A1 Scoops What Car Award?

The new Audi A1 has been named by What Car? readers as the ‘most exciting car of 2010’. The award for our new compact car was just one of four won by the Brand when the car buyers’ bible held is annual awards ceremony in London last night (14 January).
 
The ‘Reader Award – Most Exciting Car’ went to the A1. More accurately it went to the A1 concept symbolised by the 2007 A1 project quattro design study, because it received the most votes in an online poll of readers of the magazine’s online edition www.whatcar.com.
 
The A1 is due to be unveiled in its final, production-ready form at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in early March. First UK deliveries will be made towards the end of this year.

What Car? Editor Steve Fowler commented: “A new, small Audi sounds like an enticing proposition and our readers seem to agree, voting it the most exciting new car to be launched this year. Although we haven’t seen the finished car yet, a funky small car with an Audi badge on the nose and aimed directly at the Mini can’t fail to succeed. It should be a strong contender for our Car of the Year Award in 2011!”

The TT 2.0 TFSI won the ‘Best Coupe’ award for the fourth successive year on its way to hopefully matching its Mk1 predecessor, which took five category trophies. Also on a sporting slant, the R8 scooped the ‘Best Performance Car’ honour, regaining the title it held in 2008.
 
Audi was also presented with the What Car? Security Award, judged in association with the Motor Insurance Repair Research Centre in Thatcham, for the third year running. This very significant award highlights the brand’s commitment to providing a deterrent that, in the words of Thatcham, “does most to protect owners from the worst intentions of criminals.”

New A8: the epitome of Vorsprung durch Technik

The new Audi A8 (D4) had its world premiere on 30 November in Miami, Florida. The brand’s new flagship was presented in a truly innovative way as the focal point of the exhibition The Art of Progress in the Audi Pavilion.

The new A8 features two powerful yet efficient engines at launch, a new and improved Multi Media Interface (MMI) system, new driver assistance systems and an elegant design both inside and out; Vorsprung durch Technik runs through the new arrival’s veins. The new Audi A8 is open for ordering and first deliveries to UK customers will be at the end of April 2010.

Key Product Highlights

Exterior design

Audi Space Frame (ASF). Now in its third incarnation, the revolutionary aluminium ASF on the new A8 means it is both lighter and stronger than its predecessor
The new A8 is the longest, widest and lowest car in its class
Its single-frame grille is to a new design featuring angular upper corners and horizontal chrome braces which emphasise the vehicle's width
It has newly-designed xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights; all-weather function replaces the front fog lights
LED rear lights

Interior

Sets new standards in quality of workmanship
A wider and more spacious interior than in the outgoing A8
New steering wheel design with multi-function buttons and rollers
New ‘yacht style’ gear selector lever with electronic transmission of shift information
Two-part decorative inlays as standard; the top part is finished in walnut brown, the bottom in high gloss black
New ambient LED lighting pack with three colour settings: Ivory, polar and ruby
Standard fit 12-way electrically adjustable front seats with memory function, upholstered in luxurious Valcona leather

New Technology & Innovation highlights

Engine and transmission

New 8-speed tiptronic transmission
Recuperation

Driving 

Quattro with sports differential (standard on 4.2 TDI)
Dynamic steering (optional)
Adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go (option)
Night vision with pedestrian detection (option)
Vehicle support based on navigation system (standard)

Safety

Full LED headlights, first seen on the R8 (option)
Audi pre-sense basic as standard, with three other levels available as options

Audio and communication

Enhanced Driver Information System (DIS) with seven-inch colour display
MMI screen with eight-inch 3D colour display and MMI Touch® (standard)
New rear-seat entertainment system with class-leading 10.2-inch display (option)
Audi online services (option)

R8 V10 is Performance Car of the Year

The Audi R8 V10 has been named Performance Car of the Year by Auto Express. The weekly car magazine tried out 19 of the fastest and most exciting cars launched in 2009, and last year’s champion the Nissan GT-R, on road and track, before crowning the R8 V10.

The GT-R did well again to take fourth place, but it was the R8 V10 that grabbed the lion’s share of the plaudits and first place, beating two of Porsche’s most highly-rated products, the Cayman S and the 911 GT3 into second and third places.

“We knew from past experience that the R8 would be a contender,” said Auto Express, “but the new V10 left us gasping for superlatives... the R8 was the stand-out choice for our test team.”

The TT RS also made it into the final 20, attracting its share of the praise, “The TT RS lives up to expectations, as it has all the traits we have come to expect from a performance Audi,” said the report.

The magazine’s conclusion though returned to the winner, stating: “If we could award six stars for desirability, we would. But even without its extra star the R8 V10 is a worthy winner of our Performance Car of the Year crown.”

Audi R8 Spyder

The stunning new Audi R8 Spyder has been unveiled at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It has the same V10 5.2 FSI quattro drivetrain as its Coupe counterpart, and will be available to order from November 2009 in six-speed manual and six-speed R tronic automated manual forms priced at £111,955 OTR and £117,155 OTR respectively with first customer deliveries in April 2010.

The Spyder remains true to the core design cues of the Coupe including the mid-engine concept, quattro and Audi Space Frame to make sure the stunning looks are complemented by superb handling and driving performance.

Exterior features

Building on the V10 Coupe styling, the Spyder has some unique features that make it one of the most distinctive cars on the road. The Spyder has no sideblades, but the windscreen frame's aluminium finish complements the finish on the air vents in the carbon fibre panel that disguises the hood when folded.

With the soft-top roof closed, the lines remain sleek and coupe-like thanks to fins incorporated within the fully automatic, acoustic hood.

Key features

Fabric hood
The fabric hood is available in three colours; black, red and brown. The hood opens or closes in just 19 seconds, at the touch of a button, and can be operated while on the move between five and 30mph. The heat and noise-insulating qualities of the hood ensure that the R8 Spyder cabin is acoustically on a par with the Coupe at moderate speeds.

For extra comfort and versatility, the heated, glass rear windscreen can be raised and lowered independently of the hood and a wind deflector can be easily fitted behind the seats to reduce buffeting when the hood is down.

Bluetooth Interface with seatbelt microphones
The R8 Spyder features a Bluetooth interface as standard. It includes a new technological advance that is a first for Audi.

Three microphones are integrated into the cabin: one in the driver’s seat belt, one in the passenger’s seat belt and one in the roof module. This optimises reception and minimises wind noise when using the hands-free function.

The seat belt microphones are also included with the mobile phone preparation – low option.

Specification
The standard specification is based on that of the R8 V10 Coupe, with these additional items:

- Heat resistant Fine Nappa leather
- Extended leather package
- Bluetooth interface including integrated seatbelt microphones
- Wind deflector
- Fully automatic, acoustic soft-top

The total value of these items is approximately £3,000.