Audi A8 News

The car that could drive you to work -- and then park itself after it drops you at the front door -- is just around the corner.German maker Audi says the technology is ready to take the daily grind out of stop-start traffic, the only barrier is government regulations.But don’t expect to be able to read a newspaper, do your makeup or update your social media status while on the move. The company plans to install technology to make sure the driver is still alert.“To hand over control in stop and go traffic, we are there,” the head of Audi’s technical development, Wolfgang Durheimer, told News Limited at the Geneva motor show overnight.“The future has arrived. We know how to do it. But you cannot sit in the back seat. It will monitor whether the driver is still there and as soon as you disappear from your driver’s position, we will stop the car and it will activate the emergency brake.”The car can also intervene if the driver is not paying full attention. “We have the intelligence in the car. We have the cameras, the radar detection, the sensors, the speed limiters. The next step is to monitor the driver and look at eye contact. If they are not concentrating we can blow a horn or shake the seat.”Audi and its partner company Volkswagen are also well progressed with technology that will enable cars to go and park themselves with the touch of a smartphone. “You will be able to tap your phone and the car goes and parks itself,” Durheimer said. “Later, when you want to go home, you press the phone again and the car will come to collect you.”However the autonomous parking system only works in car parks equipped with the same technology. The company has a demonstration facility at its test centre in California. The system is ready and could be available on customer cars as early as 2015. “We just now wait for customer demand,” he said.Audi says the “piloted driving” systems will more likely arrive on its next generation flagship limousine, the A8, the current version of which costs about $200,000 in Australia. “We talk about piloted driving because a pilot is always alert ... ready to take over,” he says. It is most likely that government regulations will only allow autonomous driving systems to work at low speeds, less than 20km/h.“We want to help the driver in traffic jams and boring situations that absorb energy and waste time, not take total control at high speed,” he said. Audi is already running trials of autonomous cars in its hometown of Ingolstadt in Germany. To date it has no reports of crashes.Meanwhile Google says the only time one of its experimental automated cars was involved in a crash, it was due to driver error.This reporter is on Twitter: @JoshuaDowling 

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.

Audi built its first hybrid production car in 1996 - the Audi duo, driven by a TDI engine and an electric motor.  But it has taken until now for the German manufacturer to begin producing its follow-up hybrid. Audi group communications, product and technology manager Josef Schlossmacher says they will begin making the "first hybrid model of the present generation" in the next few months.  It will be the Q5 hybrid with a 157kW 2.0-litre TFSI engine and a 25kW electric motor. "Following, we will also bring into the market hybrid versions of our big sedans, A8 early in 2012 and a couple of months later the A6," he says.  "At Audi we are convinced that hybrid cars are an important step to the fully electrical drivetrain of the future." However, Australia may not see hybrid Audis for some time yet.  Audi Australia corporate communications manager Nadine Giusti says the Q5 hybrid will only be built in left-hand drive, "so we cannot bring the car here".

It’s a real shakeup for the large luxury segment at the $200k-plus price point. For a very few, this car’s a real contender.  Audi will generate demand for plenty of A3s, 4s, 5s and 6s simply by fielding this flagship. It really is only a very few people who buy cars in this upmarket segment too: statistically, fewer than one in 20,000 Australians (and just over one in 1000 car buyers) jump into this rarefied atmosphere. It’s really the difference between flying first class and economy. So, what’s the new A8 like? The 4.2 V8 FSI-powered A8 is a glorious drive.  As a luxury flagship the A8 is sportier than you’d expect. Getting the balance of engagement and luxury right must be a tough act – but with this car, Audi’s engineers have got it right. The 4.2 FSI engine delivers 273kW and 445Nm – a step up from the predecessor – and yet the A8 still returns 9.5L/100km in the official combined cycle fuel test.  It’s also 0.4 seconds quicker to 100km/h, compared with its predecessor. This is all thanks in part to the aluminium body, plus a commitment to efficiency-based developments (lower friction, better thermal management, and even an on-demand oil pump) that Audi says make the car 13 per cent more efficient overall. There’s even an eight-speed tiptronic with shift-by-wire technology rendering mechanical linkages obsolete. Then there’s the super slippery drag coefficient: 0.26.  The A8 went on sale in September with the 4.2 FSI petrol V8 – the first in a range of variations due in coming months, some of which (like the stretched A8 L long-wheelbase luxury flagship) you will get an exclusive preview of at the Show. Versions in the pipeline include the 3.0-litre TDI and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI (coming in that order). There’s no word yet on ‘when’ for the S8, but it’s going to be a standout. This new car is packed with technology – including a touchpad for inputting data into the multimedia interface by scrawling them with the tip of your finger. Nice. Safety? You bet. A raft of hi-tech features that blur the line between passive and active safety-tech. Audi calls it Pre Sense, which takes action – like shutting the windows and tensioning the seatbelts  - if it thinks you’re likely to crash. The system can detect threat from in front, from behind and at the side. It also warns the driver, pre-fills the brakes and – if warnings are ignored – is capable of whipping up a textbook emergency stop. It has a four-stage intervention approach – usurping control from the driver only as a last resort. There is also a really neat night vision option. Using a forward-looking infrared camera the system displays the scene ahead on a screen between the tacho and the speedo. Animals and pedestrians are detected as far away as 300m – beyond the range of the headlights – and smart software analyses their movement. Anything that’s detected gets a yellow box painted around it. Threats likely to move in front of the car are wrapped in a red box. It’s both useful and very, very cool. In a James Bond kind of way.

