Audi's Stronghold in China Threatened by BMW, Mercedes-Benz

For the last 20 years, Audi has been top dog in the Chinese luxury auto market. Now its reign could be threatened as BMW and Mercedes-Benz begin to gain traction in the emerging market. 

"Mercedes and BMW have more up side than Audi in emerging markets, so it will be difficult for Audi to achieve its target," London-based automotive analyst Arndt Ellinghorst told Automotive News.

As the world's single largest automotive market, Chinese customers are increasingly important to BMW and Mercedes. As a result, both have crafted vehicles specifically aimed at the Chinese market. Tomorrow at the Beijing auto show, BMW will unveil an extended 5 Series, while Mercedes is set to debut its new longer E Class. The reasoning for extended wheelbases is that the wealthier Chinese population is typically chauffeured. 

Earlier this month, Audi posted its first quarter sales figures. With a strong start to 2010, Audi was able to secure the second place spot in global luxury sales, bumping Mercedes down to third. The Ingolstadt based automaker hasn't fared so well in China lately. Over that last 6 years, Audi's market share has slipped from 66 percent down to 46 percent. BMW has climbed from 16 to 23 percent, while Mercedes more than doubled its share, from 7 to 16 percent.

Audi had 159,000 deliveries in 2009, but has a goal to sell 200,000 this year. On track for that target, it sold 51,449 in the first quarter this year. Last year BMW sold 90,500 vehicles, but is on track to surpass that mark, with 34,179 sold through March. Mercedes sold 24,100 vehicles in the first quarter of 2010, and should meet its 100,000 sales goal. BMW is investing $749 million in a new Chinese factory to double capacity to 100,000 units annually. Mercedes already has a 100,000 unit production capacity in China.  

"The potential of the Chinese market remains enormous, and our targets are correspondingly ambitious," Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche said last week.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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Audi Sound Engineers Place 62 Speakers into a Q7

After orchestrating the design and installation of some pretty far-out Bang & Olufsen sound systems into vehicles like the R8, A8, and Q7, you'd think Audi's sound engineers would be perfectly content. Not so. In fact, in pursuit of the perfect sound, some engineers within the company have created their dream sound system, which involves stuffing 62 speakers into a Q7.



The venture, dubbed the Audi Sound Project, is the pet project of infotainment development engineer Peter Gleim. His goal -- to focus on wave field synthesis -- sounds like a scientist's fantasy, but is actually quite impressive. The object is to recreate a sound wave with several sources (i.e. speakers) placed closely together. Each speaker is controlled separately, so the signal can be delayed and staggered, allowing the listener to hear an exact reproduction of the original sound. Better yet, the sound is produced in an identical fashion for each seating position.

"We can simulate any wave front," Gleim said in a release. "With stereo, we can generate a sound as if the two speakers were located far outside the car. We can also add any desired spatial impression computationally -- not as a sound effect, but as a mathematically precise simulation."

Gleim's team managed to cram all 62 speakers, baffles, and amplifiers into the Q7, but its interior looks anything but normal. The ASP system includes five tweeters, five subwoofers, and 52 midrange speakers, all connected to a large power amplifier. Speakers are integrated into the dashboard, pillars, door panels -- virtually anywhere engineers could find space. Three separate PCs are needed to control both the amplifier and the entire speaker array.

"Our goal was to show what is technically feasible; to explore the limits," said Denis Credé, head of Audi's sound development. "What we are learning will be integrated into the sound systems of tomorrow. It's like with racing: A lot of what is first tried out on the race tracks of this world later shows up in modified in production vehicles. The Audi Sound Concept project is like racing for sound systems."

We imagine both packaging and cost are two major hurdles in pushing the ASC into production. On that later note, adding the 14-speaker Bang & Olufsen system in an A8 or Q7 adds roughly $6300. We suspect that figure would grow exponentially for a 62-speaker system.
We're fans of excellent sound systems, but aren't always convinced they're worth the investment. What say you -- when shopping for a car, is the sound system an important component, or do you skip that option box?

Source: Audi

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FEATURES: Eight Great Volkswagen-Italdesign Collaborations(1988)

1988 Audi Aztec/Aspid
The idea of a futuristic Audi-powered, Kevlar-bodied, dual-cockpit speedster concept entering limited production is quite absurd -- but that's exactly what happened to the Italdesign Aztec.

