Audi Q7 2006 News

Outrageous styling, Euro flair and retro features have taken a grip on this year's Paris motor show, which starts next week. Many of the world's leading carmakers will unveil futuristic concept cars as well as their next generation of production cars at Europe's biggest show of 2006.Paris and Frankfurt alternate as the host every year - and with 2006 being the turn of the French capital, the local manufacturers seem set to steal the show.Renault will unveil its stunning four-seater cabriolet, the Nepta. Underneath the retro gull-wing doors is a 3.5-litre V6 twin turbo engine that puts out 313kW of power and 560Nm of torque at 3000rpm. An aluminium strip covers the hinges on the bonnet, which gives off a shooting-star effect. Renault spokeswoman Lenore Fletcher says the gull-wing doors are certainly unusual and the first time a Renault has featured them."The object of designing concept vehicles is to experiment with new technology and design with a view to assessing their suitability for application to future production vehicles," she says.The Nepta is quick off the mark, accelerating from 0-100km/h in just 4.9seconds through its seven-speed automatic gearbox, which features flick shift steering-wheel-mounted controls. With fluid lines and a thoroughbred profile, the Nepta has a long body shape, accentuated by the wave-shaped side panels, the lower part of the body's aluminium colour treatment, the front and rear spoilers and the mud flaps. The rear has a longer overhang than the front and the car sits on massive 23-inch tyres.Citroen, meanwhile, will show off its masterwork, the low-riding four-door coupe, the C-Matisse. It is showcasing diesel-electric hybrid technology, a system Citroen wants to introduce on its production cars by 2008.The concept is powered by a V6 diesel engine with 150kW of power and 400Nm of torque delivered through the front wheels.There are also two electric motors that drive the rear wheels. These motors, which are powered by a bank of batteries, sit in the rear wheel hubs. Not to be outdone, Citroen's sister company, Peugeot, will display its monster 908RC concept car which, unlike the other concepts, is a pointer to the firm's racetrack future. Peugeot is going back to the Le Mans 24-hour race with a diesel.The 908RC, however, is a giant luxury limousine with futuristic looks and a swag of new technology. Its 5.5-litre V12 diesel engine will also be at the heart of Peugeot's racer.Peugeot says the concept car will reach 0-100km/h in less than five seconds, thanks to a six-speed manual gearbox and a rear-mounted powerplant that has been arranged in a similar layout to the race car. Closer to production from Peugeot is the 207 Epure, an all-white pointer to the next generation 207CC cabriolet to go on sale next year.Not to be outdone, Mercedes is unveiling the latest interpretation of its SLR supercar genre, the SLR McLaren 722 Edition. Developed with its Formula One partner McLaren, the brutish 722 is named after a famous victory in the 1955 Mille Miglia, the classic Italian road race from that golden era.Stirling Moss and Dennis Jenkinson drove a Mercedes Benz 300 SLR, numbered 722 because it started the race at 7.22am.The new car has a supercharged 5.5-litre V8 that has 478kW of power on tap. It will rocket from 0 to 100km/h in just 3.6 seconds, and will hit 300km/h just 25 seconds later.Maybach, Mercedes' ultra-luxury arm, will show off its first ever white model - a 5.7m-long 57 S model in mother-of-pearl finish. It will go into production this year.Red, however, is the colour of choice for Alfa Romeo owners and the first photos of the production version of its 8C Competizione supercar illustrate just how stunning the Italian machine will be. However, Alfa buyers shouldn't get too excited. The 336kW, 4.7-litre, V8-engined two-seat GT hotty will be produced in limited numbers.And as with the Mercedes SLR, it owes its naming history to the Mille Miglia race - this time the winning 1950 6C Competizione.From the other side of the Atlantic, Dodge's new Avenger may officially still be a concept, but it is on a fast track to production status. The D-Segment, or mid-sized, concept will be unveiled to what should be strong acceptance. With Dodge already announcing that an all-new D-Segment model will hit showrooms late next year, the Avenger is the US manufacturer's red-hot favourite to fill that bill. Reaction to the car has already been positive, according to DaimlerChrysler Australia's Simon Johnston."The official company line is that all concept cars will be judged on the public reaction to them ... reaction has already been positive from the limited exposure the car has had and the next sedan model for Australia will be (a new) mid-sized car late next year," he says.The styling of the Avenger is sharp and chunky, with strong sporty appeal for Dodge's declared youth demographic.The Avenger concept is powered by a 2.0-litre turbo diesel - an unusual choice of powerplant for an American-centric vehicle. GM, meanwhile, will debut a new Chevrolet concept car, which was designed by an Australian, Ewan Kingsbury.This concept, called the WTTC Ultra, features a 142kW diesel engine and is loosely based on Chev's World Touring Car Championship racing car.Korea's Hyundai is unveiling its Arnejs concept, which it hopes will eventually lead to European sales of a down-the-track production car. Arnejs - pronounced Ar-nez - is a C-segment small car competitor.Volkswagen will show off its new Iroc concept, seen as a pointer to a future generation of the old Scirocco sports coupe. The Viper, a green-coloured four-seater, marginally bigger than a Golf, has a "twin-charger" powerplant featuring a supercharger/turbocharger combination.Fuel economy unusually unites BMW and Suzuki at the show.The luxury maker is showing its new Hydrogen 7, a hydrogen-engined 7series prestige machine. Suzuki, currently enjoying a resurgence thanks to the Swift, unveils its new 1.2-litre Splash concept - aimed only at Europe - claiming petrol fuel economy of 3.6L/100km.FAST FACTSNew model production cars to be unveiled at the Paris motor show include:* Audi Q7 V12 diesel and R8* BMW Hydrogen 7 saloon* Citroen C4 Picasso* Honda Civic Type R* Honda CRV* Mini Cooper* Mitsubishi Outlander* Mitsubishi Pajero* Nissan Qashqai small 4WD 