Audi is launching its luxurious all-alloy A8 saloon this month with stop-start technology - becoming Australia's first car with a full-automatic transmission to use the fuel-saving feature.  It will be standard only on Audi's 3-litre V6 turbo-diesel model that has an eight-speed Tiptronic automatic. Bosch, which makes the stop-go system and to date has produced 1.5 million units, says that in a full automatic, it can save up to 8 per cent of fuel by automatically turning off the engine when the car is stationary. The engine restarts simply by the driver taking pressure off the brake pedal. Audi isn't alone. BMW Australia says the new X3 SUV, expected here early next year, will be the first fully-automatic petrol fuelled car with the fuel-saving feature.  Currently, some car makers offer stop-start only in models fitted with manual transmissions. This month, BMW introduced its M3 range with stop-start, including the dual-clutch automatic models.  "Technically, the M3 has an automated manual gearbox and unlike the X3's full-auto with torque convertor," says BMW Australia spokesman Piers Scott. Bosch has made stop-go systems for the DSG transmission of the Volkswagen Passat and Porsche Panamera, the Fiat 500's automated manual, and the conventional torque convertor of the Audi A8 diesel.  Bosch claims the stop-go system in an automatic transmission will reduce fuel consumption and CO2 emissions by up to 5 per cent on the highway and up to 8 per cent in the city.

The new German flagship has a handwriting recognition system, can plot the greenest routes to minimise emissions, and even has a satnav- linked systems to prevent upshifts on twisty roads or accelerating past a freeway exit.Three-dimensional maps from Google Earth, with roads superimposed onto the real-world view, will eventually also be available through the MMI system that links the driver to the car.There is luxury, too, in everything from diamond-stitched leather seat trim to ambient interior lighting with different colour schemes and the usual electric seats, multi-stage aircon, and concert-class sound system.  It all comes wrapped in a new body, with a chunkier, masculine look and signature LED running lamps in the nose.But Audi is making the running on technology and luxury as it works the angles to win customers who are currently committed to the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousines.  The A8 will probably cost a little more in Australia than the current model, which starts at $165,900."It will be here around the middle of the year. We're saying the second half but it will be in the early part of the third quarter," says Audi spokesperson, Anna Burgdorf.  "The lead cars will be the two V8s, the petrol and diesel. That's what we'll launch with here in Australia."She is slightly vague on exact details, but only because the new A8 was only revealed last week at an art-themed preview in Miami, Florida. Production will not begin for several months although Carsguide will have a preview drive report from Europe in February."It's too early for us to say. We are still planning the detail. We will definitely look at all that technology, but I cannot confirm it for Australia. It's all available, but it's a question of what we get and if it's standard or optional."  There is a similar response on pricing."There will be a small increase, because there are a host of new technologies in the cars. But it will be close to par with the current car," Burgdorf says.  The headline act for the new alloy A8 is the updated MMI system, called 'touch'. It allows written input of satnav addresses and the system can recognise Cyrillic, Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean characters.The latest satnav is linked to the stop-and-go cruise control, adaptive lighting and automatic gearbox, providing more driver support systems.  The MMI can also have an internet connection and onboard Wifi to create an onboard hotspot.Audi says the A8's V8 petrol engine is 13 per cent more economical and the latest diesel V8 has 800 Newton-metres of torque, allowing a 0-100km/h sprint in 5.5 seconds, 0.2s quicker than the petrol engine.  There is also an eight-speed tiptronic automatic and Audi's signature quattro drive.  The new German flagship has a handwriting recognition system, can plot the greenest routes to minimise emissions, and even has a satnav- linked systems to prevent upshifts on twisty roads or accelerating past a freeway exit.  Three-dimensional maps from Google Earth, with roads superimposed onto the real-world view, will eventually also be available through the MMI system that links the driver to the car. There is luxury, too, in everything from diamond-stitched leather seat trim to ambient interior lighting with different colour schemes and the usual electric seats, multi-stage aircon, and concert-class sound system.  It all comes wrapped in a new body, with a chunkier, masculine look and signature LED running lamps in the nose. But Audi is making the running on technology and luxury as it works the angles to win customers who are currently committed to the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S-Class limousines.  The A8 will probably cost a little more in Australia than the current model, which starts at $165,900. "It will be here around the middle of the year. We're saying the second half but it will be in the early part of the third quarter,"  says Audi spokesperson, Anna Burgdorf.  "The lead cars will be the two V8s, the petrol and diesel. That's what we'll launch with here in Australia." She is slightly vague on exact details, but only because the new A8 was only revealed last week at an art-themed preview in Miami, Florida. Production will not begin for several months although Carsguide will have a preview drive report from Europe in February.  "It's too early for us to say. We are still planning the detail. We will definitely look at all that technology, but I cannot confirm it for Australia. It's all available, but it's a question of what we get and if it's standard or optional." There is a similar response on pricing.  "There will be a small increase, because there are a host of new technologies in the cars. But it will be close to par with the current car," Burgdorf says.  The headline act for the new alloy A8 is the updated MMI system, called 'touch'. It allows written input of satnav addresses and the system can recognise Cyrillic, Chinese, Cantonese, Japanese and Korean characters. The latest satnav is linked to the stop-and-go cruise control, adaptive lighting and automatic gearbox, providing more driver support systems.  The MMI can also have an internet connection and onboard Wifi to create an onboard hotspot. Audi says the A8's V8 petrol engine is 13 per cent more economical and the latest diesel V8 has 800 Newton-metres of torque, allowing a 0-100km/h sprint in 5.5 seconds, 0.2s quicker than the petrol engine.  There is also an eight-speed tiptronic automatic and Audi's signature quattro drive.

