Audi TT 2008 News

Hot on the heels of the Australian government's mandatory Takata airbag recall, Ford, Audi and Tesla have joined the list of carmakers to detail which of it's models are affected.

Cate Blanchett, Jennifer Hawkins, Sandra Sully and Ian Thorpe all drive shiny new Audis, Laura Csortan has a Cadillac, Jim Stynes and Matt Shirvington drive Volvos and horse trainer David Hayes has a BMW.But none of them pays.It cost Michael Clarke more than $250,000 to slide Lara Bingle into a raunchy new Aston Martin V8 Vantage but car brands are so keen to connect to potential buyers that they are happy to loan cars to A-list celebrities and sports stars.Most of the cars are high-cost flagship models, from the Audi TT coupe and Q7 four-wheel drive to the Volvo XC90 SUV and the Cadillac CTS which goes on sale in Australia next month.The list of occupations of the ambassadors is almost as long as the companies involved, including athletes, environmentalists, radio jocks and fashion folk.Audi runs such a big freebie fleet that rival brands call it the United Nations - because it has so many 'ambassadors' - at an estimated cost of more than $1 million.The German brand currently has 18 ambassadors on its books, with Collette Dinnigan, Cathy Freeman, Sarah Murdoch, Grant Hackett and George Gregan among its other famous faces.Volvo has environmentalist David Ireland on its books, as well as Shirvington and footballer Matt Giteau."It is another way of raising awareness of the brand. It helps us to break through into areas where we might not otherwise have had a foothold," says Volvo spokesperson Laurissa Mirabelli."Our assocation with Matt Giteau and Matt Shirvington takes us into the sporting world, which is a new area.And she says Volvo has plans to sign more drivers."We will be expanding our program into other new areas," Mirabelli says.At Saab, Sigrid Thornton is a long-term ambassador and chef George Calombaris has also come on board.Sometimes the celebrity association goes beyond a car, with driver training as part of the package. And many A-listers get a taste for the deal through the Celebrity Race at the Australian Grand Prix, which has been backed in the past by BMW, Mini and Fiat.Homegrown brands Holden and Ford are part of the program, with the red team backing Deborah Hutton and the Australian netball team and the blue-oval brand taking on cricketers Andrew Symonds, Matthew Hayden and Michael Hussey, as well as Stephanie Gilmore.But BMW has wound back from the days when Felicity Kennett, James Morrison and Ken Done flew its flag."People are much more savvy these days. Having ambassadors is less relevant when people are more interested in the value, the technical innovation and whether the brand is something they aspire to own," said BMW Australia spokesman, Toni Andreevski."Just because a celebrity drives a car does not make it any more relevant to their purchase."And Mercedes' best-known brand rep, retired racer Mick Doohan, actually pays for his hot AMG Benzes - although not full retail."Mick is more of an enthusiastic customer," said David McCarthy of Mercedes-Benz Australia."Certainly, Mick's invovlement with AMG is very beneficiial when you see the reaction when he drives our cars in classic rallies. But, beyond that, we don't see much value."It's good to raise the profile, but how do you assess the value? The public is pretty aware."Another motorsport legend, Sir Jack Brabham, has been getting cars and bikes from Honda for decades, and is now on a team with fashion designer Akira Isogawa, Geoff Cox and Suzie Wilks."We get good value for money from our celebrities," said Honda's Mark Higgins.But Mazda has also wound back and only has Olympian Michael Klim, surfer Serena Brooks and radio personality Andy Lee on its books."It's very low-key. Everyone knows it's a commercial relationhip but we don't tend to use our celebrities like other car companies," said Mazda spokesman, Glenn Butler. CAR COMPANY BRAND AMBASSADORS:AUDI:Collette DinniganJennifer HawkinsShannon BennettAlisa CamplinJohn EalesCathy FreemanSarah MurdochAdam GilcristGeorge GreganGrant HackettMatt MoranZali SteggallSandra SullyIan ThorpeSteve WaughTodd Woodbridge BMW:David Hayes CADILLAC:Laura Csortan FORD:Andrew SymondsMatthew HaydenMichael HusseyMitchell JohnsonStephanie Gilmore HOLDEN:Deborah HuttonAustralian netball team HONDA:Geoff CoxSuzie WilksSir Jack BrabhamAkira Isakawa  MAZDA:Andy LeeSerena BooksMichael Klim MERCEDES:Mick Doohan SAAB:Sigrid ThorntonGeorge Calombaris VOLVO:Matt ShirvingtonDavid IrelandMatt GiteauJim Stynes 