Remember four-wheel-drives? Hulking, slabby, graceless sods of things derived from - and sometimes even called - Jeep.

As you read this - hopefully in a relaxed and comfortable kinda way - a convoy of 15 Audi Q7s are within a few days of Broome. They're on a three week transcontinental crossing to launch the marque's long-awaited SUV here in the widest and brownest of lands. At least, there should still be 15 of them. We joined the roadshow for last week's 1100km leg between Broken Hill and Birdsville via Tibooburra, Cameron's Corner and Innamincka. Apart from four flat tyres - pretty much a given on the gibber - this procession of luxo soft roaders proved to have considerable off-road (or at least off the main road) application, proving their build quality (and dust proofness) beyond reasonable doubt. Indeed, it was with some bemusement that a couple of gen-u-wine four-wheel-drivin' bush bashers watched the Q7s race with impertinent ease up the famous Big Red dune on the edge of the Simpson Desert near Birdsville. The only concession to the extra-urban conditions were off road tyres and a barrier between the front seats and the load area. The 4.2 FSI V8s made the most stirring sound, but the 3.0 TDI V6s lost little by comparison. Four of the latter came sans the air suspension set up that gave slightly more off road facility, but also slightly denuded feel for the road. In terms of the real world, at highway speeds on the bitumen between Broken Hill and Packsaddle, our TDI (weighing almost 2.7 tonnes with an immense load of gear) returned 9.8 litres per 100kmh. Seldom did it much exceed 12 litres even in the most trying conditions with try-hard driving. For Q7 owners, the wilds of Woollahra and Mosman need hold no fear. Paul Pottinger is a senior roadtester on the CARSguide team, and also editor of the Sunday Telegraph CARSguide. A version of this review, as well as other news, reviews and analysis will appear in the Sunday Telegraph.

