With the pilot location, Audi is road-testing its new charging concept for the first time. “We want to use it to test flexible and premium-oriented quick-charging infrastructure in urban space,” says Ralph Hollmig, Audi charging hub project manager. “We’re going where our customers don’t necessarily wake up in the morning with a fully charged electric car and at the same time thinking about increasing charging demand in the future.”

Self-sufficient and affordable charging infrastructure

Cubes are the foundation of the Audi charging hub. The flexible container cubes can be assembled and disassembled again in existing areas in a few days. The cubes provide two fast-charging stations for each unit and can be combined in various constellations. Used and processed lithium ion batteries function as energy storage systems – what are known as second-life batteries taken from dismantled development vehicles. That reduces costs and resources. This makes complex infrastructure with high-voltage power lines and expensive transformers as unnecessary as time-consuming planning procedures. The Audi charging hub's battery-storage solution will bring quick-charging infrastructure where the electric grid is not enough.

Thanks to the roughly 2.45 MWh of interim storage, the charging stations in Nuremberg only need a 200 kW green power connection to the low-voltage network that is already available, which is entirely sufficient for operating the Audi charging hub. The 200 kW are enough to continually fill the storage modules. Solar panels on the roof additionally provide up to 30 kW of green energy. Customers can charge electric cars with up to 320 kW of power at six charging points. A total of about 80 vehicles can be charged here per day without reaching the limits of the energy storage system’s capacity combined with the hub’s 200 kW power input.

The Audi e-tron GT reaches a charging capacity of up to 270 kW. That allows the four-door Coupé to charge enough energy for up to 100 kilometers in about five minutes. A charge from 5 to 80 percent takes roughly 23 minutes.

Prices like the Wallbox at home

Currently, anyone who chooses to use the high-power charging stations at the Audi charging hub in Nuremberg and have an e-tron Charging Service contract can charge for 31 cents per kilowatt hour, regardless of the rate. That makes the Audi charging hub a real alternative to charging at home. “We’re providing people in urban areas with charging at the price they would pay to charge using the Wallbox at home,” says Hollmig. The Audi charging hub in Nuremberg is an open charging site. The entrance area is even accessible for drivers of cars of other makes. 

Fast and uncomplicated charging

Audi customers can use the new reservation function in the myAudi app: they can easily book one of the six charging areas. Charging itself is quick and uncomplicated. With Plug and Charge (PnC), it is even possible to charge models with Plug and Charge functionality without an RFID (radio frequency identification) card at two of the six charging points during the pilot phase. The authentication process takes place automatically via encrypted communication as soon as the charging cable is connected to the vehicle. To use this system, drivers must have a PnC-capable model of the Audi e-tron series (Audi e-tron 50/55/S incl. Sportback derivatives with production date after calendar week 48/2021) and an active e-tron Charging Service contract. Customers can spend the 20- to 30-minutes it takes to charge up to 80 percent charging volume – for instance with an Audi e-tron or e-tron GT – in the upstairs lounge.

Attractive service offerings enhance charging time

The tests that are starting in Nuremberg focus on the new reservation function, customers’ expectations of a premium charging experience, and technical aspects like the requirements for modern battery storage systems. Audi also wants to determine which times of day the facility is particularly frequently used. The goal is to establish the Audi charging hub with appropriate added value for customers. To that end, Audi is offering additional attractive services on-site beyond charging electric cars: an exchange station for electric bike batteries, an electric scooter lending service, information about various Audi products, as well as test drives in theAudi Q4 e-tron and RS e-tron GT, supervised by Audi experts. Additionally, Audi offers a just-in-time delivery service for food, an upscale automat, and mobile car care.

Service staff look after customers In the roughly 200 square meter (2,153 sq. ft.) barrier-free lounge, which also includes a 40 square meter (431 sq. ft.) patio, users’ wellbeing takes center stage. There they can work and relax. On a 98 inch screen, Audi models can be configured or information about the Audi charging hub’s functionality or a car's current charge level can be retrieved.

During the pilot project in Nuremberg, an employee will attend to visitors’ wishes between 10:00 AM and 7:00 PM. Six charging points and a lounge are available around the clock. “Our customers will share multiple benefits,” says project manager Hollmig. “With an exclusive reservation option, a lounge area, short idle time thanks to high charging capacity, and a novel swivel arm to simplify handling the charging cable.”

