Audi Q3 2014 News

Manufacturers including Hyundai, Holden, Jeep, Peugeot, Citroen and Audi have all issued safety recalls for various models, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

The Australasian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced another round of national safety recalls, with models from Audi, Honda and Skoda impacted by the call backs.

New Honda Jazz sets new benchmark for rear view cameras: $14,990.

Audi has launched a new 1.4-litre TFSI petrol four-cylinder version for its Q3 range, which will become the new entry point to the model. The new Q3 has been announced for the UK market, and is likely to reach other right-hand drive markets after mid-year, slotting in under the current cheapest variants, the $47.500 103kW/320Nm 2.0 TDI quattro diesel and the $49.450 125kW/280Nm 2.0 TFSI quattro petrol.Against their level, the new car offers only front-wheel drive -- with overseas transmission choices of six- and seven-speed dual clutch box -- and just 110kW (from 5000rpm) and 250Nm (from 1750-3000rpm).But it will be the most efficient petrol in the line-up with an official fuel economy figure of 6.2L/100km on a combined driving cycle, compared to the 7.7L/100km of the 2.0-litre TFSI and not far behind the 5.8L/100km of the diesel -- and for some buyers, the cheaper price of petrol may be enough of a trade-off to move them away from the oilburner.Audi is touting a 0-100km/h time of 8.9 seconds, which would make it a full second faster than the diesel and just 0.7 behind the TFSI in acceleration, so if true, it'll lose little to them.Prices and arrival of the new Q3 have not yet been confirmed by Audi Australia, but if you have around $45,000 in the bank by mid-year, you'll be looking prepared.This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott 

The RS Q3 is the first RS model in Audi's SUV line-up, and is intended to package performance and practicality into a sporty and compact design when it arrives in February next year. Priced from $81,900, it's powered by a five-cylinder 2.5-litre TFSI engine that develops 228kW of power and 420Nm of torque. The engine also lives under the bonnet of Audi's TTRS sports car. Drive is via quattro technology through a seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch transmission allowing the RS Q3 to put away a 0-100kmh sprint in 5.5 seconds. The pint-size powerhouse comes equipped with a high level of standard equipment -- RS specific styling, front and rear, RS high-performance brake system, wave disc design at the front, Xenon plus headlights with LED daytime running lights and LED tail lights. MMI Navigation plus is included with 20 GB of hard drive storage and 2 SD card readers. Also included are Audi parking system plus with rear view camera,  music interface, Bluetooth interface with audio streaming, sports seats with Nappa leather, dual zone climate control and more.   Watch the RS Q3 SUV video here.  

Audi’s RS Q3 is on its way to Australia in the first quarter of 2014, but until we see it in the metal, we'll have to make do with this tasty trailer.

Hot-shot SUVs from Germany have been big, beefy beasts with M or AMG badges until now. Get ready for the RS Q3 - the first Q-series SUV to wear the Audi performance acronym and it's here next year.While Audi is not talking specifics on prices, expect it to follow the sliced-price policy of the new RS4 wagon and be the first RS model under $100,000 when it lobs in the first quarter of 2014. The four-ringed brand will rip the covers from the production RS Q3 at the Geneva motor show next month, boasting a 5.5 second sprint to 100km/h and a governed top speed of 250km/h.Powered by a slightly less frenetic version of the 2.5-litre direct-injection in-line five-cylinder intercooled turbo from the 250kW/450Nm TT RS, its got 228kW and 420Nm on offer in the RS Q3. Peak power is available across a broader rev range - 228kW is produced from 5200 through to 6700rpm (as opposed to 5400 to 6500 in the 255kg-lighter TT RS) and 420Nm is around from 1500 to 5200rpm, 100rpm earlier.The super-swift SUV also claims an average fuel consumption of 8.8 litres per 100km. The powerplant - teamed with a seven-speed S-tronic twin-clutch gearbox with paddleshifters and all-wheel drive - features launch control, an active exhaust system to produce an engine note reminiscent of the brand's rally heritage and it also has the stop-start fuel-saving system.Sitting about 25mm lower than the standard Q3, the RS version has a sports mode to its stability control for some leeway and comes to a halt by means of front cross-drilled and ventilated (front and rear) brakes, with eight-piston front calipers, which will have a kerb weight of 1730kg to retard. Body extras, cabin trim upgrades and addons including the de rigeur black honeycomb grille, larger front air intake, rear diffuser, sports leather seats, the RS flat-bottomed steering wheel, xenon headlights, LED tail lights and alloy mirror housings will set it apart from the standard Q3 line-up.Final specification is yet to be determined for Australia but its home market will get the RS Q3 with 19in alloy wheels, although there are going to be 20in options on offer as well. Audi Australia's Anna Burgdorf says the RS model line-up was set for an expansion over the next 18 months with RS 5 Cabriolet and RS6 wagon and then RS7 and RS Q3 in early 2014."SUVs in Australia are strong in our market, we'll have the SQ5 in the market at the end of April this year and then the RS Q3 adds another layer altogether, it's going to be our most affordable RS model," she says. "I think it will do very well in Australia, we love a performance carand we love an SUV, this is the perfect combination of both," she says. 