Starring British actor Jason Statham from Snatch and, of course, the first two Transporter movies, Transporter 3 takes the high-speed action right across Europe.In this film, Statham, as Frank Martin, is forced to transport two bulky bags and a young Ukrainian woman from Marseille to Odessa.In Transporter 1 & 2, most of the action scenes lasted 30-40 seconds. Transporter 3 features almost unlimited stunts.Bond film stunt expert Raacemi Julienne said they shot all the car chase scenes at high speed rather than speeding it up later."All the car chases are filmed at real speed, without models, to capture the pace and inertia of a car going into a spin," he said.Unlike most modern action movies, 3D was used sparingly with most stunts being performed on set."That's where you have to come up with new ideas," Julienne said."How do you jump a car on to a train without it smashing up? How do you slide it down the side of truck?"Every day was a different challenge and most of the solutions were dreamed up on the spot. That's what made the shoot so exciting and such fun."Most of the chase scenes were structured like action symphonies, which resulted in crumpled fenders, high-risk chopper flying and even the use of a purpose-built quad bike in the streets of Marseille.The car star of the action flick is the six-litre, 331kW, W12-powered Audi A8 quattro luxury saloon, driven by Statham's character; at one stage on two wheels between two trucks on a high-speed Autobahn.Although how he manages to do so many handbrake slides with an electronic parking brakes defies logic.The A8 also replicates the spiral jump first seen in the 1974 James Bond film, The Man With The Golden Gun.Transporter3 also features a cornucopia of vehicles including an Audi Q7 SUV; BMW 3 and 5 Series; several Citroens and Renaults; a Hummer H1; Kenworth, DAF and Scania trucks; a Kia Cee'd; Range Rover Sport; Lada Samara and Peugeot police cars; and even a tractor that pulls the A8 out of a river.Statham is a bit of an Audi fan owning an old RS6 Audi and waiting on the release of the RS6 V10 twin turbo with 426kW of power.The rugged action flick actor with a background in martial arts did most of his own stunts in the first two Transporter movies, including car chases, scuba diving sequences and fights.Statham is no debutante to car action films having also appeared in last year's Death Race, which was a reworking of the 1975 film Death Race 2000 featuring David Carradine.Audi is also no debutante to the silver screen, having featured in the previous two Transporter movies, Ronin, I Robot, Mission Impossible 2, About a Boy, Legally Blond 2, Hitman and The Matrix 2.It also starred its R8 supercar in last year's action film, Iron Man, with Robert Downey Jr who arrived at the Australian premiere in a silver R8. Supporting roles in Iron Man were played by a S5 sports sedan and a Q7.The first two Transporter movies earned more than $50 million worldwide.Transporter3 hits the big screen on February 5. 