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

The 2021 season began with a world premiere: On February 5, Audi Sport customer racing presented the second generation of the RS 3 LMS, whose predecessor with 180 units is still the brand’s most successful racing model within a single vehicle generation. On June 11, the Audi R8 LMS GT3 set a record with the 138th example of the second generation. It overtook the predecessor model, which was produced 137 times. And in December 2021, the 400th GT sports car in total for motorsport left the factory hall in Biberach at Audi’s Neckarsulm site. In addition to the successful GT3 models, this count also includes the near-production GT4 sports car, which has now been produced 100 times, and the GT2 variant. With the start of production of the Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II, which debuted in July, and the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II, Audi Sport customer racing has realized two model launches in 2021. These figures prove how firmly the Audi Sport brand is anchored in global customer racing. The unit sales and market shares underscore that the GT sports cars and the touring cars with the four rings are among the most popular products in global competition. At the same time, the successes in motorsport have a positive impact on the production cars that form the basis of all four race cars from Audi Sport customer racing.

The program’s sporting record is equally positive: Customers have won a total of 58 titles in the 2021 season to date on the four continents of America, Asia, Australia and Europe. Further title decisions for this season will be made by February 2022. “Our thanks go to the many dedicated and loyal customer teams that run our race cars from Canada to South America, throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “They are the backbone of the program and the guarantors of our sporting successes.”

Outstanding championship results in GT3 racing include five title victories by Team WRT in the European and two more by MPC in the Australian offshoot of the Fanatec GT World Challenge. Also noteworthy are the ADAC GT Masters title win by Montaplast by Land-Motorsport, first place by Audi Sport Italia in the Sprint and Endurance Championships in Italy and the title victory of Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute in Chinese endurance racing. A total of 27 titles – from driver championships to team and junior classifications – went to the GT3 model with the four rings. Over the course of 246 races, the sports car has achieved 198 podium finishes worldwide, including 79 victories. Two endurance successes stand out from the balance: the overall success of Audi Sport Team Saintéloc at the Indianapolis 8 Hour in October – a round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge – and of Team Rutronik Racing by TECE at the Sebring 24 Hours, the finale of the 24H Series in November.

In the young category of GT2 racing, the Audi R8 LMS GT2 also recorded top results straight away. The driver and team titles in GT America went to GMG Racing. In the Pro-Am classification of the GT2 European Series, High Class Racing prevailed. The year’s tally includes 13 victories and a total of 20 podium places in 16 races, cementing Audi’s reputation as a competent supplier in the broad world of GT racing.

The GT4 version of the Audi R8 LMS was more popular than ever before especially in European racing series. In addition to ten championship titles, the production-based model contributed significantly to the track record with 99 podium finishes worldwide, including 43 victories, in 199 races. Notable among these was Saintéloc Racing’s fourth GT4 title in a row, this time in the GT4 European Series. The all-female Giti Tire Motorsport by WS Racing team recorded a 24-hour class victory at the Nürburgring this year.

Audi remains top in touring car racing as well: The first generation of the entry-level RS 3 LMS showed top form with 17 titles. Among others, Audi won the TCR New Zealand with Track Tec Racing and the TCR Australia with MPC Bostik Racing for the first time. The successor model also won its first laurels when Comtoyou Team Audi Sport won the Trophy classification in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup. Both model generations together achieved 86 victories and a total of 258 podium places in 342 races this year. For the sixth time since 2017, a customer team also won a 24-hour race with an RS 3 LMS: the class victory at Sebring went to the Belgian private team AC Motorsport.

For the fourth year in succession, the world’s only Audi one-make cup rounds off the motorsport program. Rüdiger Seyffarth organizes and promotes the Audi Sport Seyffarth R8 LMS Cup. For the second time, Robin Rogalski emerged as the best driver from the competition with identical race cars. 17 different drivers collected points in three classifications over the course of ten races at the wheel of the production-based Audi R8 LMS GT4.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

For Audi Sport customer racing, the model has been a successful basis of its global customer racing program since the end of 2016. “This title reflects the commitment of our customers in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “Our thanks and congratulations go to them because only they made this success possible.”

While customers around the world still relied on the first generation of the production-based racing touring car, Audi Sport introduced the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II in the 2021 season and entered it in the WTCR – FIA World Touring Car Cup together with Comtoyou Racing. If all vehicle entries worldwide are added up, the figure comes to 842 individual starts last year. In the process, the teams clinched 259 podium places in 344 races, including 86 victories. Since 2017, Audi Sport customer racing customers have achieved a total of 72 title successes in various series with the up to 250 kW (340 hp) touring car, including 18 in the past season alone.

