Audi Q3 News

The Audi Q3 is the brand's local sales hero, and is positioning itself to attract even more buyers with a new entry level version. Audi has unveiled the new 2.0 TDI quattro, which will be priced from $47,500 -- slipping in under the $49,450 2.0 turbo petrol model. The newcomer is powered by a 2.0 litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine that delivers 103kW and 320Nm, mated with a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch transmission delivering torque to all four wheels. The 2.0 TDI quattro is also the new Q3 leader in the economy stakes, using 5.8L/100km on a combined cycle. Its $55,000 diesel sibling carries the same engine, but with 103kW, and coming in at 5.9L/100km. Standard features are more lavish in the higher-priced variant, but the base model still fares well with leather seats, 17-inch alloys, dual-zone climate control aircon, rear park assist, light and rain sensors, front foglights and Bluetooth with audio streaming. Audi Australia is confident the new model will strengthen the Q3's position in the market.  “It is the best-selling SUV in its segment and the addition of this new entry-level model is significant, because it creates a more affordable entry point into quattro, making it unrivalled in this class," managing director Andrew Doyle says. “We believe sales of the Q3 range will continue to grow with this introduction.” This reporter is on Twitter: @KarlaPincott  

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. 

This time it's for the Auto China motor show in Beijing. Following on from its Q3 Vail SUV that was endowed with the same engine (with a bit less pep) for the Detroit motor show earlier this year, the Audi stand in the Chinese capital will feature the next step - an RS Q3 concept. Described by the German marque as "systematically dynamic," the blue RS concept sits 25mm lower and uses the same powerplant (donated by the TT RS), a 2.5-litre turbocharged direct-injection five-cylinder producing 265kW of power. Drive can be directed to all four 20in wheels (with 30-profile tyres) via a seven-speed transmission when traction demands as much, but most of the time it's only the front wheels doing the work . Performance claims are a little quicker than the Vail version - a 5.2 second sprint to 100km/h and a top speed of 265km/h. Audi says it is exploring "the potential of the Q3 model series in a new way." The snout has been enlightened with brushed and polished aluminium trim, as well as new 3D black honeycomb grille inserts.  Tinted headlights (with darkened chrome and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer (CFRP) bits within), sit above a redesigned front bumper, with gaping air intakes and a deep front splitter below. The black-and-blue theme continues along the flanks (with side skirts, mirrors and wheelarch flares in black CFRP) and at the rear, with a body-coloured (Ordos Blue) roof-lip spoiler and a black under-bumper diffuser. We'll have to take Audi's word for it but within the cabin, the RS Q3 concept, there's a glass sunroof to flood light on the predominantly-black cabin, with dark blue alcantara adorning the seats and door trims. The steering wheel is trimmed with black velvet leather and has CFRP control stalks. The engine bay is dominated by the five-cylinder engine (with a red valve cover) and a carbon trim panel, with an aluminium-covered sports air filter. Australian showrooms have only had examples of the Q3 (which is priced from $45,000 to $56,000) on the floor for a matter of weeks but the Vail and RS concept cars point to a future with S and RS variants of the SUV. Audi Australia's Anna Burgdorf says the RS Q3 Concept has not been confirmed for production. "At this stage it is only a concept and not confirmed for production but shows the potential for the car. "If it is ever confirmed production we'd be keen to get something like it here," she says.  