The Ingolstadt marque — whose launches have a clockwork regularity — will by July have introduced an insane station wagon, a cute cabrio, a sexy coupe and their crucial mid-size sedan.The RS6 Avant, TTS, A3 cabrio and their all-important BMW 3 Series rival, the new A4, will be showcased at the Melbourne International Motor Show. With the atmo V10-powered S6 sedan obviously considered on the soft side, the RS6 Avant cops a twin-turbo version good for 426kW/650Nm and a 0-100km/h sprint time of a claimed 4.6 seconds.Essentially an all-wheel-drive family wagon with near-supercar performance, it's priced at $259,000. As one of Audi's typically gnomic marketing blurbs puts it, the uber-wagon buyer is “likely to be a highly successful 45- to 64-year-old businessman with a family.” Right ...By contrast, the TTS — available locally in coupe or cabrio form from July — will be driven by one who is a “culturally-minded 25- to 64-year-old with a strong interest in fashion, architecture and design.” Of course.Packing the same hugely enhanced version of the 2.0-litre direct injection turbo four that motivates the S3, the range-topping TTS gets quattro all-wheel-drive and a choice of S-tronic robotised manual or a proper 6-speed manual transmissions. If you happen to be “25 to 54 years with an active, outgoing approach to life and a love of the outdoors” then you'll just love the A3 Cabriolet. Apparently.At a time when drop tops are hardening up, this one retains a lightweight soft top. Due here in July, it will want to be pretty good if it's to succeed — not so much against BMW's 125i, but Volkswagen's Eos.But it's those between “30 and 54 years with a young family, and likely to be in a management role with an interest in design, technology and computing” that Audi really needs to land with the largely new A4 sedan.Due in April, pricing for the sedan (the wagon follows later) has been announced. It starts at $50,900 for the 1.8 TFSI manual and $53,500 for the multitronic auto; $54,900 for the 2.0-litre TDI diesel in auto and $88,500 for the 3.2-litre FSI quattro tiptronic.A 2.7-litre TDI multitronic, at $67,900, follows in May or June, with a 2.0-litre TFSI quattro later in the year.Built on the MDS platform already available in the S5 and A5 coupe, the A4 should have the same marginally improved ride and handling. 

Let’s start at the baby of the range, the new A3 Cabrio, which is a dedicated four-seat soft top to rival BMWs newly-launched 1 Series Convertible.

Audi will launch its new S 5 version of its TT later this year, promising more punch from the sleek German coupe.

AS THE Audi R8 diesel hogs the spotlight at the Detroit Motor Show, another German coupe sitting alongside it has a big future.The bright red TTS does not have the impact of the shiny silver supercar, but it is already cleared for showrooms.It shows that Audi wants to get even more from the TT as it pushes its affordable sporty line-up with the new S5 and regular TT cabrio.The TTS is the same but different, as you would expect after 10 years and two TT models. It has a much sharper image thanks to a 196kW engine (from the S3 hatch) for its quattro all-wheel drive, magnetic-ride suspension, 18-inch alloy wheels, body build-up and more.It will be sold as a coupe and a convertible and is confirmed for Australia.“It is coming in the second half of the year, probably the third quarter,” Audi Australia spokeswoman Anna Burgdorf says.“It is a range-topper for us, like all our S models. It is quattro with S packaging.“It will have everything, as you would expect. It will be the S model of the TT range — the first time we have had that.”The TTS is a performance flagship, thanks to a 0-100km/h sprint time of 5.2 seconds and 350Nm on tap from 2500 to 5000 revs.But Audi also claims economy of 8.0 litres for 100km for the six-speed manual.Things are even better for the S-Tronic double-clutch gearbox version, which sprints to 100km/h in five seconds and sips at 7.8 litres/100km.Audi is making a big deal of the magnetic-ride system in the TTS, which is already an option in the TT and a hit with HSV, Ferrari and Chevrolet, which uses it in the Corvette.It also trumpets the car's 18-inch alloys and new headlights with Audi's signature LED running lights, and the sports bucket seats.Apart from the sports push, the TTS is also a 10th-anniversary celebration for the retro-look Audi.The TT was first shown as a concept car at the 1995 Frankfurt Motor Show and was followed by a roadster concept a few weeks later at the Tokyo Motor Show.Audi got a huge response from potential buyers and full-scale production began in 1998. The second-generation car followed in 2006.The arrival of the TTS will be big for Audi, in a significant year.But no one is talking about pricing for the new TT.“It is still being discussed,” Burgdorf says. 

It's the sort of odd-couple relationship that really shouldn't work ... but does. North America's eternal fascination with giant trucks and muscle machines continues

Audi’s S-line performance pack has made its way to the iconic TT, boosting performance and power in both the coupe and cabriolet.The TTS split the difference between the base and premium TT; combining the former’s 2.0-litre powerplant with the latter’s quattro AWD, a-la S3.However, engineering and ECU tweaks have brought the power figure up to 200kW, which is another 12kW more than the S3, and avoids the S-line’s typically firm ride issues with a more forgiving – but no less sporting - adaptive suspension (Magnetic ride control).It is also the third Audi model to receive the R8 sports coupe’s distinctive feline LED headlights, which will become part of the marque’s corporate face in the next few years.Speaking of which, the R8 V12 TDI Concept has finally thrown off its covers. The 6.0-litre V12 is closely related to that of the Audi R10 racecar, which claimed victory in both the 2006 and 2007 Le Mans 24 hour. It develops 368kW and a whopping 1000Nm, running to 100km/h in 4.2-secs. And it does it sipping 10.1L/100km (with a six speed manual).We will see the TTS here in October, and hold our breath for the production R8 V10.

