2006 3.2 Avant! Push To Start* Bose* Navi* Premium* Clean Carfax* No Reserve!!! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi boosts A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid production to 50 a day

Should we try to translate "Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead" into German? Audi might force us to do that. That's because the German automaker has stepped up production of its new plug-in vehicle – the A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid – which is never a bad thing. Audi was circulating prototypes of the PHEV as early as 2012 and launched production this summer at a clip of 30 vehicles a day. Now, the company is saying that it's upped that daily production rate to 50. That's not exactly Ford F-150 manufacturing territory, but it's a pretty good sign that more Europeans are clamoring for the plug-in than Audi expected. The A3 E-Tron is priced at about $51,000 in Germany and pairs a 1.4-liter gas-powered engine with an electric motor to produce 204 horsepower and get the car from 0 to 60 miles per hour in less than seven and a half seconds. More impressively, the A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid can go 30 miles on electricity alone plus another 550 miles on gas power, and gets a Euro-based fuel-economy rating of a monstrous 156 miles per gallon. Check out Audi's press release below and take a look at our drive impressions here. On the line and on time: Production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron • First plug-in hybrid model drives off the assembly line in Ingolstadt • Assembly processes integrated into the A3 line • Maximum safety for employees, top quality for customers Production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron: Assembly – On the engine and component assembly line, the electric motor and transmission are fitted to the engine. Approximately 50 cars every day, with the same timing and on the same assembly line as the other models: Audi is now ramping up production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron*. The premium manufacturer is producing its first plug-in hybrid model at the brand's main plant in Ingolstadt. "We started series production of the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron in the summer," said Dr. Hubert Waltl, Board of Management Member for Production at AUDI AG. "Most of the assembly work is integrated into the A3 line; no separate manufacturing is necessary. That demonstrates the flexibility and efficiency of our production planners and employees." With the Audi A3 Sportback e-tron, Audi is launching the mobility of the future. The compact five-door combines a 1.4 TFSI combustion engine with a 75 kW electric motor, resulting in a total system output of 150 kW (204 horsepower).

2016 Audi TT price increased to $42,900*

Audi has announced pricing for the new third-generation TT and second-generation TTS, and both models have received a moderate bump. Simply getting into the family will demand $42,900, or $2,550 than the current coupe. If you fancy a topless TT, the price has jumped from $43,350 to $46,400, or $3,050 more than the last one. The performance-oriented TTS and its 292-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, though, is easily the bargain of the range. At $51,900, it's $3,200 more than the current model. But where the normal TT only gets a nine-horsepower increase and stays even on torque output, the TTS has gone from just 265 hp to 292 ponies. Torque is up as well, from 258 pound-feet (the same as the normal model) to 280-lb-ft. Prices for the TTS Roadster, meanwhile, have not been announced. That said, considering the increases through the rest of the range, we'd expect the high-performance two-seater to come in at or around the $55,000 range. Considering our impressions during our first drive of the standard TT and the performance increase for the TTS, we must say, these price hikes don't seem exorbitant. Scroll down for the official pricing announcement from Audi. AUDI ANNOUNCES PRICING FOR THE ALL-NEW TT MODEL LINE The quintessential design icon boasts a new driver-focused interior and true sports-car performance TT sets standards for in-vehicle technology with the Audi virtual cockpit - a fully digital instrument cluster Virtual cockpit powered by first automotive NVIDIA® Tegra® 30 processor integration May 06, 2015 | HERNDON, Virginia -- Audi today announced pricing for the all-new 2016 Audi TT model line. The iconic vehicle boasts an exciting new design characterized by the use of innovative technologies and driver-focused performance. Design and Body The third generation TT pays tribute to its past where the model took the design world by storm, with a modern take on the bold original, with short overhangs, broad wheel arches and a lean a muscular stance. Standard full LED headlamps exude modern sports car appeal, with a broader and flatter Singleframe® grille, sharp contours across the hood, electric rear spoiler and new centrally mounted round exhaust tailpipes are an incorporated design cue from the iconic first generation model . The all-new TT front end and floor assembly are made of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel components, while the superstructure comprises aluminum castings, extruded sections and panels.

Audi Sport sets up new shop in Neuburg

Racing fans may know Audi best for its Le Mans team that's positively dominated the endurance racing scene. But as formidable as its Le Mans program is, that's only one of the racing disciplines in which Audi competes. It also competes in the full FIA World Endurance Championship, as well as Germany's popular DTM touring car series and supports customer teams in GT racing series around the world. And now the competition division is getting a new headquarters.
Audi Sport has until now been based in an old supermarket near to the company's head offices in Ingolstadt, but is now moving into a brand new, state-of-the-art facility 12 miles to the west in nearby Neuburg. The result of some 20 years of planning and two years of construction, the complex covers 116 acres of land in Neuburg-Heinrichsheim and will house engineers, technicians and other staff who deal with the R18 E-Tron Quattro, the RS5 DTM and R8 LMS Ultra that compete the world over.
The facility was officially opened this past Saturday with participation from top Audi brass and local government officials and included demonstrations from all three of those racecars around the on-site test track. The works team has begun moving in and the customer racing department will move into its new Motorsport Competence Center in the first half of 2015.