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Daytona 24 Hours to open North American IMSA Series
Intercontinental GT Challenge to kick off with Bathurst 12 Hour in Australia

Two weeks following the one-two win in the 24-hour race in Dubai, the new Audi R8 LMS GT4 will now be racing in North America. The audience there will get to see the customer sport race car for the first time in the traditional opening round of the IMSA Series at Daytona from January 27 to 28. Just one week later, on February 4, the Intercontinental GT Challenge will kick off in Australia.

With its product offensive Audi Sport customer racing is strengthening its presence in international motor racing. “While motorsport in many series is still at rest at the beginning of the year our customers are already racing in three international events,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing. “We’re particularly pleased to see how popular our new models already are. The GT3 and GT4 versions of the Audi R8 LMS and the Audi RS 3 LMS are in high international demand.” In Dubai, a total of 13 driver squads relied on one of these three race cars. At Daytona, the touring and the two GT sports cars are competing as well. The Audi R8 LMS GT3 will be battling in the 24-hour race for Audi’s third victory in the GTD class after 2013 and 2016. Team Magnus Racing was victorious two years ago and is returning with an Audi R8 LMS. The cockpit will be shared by three Americans, John Potter, Andy Lally, Andrew Davis, and German Audi Sport driver Markus Winkelhock. Team Montaplast by Land-Motorsport in 2017 just barely missed victory by 0.293 seconds and is going to race with the two Audi Sport campaigners Christopher Mies and Kelvin van der Linde, plus his brother, Sheldon van der Linde, and Jeffrey Schmidt.

As part of the supporting program of the iconic 24-hour race, spectators can expect to see a strong field and thrilling battles in the Continental Tire SportsCar Challenge. TCR race cars are admitted for the first time. Five teams from Audi Sport customer racing’s circle are fielding a total of seven Audi RS 3 LMS. In the GS class, three Audi R8 LMS GT4 cars, distributed to two teams, are making their debut. Both classes are contesting a joint 4-hour race.

Australia, Audi will be battling for overall victory seven days later. In 2011 and 2012, customer teams supported by Audi Sport customer racing won the 12-hour classic on the Bathurst race track with the Audi R8 LMS. The challenging roller coaster circuit 200 kilometres west of Sydney will open the 2018 Intercontinental GT Challenge. Rounds in Europe, Asia and North America complete the calendar. Audi in 2016 and 2017 was the overall winner in the drivers’ and manufacturers’ classifications. This year, the four rings are tackling the defence of both titles.

Eight GT3 race cars are taking on the challenge in Australia. Team Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing will be on the grid with five Audi Sport drivers, Kelvin van der Linde, Frédéric Vervisch, Christopher Haase, Christopher Mies and Markus Winkelhock, plus local touring car ace Garth Tander. Audi Sport Team WRT is contesting a race in Australia for the first time. One of the two cockpits will be shared by Audi Sport campaigners Robin Frijns and Dries Vanthoor with Blancpain GT Sprint Champion Stuart Leonard. At the wheel of the second WRT Audi will be last year’s FIA WEC GT Am Trophy winners Mathias Lauda, Paul Dalla Lana and Pedro Lamy together with local hero Will Davison. Three privateer teams from Australia and one from New Zealand are completing the circle of Audi’s customer teams at Bathurst. “This puts us in a good position in America and in Australia for the next two endurance races,” says Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing.

Driver lineups

Daytona GT3
Magnus Racing Audi R8 LMS
Andrew Davis/Andy Lally/John Potter/Markus Winkelhock (USA/USA/USA/D)

Montaplast by Land-Motorsport Audi R8 LMS
Kelvin van der Linde/Sheldon van der Linde/Christopher Mies/Jeffrey Schmidt (ZA/ZA/D/CH)

Daytona GT4
GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4
Daren Jorgensen/Cameron Lawrence/Rick Parfitt Jr. (USA/USA/USA)

GMG Racing Audi R8 LMS GT4
Andrew Davis/George Kurtz/James Sofronas (USA/USA/USA)

