Audi A7 2011 News

As the new global boss of VW promises to compensate customers for a loss in resale value, lawyers are lining up in Australia to represent more owners of cars with software that can cheat diesel emissi

But a number of other car makers took out awards in the Automotive and Transport category including the Peugeot 3008 and Kia Optima which received Design Awards. The Peugeot RCZ, Hyundai Elantra and the all new Ford Ranger utility were also commended for Good Design. The recently launched Audi A7 four-door coupe was the named overall winner of the category. Director of Good Design Australia, Brandon Gien, said award winners were the result of unwavering dedication to good design and commitment to a professional design process. "Innovation, creativity and attention to detail are clearly at the heart of each project," he said. This latest design accolade adds to the growing number of awards the A7 Sportback has received since launch, including the highly-sought after Auto Bild Design Summit. In 1958, a small group of design and industry professionals established the Industrial Design Council of Australia (IDCA). Today, more than 50 years later, the Australian International Design Awards — a division of Good Design Australia — continues this proud tradition to recognise the best in design and innovation available to Australian consumers.

Last year was the company's best ever year in global terms, with sales up 15 per cent to 1.09 million vehicles, the books in the black and a target of 1.2 million for this year.The brand's Australian arm also scored it's best-ever result - 12,900 cars last year, a 14 per cent increase thanks in no small part to seven new variants.  So far this year the brand is on target for it's volume aims, but Audi Australia managing director Uwe Hagen is determined to do more than watch the numbers."The cars need to be desirable as part of a premium brand, getting smiles from those on the side of the road.  It's not just about volume in the A7, if we get the right people into this car - in sales, you get the captain, you get the soldiers," he says.The Audi Australia product catalgue will have the 4.2-litre turbodiesel engine as well as a long-wheelbase model for the new A8 range, as well as the new A6 and the Q3 mini-SUV next year.Mr Hagen says it's a 9.5 billion Euro investment over the next five years in new product, done with the backing of the VW group - something for which he does not apologise."Volkswagen is a group of 7.2 million cars, if I'm buying 7.2 million batteries or one million batteries, VW gets them cheaper but it's the same quality, the market strength is an advantage," he says."If we develop a new electronic system, it's not a disadvanatge because the development can be integrated in different products, you can share the knowledge.  Saving money is an intelligent smart way, without losing the idea of the product - we are convinced of this with our brand, we would be stupid not to take advantage of this large group," he says.Leaner costs help the bottom line and new models boost the sales numbers, but Mr Hagen is also looking to the "pre-owned" side of the business to bring new people into the Audi family - "it's a huge chance to get people into the brand."Audi says its "Approved:plus" vehicles are inspected and come backed with a factory two-year unlimited-kilometre warranty with roadside assist.  Mr Hagen says the after sales side - and customer satisfaction - are also important weapons in building customer loyalty, likening it to interest in a bank account.Mr Hagen said the word of mouth is important for a brand, as people are more critical when giving a recommendation.  "The most challenging thing for a premium brand is customer expectation," he says.

Its Mercedes CLS lookalike, the A7, arrives before mid-year in 2011 as a Sportback but already Audi has hinted at convertible and a coupe spinoffs. There's even an S7 and RS7 in the wings that are set to take on the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and Jaguar's supercharged XJ Sports. The A7 sits tightly between the A6 and A8 sedans and shares engines and transmissions. It has the same platform as the Audi A8, but gets the CLS tear-drop styling treatment and a cheaper price. Audi Australia isn't talking about the A7 but expect a top-line 4.2-litre V8 quattro to cost about $195,000. That's a $10,000 discount on the A8 with the same mechanical specifications. Audi Australia spokesperson Nadine Giusti says 'we cannot yet give you timing for local market launch. It will arrive here in 2011 but we cannot be more specific than that - it is too early for us to confirm'. However, she says hopes are high for sales success. "We believe the car will do extremely well here," she says. The A7 is to get Audi's ubiquitous 3-litre V6 turbo-diesel, which is likely to be the entry-level version, and get a price tag of about $140,000. Audi is aiming to lure CLS fans and pick up those enamoured by BMW's 5-Series GT. Getting buyers into the four-ring brand starts with the A7's style, then extends to features including the panoramic glass roof, high-end leather and wood, large pop-up monitor, electric rear hatch, acoustic windscreen and optional heads-up display. The four-seater has a huge rear hatch over a luggage area of 535 litres, expanding to 1390 litres with the split rear seats folded flat. The Audi A7 comes out of the Audi Sportback Concept that went on show at the Detroit motor show three years ago. It gets carry over items such as 20-inch wheels, LED tail lights and front eyebrows, and the long tapered rear deck. Future models based on the A7 Sportback are a cabrio - which will be Audi's biggest ragtop and take on the Mercedes E-Class and even SL models, and a coupe to rival the Mercedes E-Class and BMW 6-Series.