Italdesign prepared three concept cars -- the Aztec roadster, the Aspid coupe, and the Asgard minivan -- for the 1988 Turin motor show. In spite of their different bodywork, each featured a rear-mounted, turbocharged 2.5-liter Audi I-5 mated to an all-wheel-drive system cribbed from a Lancia Delta Integrale. Both the Aztec and Aspid bore some resemblance to Giugario's 1984 Ford Maya concept, save for the unusual-looking rear fenders and wheelskirts.

All three designs were simply intended to be show vehicles, but a Japanese industrialist -- smitten with the looks of the Aztec -- bought the production rights to the car, and pushed the car into limited production. Each car was identical to the concept, and ran buyers nearly $750,000 a piece. At least 18 were completed, although a production run of 50 cars was originally planned.

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source by automobi

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FEATURES: Eight Great Volkswagen-Italdesign Collaborations(1973)

1973 Audi Asso Di Picche

Italdesign and Karmann teamed up once again in 1973 to craft a Volkswagen concept car, but the finished product would have a much more profound influence on other production vehicles than the Cheetah before it.


Although Audi was enjoying the fiscal stability provided by new parent Volkswagen, it was Karmann who approached Italdesign with the idea of creating a concept coupe built off the Audi 80. At the very least, the company had a vested interest in the project -- should VW/Audi brass enjoy the proposal, Karmann felt it could attain a contract to mass-produce the car.

Dubbed the Asso di Picche (Italian for Ace of Spades), the finished product looked nothing like the humble 80 it was built upon. Giugiaro envisioned a sleek, wedge-shaped coupe with a slender nose, long hood, and a short, angular fastback. The show car looked nothing like any other Audi model at the time -- arguably, the only visual link to the 80 was the front fascia, which sported a full-width grille housing large quad headlamps and the fabled four-ring logo.

VW executives liked the car, but didn't push it into production exactly like Karmann hoped. Instead, it called upon Giugiaro to pen the first-generation Scirocco, which bears a striking resemblance to the Asso di Picche -- gaping grille and all. Lucky for Karmann, it found a way to score a contract building the bodies for the little sport coupe.

Giugiaro eventually extrapolated the Asso di Picche into a line of "Ace" concepts. The Asso di Quadri (Ace of Clubs), shown in 1976, was built from a BMW 320i, and bears a remarkable resemblance to the second-generation Scirocco. The Asso di Fiore, unveiled in 1979, was a dead ringer for the 1982 Isuzu Piazza/Impulse

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source by automobi

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Audi and Xbox to Host Forza 3 Tournament in New York City

Audi and Xbox to Host Forza 3 Tournament in New York City

Want to watch the 2010 24 Hours of Le Mans, but can't make your way to France? Perhaps the AXF 24 Challenge -- a party co-hosted by Audi and Microsoft's Xbox team -- is the second-best way to view the classic enduro.

The event celebrates the Le Mans race and serves as a venue for a digital race challenge. Audi's currently asking gamers to fire up Forza Motorsports 3, pilot a digital 2009 Audi R15 TDI race car around the Circuit de la Sarthe, and submit their best lap times. Those with three best times will be invited to the Audi Forum in New York City on June 12, where they'll compete head-to-head in a four-hour Forza-based endurance race. The winner will receive a one-day program with the R8 at Audi's Driving Experience school in Sonoma, California.

Want to watch the cyber-race in person? Audi's opened the event -- which includes a live feed of the Le Mans race, food, door prizes, and Forza 3 game kiosks-- to those over the age of 21. The festivities will be held from 1-5 p.m., and Audi suggests you preregister.

Source: Audi, Forza

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2010 Audi Q7 Overview

Introduction

The Audi Q7 has established itself in the luxury SUV class with bold styling, numerous tech features and five-star safety ratings.
The Q7 is available with three different engine choices, two direct-injection gasoline engines, a 280-hp 3.6-liter V6 and a 350-hp 4.2-liter V8, as well as a new 225-hp 3.0-liter V6 direct injection diesel (TDI). All are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and quattro all-wheel drive. Standard features include leather upholstery, heated front seats, automatic dual-zone climate control, 6-disc audio system, power liftgate, Bluetooth and wood trim. The 4.2 adds even more standard luxuries such as Advanced Key passive entry, auto-dimming mirrors, bi-xenon headlights, blind spot detection, Bose audio, satellite radio, navigation system, sunshades and 20" wheels.
Along with the new TDI engine, the Audi Q7 gets a refresh for 2010 with new front and rear LED lighting, updated bumpers, front grille and side mirror housings, 3G MMI navigation and numerous new color choices.

NHTSA Frontal Crash Test

NHTSA rates crash-tested vehicles by assigning them one to five stars, with five stars indicating the most injury protection and one star indicating the least protection.

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