The homologation of the first generation will be retained so that customer teams can continue to use this race car in the future. At the same time, the Audi RS 3 LMS gen II is to increasingly contribute to the great track record of the entire model line from 2022. After Audi Sport customer racing started production of the new race car in October, 23 units have already been delivered to customer teams by the end of 2021.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

For Ratinho Junior, Governor of the state of Paraná, “the announcement that Audi will resume production in the São José dos Pinhais plant is the high point of a positive trend in the state of Paraná. The state is quickly recovering from the aftermath of the pandemic with a rapidly growing economy and employment. We are proud to be Audi’s home in South America. Because of that, we have achieved a lot in recent decades.”

Johannes Roscheck, Managing Director and CEO of Audi do Brasil, says, “We are happy to be able to announce that production will resume in the São José dos Pinhais plant, the only Audi factory in South America. Even in difficult times, the company has always worked to make national manufacturing possible because we believe in Brazil’s potential and, at the same time, we want our customers’ faith in the brand to grow.”

The Audi Q3, with a 2.0 Liter TFSI engine in both chassis variants, will be produced on the same assembly line where the previous generation of the SUV was built in 2019.

Electrification strategy: ultra-fast charging stations

Along with confirming local production, Audi do Brasil and its dealerships also took the opportunity to make a second announcement: it was about the electrification strategy in Brazil. Audi and its dealers have joined forces to expand Brazil’s ultra-fast charging station infrastructure.

Starting in 2022, more than R$20 million are to be invested to install 150 kW DC charging stations in almost every Audi dealership in Brazil. These charging stations will be used to charge, for instance, the fully electric Audi e-tron from 0% to 80% in less than 25 minutes.

The history of local production

The history of Audi production in Brazil began in 1999 with the dedication of the São José dos Pinhais plant in Paraná, where the first generation of the Audi A3 was produced until 2006.

In 2012, the Brazilian government created Inovar-Auto, a subsidy program for technological innovation and strengthening the production chain for motor vehicles. Consequently, Audi do Brasil decided to manufacture in Brazil again. The company invested around €150 million in the Paraná plant for that purpose.

Production began in 2015 with the A3 Sedan – the only Audi model in the world with a flex-fuel engine to date. It runs on either gasoline, ethanol, or both fuels together. In 2016, production was expanded to include the Audi Q3. The SUV was built until 2019, when its life cycle came to an end. Production of the Audi A3 Sedan was likewise discontinued with the end of its life cycle in 2020.

After a hiatus of a bit more than a year from late 2020 until mid-2022, Audi will manufacture two models in the Paraná plant again: the new Audi Q3 and the Audi Q3 Sportback.

The Brazilian Audi Q3 and Audi Q3 Sportback

The Brazilian Audi Q3 and Audi Q3 Sportback will be equipped with the reliable 4 cylinder gas engine 2.0 TFSI with direct injection and turbocharging, which provides 350 Nm of torque and 231 PS of power. For the first time, Audi will build a model in Brazil with quattro technology, a transverse engine, and eight-step tiptronic that enables smooth, fast gear shifts.

The Audi Q3 has become the gold standard in its segment since it was introduced in February 2020. It became the best-selling Audi in Brazil in its very first year. Both versions embody the Q series’ new design language. It was initially presented in Brazil with the Audi Q8, a completely new brand model. A highlight in the front view is the singleframe with an octagon design.

The interior design follows the trend of Audi’s top models. Like the A6, A7, and Q8, the new Audi Q3 is equipped with the new MMI concept, in which the 8.8 inch touchscreen is ergonomically integrated into the instrument panel and tilted ten degrees toward the driver. Shift paddles on the steering wheel make it possible to change driving modes manually.

The spatial layout inside the Audi Q3 is highly variable. The rear seats can be moved forward 150 millimeters (5.9 inches) in the Q3 and 130 millimeters (5.1 inches) in the Q3 Sportback as standard equipment.

The luggage compartment carries 530 liters (18.7 cubic feet) in both chassis variants, making it the highest volume in this class. Folding down the seat backs increases that capacity to 1,525 liters (53.9 cubic feet) in the Q3 and 1,400 liters (49.5 cubic feet) in the Q3 Sportback.