THE arrival of the giant Audi Q7 all-wheel-drive will not mean the end of the company's crossover Allroad station wagon.The German brand says it is still committed to the Allroad, despite the introduction of the Q7 and the smaller Q5 that will follow it.A new model is expected in Australia next year. It could even make the Melbourne Motor Show in March.The new Allroad is already on display at Audi's headquarters at Ingolstadt in Germany, where it was priced from $86,700 with a 171kW, 3.0-litre, turbo-diesel engine.Final engine choices for the new Allroad are yet to be finalised and it is possible Australia may receive a diesel only.At the moment the Allroad is sold with the choice of two petrol engines -- a 2.7-litre turbo and 4.2-litre V8 -- and a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel."We are unsure what engines we will take. It's possible it may only be the diesel," Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says.The Allroad display car was wearing 245x45 ZR18 Pirelli P Zeros and is defined at the front by a more accentuated single-frame grille that has more vertical elements in the egg-crate design.Before the Allroad arrives, Audi Australia will have hot versions of the S6 and S8 this November and December, respectively.Each is powered by a V10 engine, the first of its type from Audi aimed to bridge the gap between the 4.2-litre V8 and the 6.0-litre W12.The V10's maximum torque of 450Nm kicks in at 3000 revs, giving it a wide curve -- an unusual trait for a V-angled 10-cylinder.The V10 engines weigh 220kg, 15kg more than the 4.2-litre V8.Audi has tried to find a balance between a sporty and torquey engine. It fires along with 331kW at 7000 revs but does not have the pace of BMW's V10 in a 0-100km/h thrash because it doesn't rev as far as the BMW motor.The S6 has a special instrument cluster and carbon-fibre trim on the centre console. Its chassis and suspension have been optimised for the six-speed, S-tronic, double-clutch, sequential gearbox.There are 18-inch brakes, but it's not available with ceramic stoppers, which are on the S8, W12 and RS4 sedan.Differentiation between the S6 and S8 in the nose is subtle -- the S8 gains a unique airtake design that has integrated fog lamps. The S6 has carbon-fibre slats.

Motor show committee chairman Chris Beecham said attendance was more than 117,000 over the 10 days of the show, compared with last year's record 128,000.He attributed the smaller figure to the one-off move from February to March, CityTrain and the Broncos versus Cowboys clash on Sunday."We'll be happy to go back to February next year," he said. The Brisbane show swapped dates with the Melbourne Motor Show so it could avoid a clash with the Commonwealth Games."Overall, the quality of the stands was good and there were a lot of sales made," Beecham said.Audi Centre dealer principal Greg Willims said they sold a lot of luxury vehicles including a $748,000 Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster, a Maserati GranSport costing $264,000 and two Bentley Continental Flying Spurs worth $390,000 each.He said they also had orders for two Bentley Azure convertibles worth $650,000 each and 32 Audi Q7 sports utility vehicles.A custom chopper built during the duration of the show was passed in at auction for $75,000 on Saturday night as it was below reserve.The Croc Chopper, built by King Pin Choppers of Geebung, is now for sale by private tender with profits going to the Royal Children's Hospital Foundation.Leukemia patient Harley Jack Davidson Jones, 7, of the Gold Coast, gave the project his seal of approval when he was a guest of the show last week.With a name like that, he could hardly be expected to disapprove, although he seemed more interested in the Wiggles car on a nearby stand.Harley did, however, appreciate the crushing action of the croc's jaws at the front of the bike.A Royal Children's Hospital Foundation spokeswoman said the money raised from the auction would be used to help find a cure for people like Harley.Kin Pin Choppers boss Phil Harwood said he was disappointed the bike was not sold, but the way now was open for its true value to be realised.Prospective buyers should contact motor show organiser Michelle Ramsey, on 3237 8760.More than $105,000 was raised for the Road Safety Fund of Queensland in the annual Personalised Plates Queensland Collector Plate Auction at the show with the top price of $15,000 bid for Q162.Successful bidder Peter Campbell of the Gold Coast said he already had Q308 and wanted to acquire more of the historic Q plates, the first series issued in Queensland early last century.Another collector bought the new football-themed, seven-character plates BRONCOS ($14,000) and COWBOYS ($13,000).Next year's motor show will be from February 2-11.Exhibitor stand results: motorcycles and scooters, Morgan & Wacker Harley-Davidson; motor vehicle stand under 500sq m, Saab; stand over 500sq m and John Cant Award, Hyundai; allied industry display, Personalised Plates Queensland; and aftermarket stand, Northfield Car Sound.