The A1 will be followed by the A7 four-door coupe and a compact Q1 soft-roader, with e-Tron electric cars and a family of hybrids also on the drawing board in Germany.  The rest of this year is relatively quiet for Audi in Australia, once the latest A8 flagship and R8 roadster hit the road, but then things will explode."Once 2010 is over there is a fireworks display of new products arriving," says Uwe Hagen, the new managing director of Audi Australia.  "You can expect we are bringing new products. We have, more or less, new offers in every segment."(But) we're not launching models because we feel like it. It has to make sense."  Audi plans to have 42 models in its showrooms by 2015, up from 27 today, and Hagen says many will - like the A1 - bring converts to the brand."The premium market is growing in Australia, but I think we have taken more than other participants. In 2010 we are going for another year of growth."Hagen says Audi is working to a new corporate goal, Strategy 2020, after laying the groundwork for annual sales of one million cars, a new-look dealer network and breakthrough technologies in its Route 15 blueprint."The customer is our focus points. We have to delight our customers.  That is the centre of our work, our mission.  Volume is not our number one goal." Audi is not promising to become global number one on the sales front, which would mean demoting BMW, but is aiming for a broad sweep of successes in everything from profitability to customer satisfaction.In Australia, the sales total is likely to pass 15,000 cars by 2015 but Hagen is focussed on other areas of his business including service and secondhand values.  "Sales will sell the first car, then all the others are coming through the service," he says.His approach is more restrained than the all-out showroom push of recent years which has seen Audi rated consistently as the country's fastest growing brand across all categories.  "I think if we follow this path we will see the last 10 years did not come by chance."

And the Carparazzi picture car this week is being hussled at high speed around the Nurburgring in Germany.  And the curvy roofline and low-to-the-road suspension settings do suggest something similar to the BMW 5 Series Gran Turismo. But this is actually an Audi, and the newest segment-buster from the German brand.  The test car is the A7, which arrives in 2011 as a sporty alternative to the A8 luxury limousine at the top of the family tree. The design is a lot like the A5 Sportback — and the car is expected to be called A7 Sportback — but it picks up its inspiration from the Mercedes-Benz CLS and is likely to be shopped against BMW's new 5 Series GT. Carparazzi shooters report the A7 is as big as the A8, but with a much more rounded roofline and a hatchback rear end. With some of the camouflage stripped away it is much more dramatic, too, than the A8 with a chiselled look and sports-set suspension. The A7 is likely to be revealed at either the upcoming Moscow Auto Salon or the Paris Motor Show in October, with Australian sales in the second half of next year.

That is all we need to know, to also know this is the upcoming Audi A7.   It's the latest in the new breed of rounded-roof sedans that promise the practicality of a family-sized interior with the style advantage of a coupe.Audi has done a good job on camouflage with the A7, but the side-on shots show the way the roofline slopes down into the hatchback tail but still leaves enough space for usable back doors.  Mercedes-Benz got things going with its CLS four-door, Volkswagen came up with the Passat CC, BMW has its GT and soon Audi will have the A7.Audi is going for the top-end approach with the A7, from its signature quattro drive - obvious from the snow spray from the front wheels in our Carparazzi scoop pictures - to a new turbocharged V8 engine and a V8 turbodiesel with around 800 Newton-metres to feed through a seven- speed automatic gearbox.

