Audi's Half-yearly Sales Up 100 Percent

German luxury car manufacturer Audi reported a 100 percent increase in its sales for the first half of the calendar year.

It has sold 2,802 cars from January to June 2011 as compared to 1,400 units sold in the corresponding period last year.

"Given our outstanding performance in the first six months of the year, we will soon surpass our 2010 annual sale of 3,003 cars," said Michael Perschke, head, Audi India.

The luxury carmaker's sales during the last month grew by 75 percent with sales of 408 cars as against 233 cars in June 2010.

According to the company, the brand is in the process of repeating in the Indian market some proven growth strategies used in the Chinese market, such as aggressively marketing the product, qualitative network growth and strong brand-building process.

"Audi India has adopted an aggressive product strategy this year with the launch of a slew of class-defining models," the company said in a statement.

The statement further said that China has overtaken Germany as the single biggest market for Audi, while the Indian and US markets were the fastest growing regions for the company.

Currently, the company offers a range of cars including A4, A6, A8, A7 Sportback, Q5, Q7, RS5, R8 and R8 Spyder.

Audi car sales set to overtake Mercedes

German carmaker Audi is set to sell more vehicles worldwide than luxury rival Mercedes for the first time ever next year.

The University of Duisburg's Centre of Automotive Research forecast mighty Mercedes will fall to third place after BMW and Audi, which is owned by Volkswagen, amid surging demand for fancy German cars in China.

Ferdinand Dudenhoffer, the director of the university's centre, said Audi’s better market share in the fast-growing Asian country would allow it to overtake Daimler’s Mercedes brand for sales in 2010.

"While Mercedes will remain the German market leader in the premium segment with slightly fewer than 260,000 sold vehicles, Mercedes lead will melt by nearly 20,000 cars," the study said, pointing to Audi's increasing advantages in pricing and productivity.

The biggest factor weighing on Mercedes car sales appears to be that its cars are more expensive than Audi's.

Audi is able to keep its costs lower through its ties to Volkswagen, which means it can use components and car platforms made for several VW models. The study also calculated that Mercedes could eliminate around 17,000 positions if its car workers had the same level of productivity found at Audi plants.

"Mercedes has far too many workers and does too much on its own," said Dudenhoffer.

Clarkson on the Audi Q7 V12 TDI

Last year, Audi announced the most insane version of its Audi Q7 SUV yet in the form of the Q7 V12 TDI. The V12 is an all-new diesel engine that, for now at least, only has a home in the Q7, but at some future date, it may appear in some other VW group products. The V12 produces 500 hp and a ridiculous 758 lb-ft of torque, enough to get the 2.5-ton SUV to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.

While Audi has said it has no plans to bring the V12 Q7 TDI to America, Top Gear mouthpiece Jeremy Clarkson got to try one out and came away with mixed feelings. Like many people, Clarkson is no fan of the Audi Q7's looks and thinks the whole premise of the vehicle is ridiculous. On the other hand, brute force does have a way of twisting people's opinions and this big Audi proves to be no exception.

Generally, any sporting motorcycle can leave a four-wheeled conveyance in the dust. Apparently, this Audi Q7 is the exception, as Clarkson was supposedly able to keep pace with Top Gear co-host Richard Hammond on a Suzuki Hayabusa. Even with all this power, the V12 TDI is still rated at 21 mpg (U.S.) on the EU combined cycle. In Clarkson's own words, "Mad. Bonkers. Stupid. [...] It's crap. But it's brilliant too." Too bad they canceled the R8 with this engine.

[Source: The Times of London]

Audi A3 Hybrid Coming?

We all know that the German car maker is apparently busy in making Audi R8 Spyder that would debut in 2011. But what about hybrid vehicles? Most auto companies are aggressively working on hybrids. We had Lexus who just debuted the 450h a few months back.


Now auto news website, Auto Car, is reporting that Audi has confirmed that A3 hybrid is on its way. It is, apparently, being developed as a part of the VW TwinDrive programme. For the uninitiated, it is a programme that will also make a hybrid VW Golf. Coming back to the Audi, the small car is expected to feature a 105bhp 1.6-litre, four-cylinder diesel engine that has a 30kW electric motor. It will drive the front wheels while the rear wheels will be powered by two 30kW in-wheel motors.

Though the German carmaker has confirmed that the Audi A3 Hybrid is on its way, there was no word on the release dates. However, insiders have tipped off that the car could offer fleet trials from 2012. If you are wondering about the battery pack in the motors, well, it will be a 12kWh lithium ion unit that would have the capability of being charged through the mains. Expect the top speed to be up to 106 mph.

2009 Audi R8 Review

The 2009 Audi R8 looks every bit the exotic, a silhouette that seems designed for high-speed runs with extensive ductwork for engine cooling and brake venting, and huge wheels with a staggered size, front to back. Stunning details such as the LED light bar at the front and a glass engine cover that displays the LED-illuminated engine make it resemble a museum piece.

The entire vehicle weighs only about 3,400 pounds and has a near-perfect (rear-biased) weight distribution to take advantage of the engine's mounting, just behind the front seats. The R8's lightweight construction and racing-inspired details are derived from Audi's experience with the racecar of the same name.

Though the engine in the 2009 Audi R8 isn't particularly torquey for a V-8—it needs to be revved a bit to extract all the power—it delivers very brisk performance with either the standard six-speed manual or optional R-tronic gearbox. The manual gearbox has distinctive metal shift gates inside and shifts easily; the R-tronic gearbox can shift roughly in leisurely driving, but it's the choice for track driving, where it nails down shifts faster than the most experienced drivers and blips the throttle expertly on downshifts to maintain control.

You don’t have to drive the R8 at illegal speeds to enjoy it, though it sure does have a presence on the racetrack. The R8 feels hefty and stable at triple-digit speeds, while also managing to convey lightness and nimbleness at low speeds. Meanwhile, the all-wheel-drive system, which can send up to 35 percent of torque to the front wheels, puts the power to the pavement without drama. And the sound from the V-8 is a nice baritone, but not so loud that it brings on fatigue.

The 2009 Audi R8 is about five inches longer than the Lamborghini Gallardo (with which it’s somewhat mechanically related) and has several more inches of seat travel and legroom than the Italian stallion; even tall people will find the R8 ample in space. Headroom isn't tight once you're in, but some might bump their head on entry or exit. The layout of the cockpit area is very driver-centric, like that of a racecar, with controls and displays angled toward the driver. The R8's interior lacks storage compartments and cubbies for small personal items, and cargo space is limited to a modest area underhood at the front of the car and a cargo shelf that's good only for a small duffel bag.

Major options on the 2009 Audi R8 include carbon-fiber trim, upgraded leather upholstery, a navigation system, a parking-sensor system, and premium Bang & Olufsen sound.

The 2009 Audi R8 hasn’t been crash tested by either of the U.S. testing programs—and it probably won’t because of its low-volume production—but a performance-oriented electronic stability control system is standard on the R8, along with side impact airbags and dual knee airbags.