Imported cars are hardest hit by the new LCT threshold but some of our homegrown brands also suffer.

Audi recently announced it would have iPhone capability when the Apple mobile phone is released here early next year.BMW and Mini have joined the ranks of those offering full compatibility for products available here.BMW spokesman Toni Andreevski says details of which BMW and Mini models will have full compatibility will be announced closer to the Australian launch of the iPhone.The rush to be first to integrate the iPhone is in direct contradiction to the slow adoption of iPod technology.While few manufacturers offer full integration of iPods, some have input sockets for the headphone jacks which limits control options and most don't offer any hook-up for an iPod.However, Chrysler Sebring offers an alternative solution with a hard drive in the car for downloading music files, without the need of an iPod.When the iPhone was launched in the US in June, BMW Group claimed to be the first car manufacturer in the world to offer full integration in most models. It will be available first in the 6, 5, 3 and 1 Series and the X5.All Mini models will be equipped for the Apple iPhone in time for its European premiere later this year.In the BMW hook-up, music files and signals for operating the iPod are transferred to the vehicle's audio system by a cable adaptor available for the USB audio interface in BMW and Mini models. The iPhone can also be charged using the same connection.The requirement for comprehensive integration of the telephone functions is the mobile phone preparation feature with Bluetooth interface from the relevant BMW or Mini models.Audi Australia corporate communications general manager Anna Burgdorf says the iPod feature will also be fully integrated via its Bluetooth telephone preparation.Costs for Bluetooth preparation vary by model. It is a standard feature in some, she says, while in the A6 it is $1390 as an option.Alongside standard hands-free functions (accept/reject call/hands-free), the Audi mobile phone preparation supports the display of the signal strength and the provider's name, in addition to the transfer of the telephone directory, including the icons Work, Home, Mobile and call lists.In addition to telephone calls, the Audi Music Interface (currently an optional extra for the A5, A6, A8 and Q7) allows the iPhone's music playback function to be used via the car sound system.Until now, telephone and iPod functions have been separated in vehicles because they were operated via different end-consumer products. For the smart phone innovation, the BMW Group has developed a joint platform for both functions.With the adapted software, a music program the driver is listening to through the vehicle speakers is automatically stopped for the duration of the call, starting again at the same place as soon as the call is over.While the music is paused, the speakers and microphone of the hands-free facility are activated.In conjunction with the operating system BMW iDrive, the telephone function's address book and hands-free can be operated using the controller in the centre console, as well as music selection and play.In the Mini, activated smart phone functions are shown either in the display of the navigation system or, if the latter is not available, in the radio unit. If a Mini navigation system is installed, the Mini Joystick operating system can be used to control the telephone and audio functions of the Apple iPhone.A snap-in iPhone adaptor for BMW and Mini models will follow next year and will incorporate a wireless connection to the external vehicle antenna to lift reception. BMW plans to integrate other “smart” phones in the same way as the iPhone.Mercedes-Benz fully integrated the iPod and spokesman David McCarthy says the company should have something when the phone is released.Toyota, Holden and Ford have no plans yet to introduce iPhone compatibility but several of their models have Bluetooth compatibility. 

This eye-catching Audi A8 has been stripped of its paint and the aluminium body buffed to a high gloss, then finished in a clear protective lacquer.The car was put together for a Middle Eastern buyer by Roland Mayer and his team at mtm (Motoren Technik Mayer) tuning in Germany.The small German company does not build cars from scratch but offers what it describes as “useful” reconstructions, designed for maximum fun and safety.This particular design project is known as the Audi A8 D3 polished.Before applying the final, clear finishing coat the metal surface of the car had to be totally free of any marks or defects because retouching later was not possible.Of course the plastic bits could not be polished, parts like front and rear bumpers, spoilers, exterior mirrors, side skirts and fuel tank cap.These parts were finished in a special enamel paint to match the polished metal surfaces before they too received a clear finishing coat.Mtm developed its own “discreet” body kit for the car.Inside, the door sills and floor mats have been stamped with the company's logo.The polished A8 is powered by a supercharged 4.2-litre V8 that delivers about 336kW of power and 530Nm of torque.To accommodate the extra performance the speedo can show more than 300 km/h.