Icy winds and snow are blowing across Motown, dumping on the auto capital of the world at a time when American politicians are applying relentless pressure for a major shift in the way that General M

Everything from an A5 cabrio, A5 Sportback, A4 Allroad wagon, A7 four-door sports coupe, A1 Sportsback, Q3 off-roader and R8 convertible is on the books.But Audi Australia is not revealing just what is likely to head to Australia.Audi Australia general manager of marketing, Immo Buschmann, is giving little away on the new arrivals, only confirmed the early 2009 launch of the Q5 off-roader.However, he hints that an A5 Sportsback and maybe an A4 Allroad were on the cards."But we have not decided," he says.He says he is unaware specifically what the Germany headquarters has in store for Australia regarding new models.Recently, Audi AG's product development chief, Michael Dick, revealed to European media that Audi's range of 22 vehicles will grow with another 18 "in our heads".It is believed the A5 convertible will be unveiled in Europe before the end of the year with an A5 Sportback arriving next year, followed by the Q3.The A5 Sportback will be designed to fill a gap between the A4 Avant and A6 Avant.Performance derivatives are believed to be among the mix, with an R5 and RS5 mooted.One thing is clear though, the huge investment local dealers have taken in new "Terminal" showrooms will pay off.The first "Terminal" dealership cost $12 million and is located in Sydney's Five Dock.It is the first of a design that will be adopted globally."Our dealers have invested heavily to be able to display and sell these new cars," he says."The Q5 is our next big launch."Audi is expected to launch the car with a tough Trans-Continental drive through Outback Australia like the successful Q7 launch.Speaking at the launch of the RS6 Avant, Buschmann, says although the focus on RS is to maintain exclusivity, he admitted that in the future, the company may have to broaden the RS thinking."If there is demand to broaden the RS portfolio then we will look at it," he says."The ethos of the RS is entirely up to our product strategists."But I imagine we would look at a top-down approach when we look at eligible RS cars, those that have the necessary DNA." 

Germany had previously said the baby four-wheel-drive, which is a size down from the M-Class and pitched directly into battle against BMW's X3 and the upcoming Audi A7, would not be produced in right-hand-drive, ruling it out for local showrooms.But now the man who heads research and development at Daimler has raised hopes that it could, after all, make it here. Dr Thomas Weber, at the opening of the Detroit motor show, gave a hint there is a small chance the decision will be reversed in time for Australian customers to get the car, which the company is showing publicly for the first time.“So far, its not finally decided,” Weber says. “The focus is on the left-hand-drive market. I know there are some discussions in all the other markets. We will see.”The GLK was launched in Detroit in two versions — the urban-focused Townside and the more adventurous Freeside — with an economical and eco-friendly turbocharged 125kW Bluetec common-rail direct injection diesel four-cylinder with 4Matic all-wheel-drive system.GLK is Daimler's response to the global boom in compact softroaders and Mercedes-Benz knows the GLK must become an important contender in a segment which reaches as far down as the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V at the bottom end.“We are a huge player in the SUV segment,” Daimler chairman Dieter Zetsche says. “Now, with the GLK, we have a model for it.“It's an important part of our growth strategy. We see huge potential in Europe, in the US and also in other parts of the world.”However, the right-hand-drive markets would likely have to commit to considerable volume to get a decision in their favour.“Really important will be what is the volume behind it,” Weber says.“It costs a lot of money.“And so we need volume. It takes some action to make a left-hand-drive AWD vehicle right-hand-drive.”Still, he concedes the importance of having the GLK for all countries.Mercedes wants lift overall sales to fight BMW and Audi on all fronts.GLK might also be a launchpad for the upcoming hybrid models.“But, of course, we need all these technology packages also for markets with right-hand systems,” Weber says. “The next question is what will be possible later on with hybrids.The good news for Australia is that it would be relatively easy and fast to prepare a right-hand drive model.“No real technical issues. Again, it's a question of volume behind it and what are the costs,” Weber says.“But all the countries with right-hand-drive at the moment, they are building up a team to discuss this issue: how can we handle this for the future, what the question for the engineering is, how fast in the future can we come with right-hand-drive cars to the market?”