He is unapologetic about the corporate façade that dominates the look of Audi's fleet and says the marque must come ahead of the model. "The brand identity is more important than the vehicle," Badstuebner says. He cites emerging markets such as China as areas where Audi wants to impress with the four-ringed philosophy ahead of specific models as examples why design must focus on an underlying identity. "If we've achieved with the Audi rings so they are identified as the Nike 'swoosh' then than is the first stage," he says. "After that it is important to identify cars within vehicle families - like the 'Air' range from Jordan that equates to our S models. The Q3, for example, has the vertical louvres in the grille that is one of the signature styling elements of the Audi Q (SUV) range to emphasise height over size. Ourcars stick to horizontal louvres." Badstuebner is proud of his rival to the BMW X1 and points to its better boot space - 460 litres against 420 litres - as just one of the reasons the Audi is the more practical - and emotive - product. "We believe in the math but only to a certain extent. Simulations can give you so much but in the end you want a physical model," he says. "That is true of the Q3. It had class-leading aero but the shape is still identified by the height and the sloping rear roof that is coupe style and says this is a premium SUV. Audi (identity) comes a moment later." If the Q3 is Audi's answer to the BMW X1, the upcoming Q6 will challenge the coupe-style X6 from Beemer. BMW's swoopy SUV outsells the X7 in Europe but is well off the pace here, where the more utilitarian X5 rules the roost. Both Audi and Mercedes-Benz plan to challenge the X6's dominance, in the form of the Q6 and GLS respectively. Mercedes is expected to be first to market in late 2014, with Audi following soon. Audi test mules have already been spotted around Europe as they evaluate the platform ahead of settling on specific powertrains. "It's it too early to talk about (the Q6)," Audi Australia marketing head Janet Markus says. "It is still only rumours and spy photos . but BMW has shown this area has potential."

The new facility in LaTrobe Terrace, Geelong, has been designed using Audi’s CI with signature use of honeycomb-pattern brushed aluminium, but has also been localised with the input of Geelong’s McGlashan Everist Architects and Lyons Constructions to meet local requirements.“As an old Geelong Family, we always use Geelong local businesses,” dealer principal Brett Gorell said. “McGlashan Everist Architects worked closely with Audi, but understood the City of Greater Geelong Council requirements, and Lyons Constructions have been close to the Gorell Family for many years.”He said Lyons Constructions have entered the project into the 2012 master Builders Association Regional Builders Award.Audi Centre Geelong saw sales increase 40 per cent over 2011, and Mr Gorell said the 1600 square metre facility was expected to further grow sales, particularly of used cars,“We anticipate a further 10 per cent year on year until 2015, when Audi will increase the number of models and with the introduction of the Q3,” he said.  “Also we believe used vehicles will increase 25 per cent due to increased display presence.”Audi Australia managing director Uwe Hagen said the new facility represented the brand’s growing strength in Australia. “It is part of our strategic development plan to prepare our facilities for the expansion of the Audi model range in the next few years,” Mr Hagen said.Mr Gorell said the increase on local sales was also signpost to Geelong’s current economic health.  “There is no doubt the so called seachange and life style is attracting more executive personnel … Geelong is no longer an industrial city,” he said, adding that community response to the new building had been good.“The Geelong community appreciates excellent facilities and the neat relaxed property replacing residential on a major road,” he said.The new Audi Centre Geelong has been trading from early this year, and an official opening will be held on March 22 for more than 150 guests.