The brain's logical left lobe would probably dictate a highly specced and relentlessly reliable Japanese model.The riotous right side might love something Latin.Call it a feeling from the gut, then, but some part of you simply must have a badge featuring either a blue-and-white roundel or a three-pointed star. Or even four rings.Never mind that they're almost always over-priced for the package on offer and about as suited to Australian roads as Beethoven to a Shannon Noll audience, but we seem unable to get enough of the wares offered by BMW, Mercedes-Benz and increasingly, Audi.Which is just as well, given that there will be releases from all three marques this month.June marks the opening salvo of a second-half-of-'07 product offensive on three fronts, using every type of armament at the makers' disposal; from diesel hatchbacks through high-end sports machines to ferociously powerful SUVs.In popular terms, the most significant of these is the new-generation Mercedes-Benz C-Class.The W204 series arrives next month with the four-cylinder Kompressors, V6 petrols and two diesel models.A six-cylinder purchase gets you a seven-speed auto transmission, but the fours make do with five speeds.Hard to say where the pricing will sit at this point, though a slight increase on the current model is possible.A more dynamic driving experience is promised, something to which Merc's Agility Control system is central.Indications from the world launch in Spain are that Mercedes' best-selling product has achieved that stated aim within a veneer of sexier, or slightly less conservative, styling.Of course, this launch took place on European roads, not our Australian tarmacs.The vastly improved new Smart fortwo coupe and cabrio arrive in November, to the delight of at least several hundred people.Between then and now, though, comes something altogether more potent.The ML 500 SUV and R 500 MPV cop a 285kW V8, up 60kW on the hardly deficient current version.These should be among us by early October, along with a 320 CDI model of the S-Class, marrying the marque's superb V6 diesel to its luxury limo.BMW fires two shots; one small-calibre, the other medium, from its locker this month.The One Series evokes mixed reactions but a coupe version is due next year and the five-door hatch receives a new four-cylinder diesel engine, minor inside and out facelifts and mechanical upgrades for greater efficiency.The updated Five Series gets new front and rear bumpers, restyled headlights and tail lights with LED.Better yet, it gets a quicker-shifting six-speed automatic tranny, controlled by the electronic gear selector from the X5 off-roader.The 530i Sedan and Touring gain 10kW of power and 15Nm of torque for totals of 200kW and 315Nm, and smarter 0-100km/h times throughout the range.New Seven Series Executive and Sport models arrive next month, but the lip-smacking becomes deafening in the fourth quarter with the new M3 coupe.Forsaking the straight six, this fourth-gen M3 packs an all-new, 309kW/400Nm V8 of four litres.Driven by the rear wheels (of course) through a six-speed-manual, it promises acceleration to 100km/h in only 4.8sec.The M3 is billed as the first production vehicle in its segment to feature a carbon fibre-reinforced roof; an innovation to save weight and lower the centre of gravity.Audi's counter-offensive begins next week with the local release of its S3 hot hatch and a ragtop version of the TT. Expected to outsell its hard-hat cousin, the open TT dispenses with the coupe's comedy back pews, increasing its boot space.Nor does it command an unreasonable premium over the coupe, with the front-drive 2.0 TFSI starting at $77,500, the V6 quattro at $92,900. But the roadster's sole transmission is the manual-matic S-tronic.No such pandering for the S3, which unites a creamy six-speed manual with quattro. And how all-wheel drive is needed.Hosting a rebuilt and “up-gunned” version of the VW Golf GTI's two-litre, direct-injection turbo four, the S3 can call upon a V6-daunting 188kW and 330Nm. At an estimated $65,000, it will come in cheaper than the top-whack, but decidedly lesser, A3.If the S3 is a genuine Q-car (there being little to visually distinguish it from Audi's milder hatches), there's no denying the latest Q7.Due in November and priced from $124,000, the already imposing SUV packs a turbine-like 4.2 TDI, a turbo diesel dreadnought that generates 240kW at 3750rpm and a warping 760Nm between 1800 and 2500rpm.As Wagnerian as it is, its thunder may be stolen as early as October. Not so much by the A5 and S5 (touring coupes with Walter da Silva style and nice engine notes) but the R8 sports car.Though it will be priced in the region of $270,000, you won't be able to buy one for ages, even if you have the readies.Audi has been taking orders for the instantly desirable, mid-engined V8 quattro two-seater since it was unveiled at last year's Sydney Motor Show.That car evokes a profound response from a region lower even than the gut.