don’t actually have a lot of interior experience, but I have a vision for the future Audi interior. We want simple, integrated displays, not only because simplicity is better, but because integrated electronic displays make it possible to present all the vast information drivers want and need today and tomorrow.” That thinking is already apparent in the TT sports coupe, which foregoes a traditional centre-mounted display in favour of a multifunction gauge cluster, right at the driver’s line of sight.

    Though the early intel on the Prologue suggested it would light the way for a new, standalone model, Audi is in no mood to talk particulars. Lichte did allow, however, that the cues worn by the concept car will be brought to bear on the flagship A8 sedan for the 2016 model year.

  • Audi to recall 102,000 cars

    Audi to recall 102,000 cars

    The German automobile manufacturer, Audi, is set to recall about 102,000 luxury cars in the United States.

    The German auto giant is recalling the luxury cars because the front air bags may not inflate in a crash.

    According to information from Audi headquarters in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany, the recall covers certain A4 and S4 cars from the 2013 through 2015 model years, plus the 2013 through 2015 Audi allroad.

    “It is part of a wider global recall that the company announced last week, covering about 850,000 vehicles from the 2013 to 2015 model years,” Audi recounted.

    Dealers will update an improperly programmed air bag control module to fix the problem sometime this month.

    Audi said that in rare cases the air bags may not inflate in a secondary impact. That can increase the risk of injury.

    No crashes or injuries have been reported in the U.S or Europe, an Audi spokesman said.

    But the company is checking a small number of cases in Europe to see if they are linked to air bag programming.

    The company said in documents posted by U.S safety regulators that the problem was discovered in tests carried out in August.

  • Audi boosts investments through 2018

    Audi boosts investments through 2018

    Germany’s Audi said it would invest about 22 billion euros ($30.1 billion) in new models, plants and technology in the five years through 2018.

    That equates to 4.4 billion euros a year, compared with 2.6 billion in the carmaker’s budget of December 2011.

    People familiar with the matter told Reuters earlier this month that Audi planned to increase spending as the luxury carmaker steps up efforts to catch larger competitor BMW .

    Audi, a division of Volkswagen, said on Friday that 70 percent of its planned investment was earmarked for new models and technology, and more than half of the sum would go to its German sites in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm.

     

    Source: www.reuters.com