Kids aren’t usually a factor in Car of the Year judging.  But child friendliness rates highly with women buying cars – and with women judging cars.The countdown has been kicked off to decide the Women’s World Car of the Year, and the kid factor is one the judges pay a lot of attention to.“Statistics show that women drive children in cars significantly more often than men – and that means women need to take that into account, both when buying and as judges of cars,” WCOTY president Sandy Myhre said from New Zealand.“Any woman who has grappled constantly with child seats and belts and children considers those things when looking at buying a car.  Men might too but the fact is, women drive children in cars more than men.“Women would not consider that aspect in a Porsche 911 more than a bloke. The point is, it can be considered in these awards - and that is one of the points of difference in these awards.”Myhre points out that significant research into buying habits show that in addition to buying for themselves, women have a major influence in household purchase decisions for big ticket items.Ford Australia, for example, says their research shows that women are behind the majority of purchases of the Territory SUV – either as single women buying one, or in influencing the joint decision with their partner. “A report from Mattingly & Associates in Australia concluded, in part, that businesses that didn't understand this influence would be hard-pressed to stay in business.  That report was aptly called 'When I've Made Up Our Minds',” Myhre says.However, the kid factor is just one of the criteria by which the 2012 Women’s World Car of the Year will be judged.There are four categories in the Women's World Car of the Year – Family Car, Luxury Car, Sports Car and Economy Car. Points are allocated to each of ten criteria: driveability, engineering, comfort, child friendliness, style, interior, storage, dashboard efficiency, carbon footprint and colour range.The 20 judges from eleven countries have submitted their own personal short list and more than 300 cars were suggested. These individual choices were then whittled down to form a master list of 32 in terms of popularity. Judges will now allocate points for these cars from a criteria list.The announcement of the winning cars in each category and the supreme winner will be made before the end of March. The supreme award trophy and category certificates will be presented to the car companies concerned at the Mondial de l’Automobile 2012 – the Paris Motor Show – in September. The supreme trophy will this year be made in The Netherlands. Category-winner certificates will be designed at Peartree Studios in Colerne, UK.The first winner of the Women's World Car of the Year was the Jaguar XF in 2010 and the trophy made in South Africa was presented at the Jaguar boutique showroom in Knightsbridge, London. In 2011 there was a dead-heat between the Citroen DS3 and the BMW 5 Series. The two trophies made in India were presented at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September 2011. 

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.A big screen above the Audi stage linked into their representative at the Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas where the German company will highlight it's Audi Connect technology. CEO Rupert Stadler says the technology includes a wi-fi hot spot that allows the sat nav to use Google Earth with Street View. Users will also be able to do hands-free Google searches and a heads-up display will provide for a swipe function similar to that used on iPads to turn the "page". There were also cars in the Audi stage including the updated A4 and S4, and a concept Q3 Vail to promote the launch of the small SUV on the American market. The Vail is basically a tarted-up Q3 with 20-inch wheels, lower body cladding and an aluminium bash plate underneath. Audi lags behind its German counterparts in the US but seems to be making good inroads with its diesel engines. Stadler says they now account for one in three of all SUVs sold.

The Koreans starred, the Japanese mounted a comeback, and One Ford hit the headlines with an extended family of Focus-based newcomers that it is certain to make a big hit in Australia. But it was one car and the commitment of its company chief that made the most impact as America fought back on the opening day of the 2011 North American International Motor Show.Maybe calling it the Audi Q3 Ski Bunny didn't properly relay the right image for Detroit, but the German car maker is hitting the US ski slopes fast.Audi unveiled the Q3 Vail (it's a posh US ski resort) at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, packing a 231kW wallop and aimed at young winter-sports fans.The Audi Q3 Vail's decorated engine bay features a 2.5-litre five-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged engine borrowed from the TT RS (with red-wrinkle finish paintwork, numbered cylinders and a carbon-fibre engine cover) producing 231kW and 400Nm of torque.The Vail puts that power to ground via a seven-speed twin-clutch automatic to all four wheels, achieving a claimed sprint to 100km/h in 5.5 seconds and a top speed of 262km/h - quick enough to give the Audi TTS sports coupe a fright off the line.Audi spokesman Shaun Cleary says the Vail edition is a concept car but the five-cylinder turbo seven-speed auto drivetrain will make it into the Q3 line-up."The Vail is only a concept but I think it is out there to see what the market says about it - nothing more than that has been confirmed. The engine and transmission is planned for the Q3 - but there's no timeframe on that," he says.Sitting 30mm taller and on a wider track, the Q3 Vail is draped in a red hue with gold flecks, with plenty of aluminium trim highlights, underbody protection, big air intakes, LED lighting and 20in alloy wheels wrapped in 45-profile tyres.A sports interior of grey, black and red Nappa leather and alcantara, with contrasting double-stitching, with alloy-trimmed instruments.The boot has a charging station for LED torches, or keeping drinks warm or cool - the torches even have an infra-red heating element for warming your hands or boots. The loadspace also has a boot floor mat that has built-in heated seat cushions - the mat protects the load lip and the warm cushions give skiers a comfortable spot to sit when removing skis and boots.