The compact Q2 is being previewed at the Paris motor show as the Crosslane Coupe concept.Nobody is fooled by the concept tag, as the mechanical details are almost identical to a range-extender hybrid A1 - with a combination of battery power and three-cylinder petrol engine - I drove in Munich earlier this week.The body is a good looking crossover design with a four-seater cabin and overall dimensions shorter and lower than the Q3 already on sale, although it is likely to become a five-seater by showroom time. Audi is expected to pitch it as a rival to the Mini Countryman.The Q2 is the second new model from the Volkswagen Group to be built on the company's flexible MQB mechanical platform, which is also the base for the latest Golf Mk7. More details soon. 

At the world launch of the sub-compact SUV in Zurich last week, Audi allowed journalists to drive a prototype model featuring the engine from the TT RS Coupe and RS 3. The 2.5-litre five-cylinder TFSI engine produces 228kW of power which is detuned from the TT RS with 250kW and the A3 RS with 258kW. Torque is expected to be about 450Nm. Whatever the final figures, it shames the 155kW in the four-cylinder TFSI "hot" model which arrives in Australia about this time next year. The prototype is wicked-fast with a howling note, quattro drive, seven-speed S tronic transmission and S Line sports suspension. Matthias Nothling, spokesman for Audi's performance arm, quattro GmbH, says the prototype is designed to show the potential for the Q3. But will it go into production? "Not this year," he says. "It's not been decided yet. We don't even have a name for it." Nothling says no other mechanical changes were made to the Q3 prototype, except to install the engine. "It's got the same suspension as the S Line," he says. "It shows how a Q3 can perform. "We just wanted to show that the four-cylinder engine is not the end of the Q3's potential." He says there are no other Q3 derivatives planned yet. "We are just at the beginning of the Q3's life," he says.

BMW axed its $700 optional speed-zone recognition technology in May, blaming the frequent varying speed zones in Australia for bamboozling their system. However, Audi's new Q3 sub-compact SUV which arrives about this time next year will "eventually" come with an optional speed limit display. The technology uses cameras to identify speed signs and displays the relevant speed on the satnav screen and on an LCD screen in the instrument binnacle. The recognised signs are cross-referenced with satnav information. Audi Australia spokesman Sean Poppitt says the technology will be used in Australia. "The speed limit display technology will eventually be introduced into Australia but we don't have a firm timeline as yet," he says. "Each country has its own unique road sign systems and idiosyncratic details, and it takes time to integrate all of these different countries with the technology. So it's not always a quick process, but the technology will come to Australia." Other speed zone software includes Holden's advisory system in its latest VE II Commodore, while speed limits are also included in most of the latest aftermarket satnav systems, such as TomTom. The BMW satnav software has been available in the 7 Series sedan and 5 Series wagon this year, but was withdrawn in May. BMW spokesman Piers Scott says the company has not had any issues with the equipment functioning properly anywhere in the world, except Australia. "The high number of variations of speed limits, especially in urban areas, meant the accuracy wasn't what it should be for a BMW product,'' he says. "Accuracy was still in the 90 per cent region but, nonetheless, there were enough little niggles and anomalies for us to withdraw it. We've had engineers here on three separate occasions fine-tuning the system, but it's still not what it should be.'' Scott says BMW has not permanently shelved the potentially life-saving technology for Australia. "We are confident we can overcome it. It is a problem that is only occurring in Australia. They're happy elsewhere because there aren't the number of changes in speed zones we have here. "The technology and data are no different from other markets, but here we have such a high level of variable speed zones, it's struggling to keep up with it. And the very draconian way in which speed limits are patrolled here means there is no margin for error.''