CarBahn Motorsports Audi R8 LMS GT4 Sameer Gandhi/Tyler McQuarrie/Mark Siegel/Jeff Westphal (USA/USA/USA/USA)

Daytona TCR
eEuroParts Audi RS 3 LMS Lee Carpentier/Kieron O’Rourke (USA/USA)

Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Rodrigo Sales/Kuno Wittmer (USA/CDN)

Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Roy Block/Pierre Kleinubing (RA/BR)

Compass Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Britt Casey Jr./Tom Long (USA/USA)

JDC Motorsports Audi RS 3 LMS
NN

Murillo Racing Audi RS 3 LMS
Matt Fassnacht/Justin Piscitel (USA/USA)

RS Werkes Audi RS 3 LMS
Don Istock (USA)

Bathurst GT3

Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS
Kelvin van der Linde/Garth Tander/Frédéric Vervisch (ZA/AUS/B)

Valvoline Jamec Pem Racing Audi R8 LMS
Christopher Haase/Christopher Mies/Markus Winkelhock (D/D/D)

Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS
Robin Frijns/Stuart Leonard/Dries Vanthoor (NL/GB/B)

Audi Sport Team WRT Audi R8 LMS
Paul Dalla Lana/Will Davison/Pedro Lamy/Mathias Lauda (CDN/AUS/P/A)

Supabarn Audi R8 LMS
James Koundouris/Theo Koundouris/Duvashen Padayachee/Ash Walsh (AUS/AUS/AUS/AUS)

Hallmarc Audi R8 LMS
Marc Cini/Dean Fiore/Lee Holdsworth (AUS/AUS/AUS)

ASR Audi R8 LMS
Daniel Gaunt/Ash Samadi/NN (NZ/AUS)

International Motorsport Audi R8
LMS Richard Bagnall/Matt Halliday/Jonny Reid (NZ/NZ/NZ)

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Record results for the Audi Ideas Program: AUDI AG accepted and implemented approximately 15,000 suggestions for improvements from employees in 2017. This led to savings for the automobile manufacturer at its plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm of approximately €108.6 million last year, which is 23.4 percent more than in the previous year.

Audi places importance on quick and lean processes in its ideas management: Experts from the relevant departments examine the employees’ suggestions at headquarters and decided directly on implementation. An online tool informs the employees about how the process is progressing and ensures maximum transparency. An internal ideas agency accompanies and advises the employees. The Audi employees receive financial rewards from the company for suggestions that are implemented, the amount of which depends on the savings achieved.

“We always encourage our employees to look very closely at their own working area and to question the status quo,” stated Joachim Kraege, Head of Organization and Consulting at AUDI AG, “because the creativity and inventiveness of everyone at Audi are crucial success factors for us.” Klaus Mittermaier, Chairman of the Group Works Council at AUDI AG: “It is our workforce that makes the long‑term success of our brand possible. The Audi Ideas Program shows that very clearly. So it’s very important to us as members of the Works Council that our colleagues personally profit from their improvement suggestions.”

Often it is apparently small, unspectacular ideas from one’s own working area that improve processes, avoid waste or make work easier. For example, two auto‑mechatronics apprentices had the idea of marking torque‑wrench sockets green and red. The color system eases the fitting of the sockets, prevents the wrong use of the tool and therefore saves time.

Thanks to the idea of two employees in engine development, Audi saves approximately €100,000 each year. The two maintenance workers noticed that the ventilation systems in their buildings were operating day and night. Their suggestion: reducing the fans’ speed when no‑one is present. Meanwhile, the ventilation systems are switched on during the week only from 6 a.m. until 10 p.m.

In the area of quality assurance, three employees improved the method of measuring car doors: They reduced the time required to adjust the measuring instruments from 34 to just 18 minutes for each door. As a result, they and their colleagues save 200 working hours each year, in which they can now concentrate on other tasks.

There has been an employee suggestion scheme at Audi for 50 years now, and the Ideas Program has existed in its current form since 1994. The Audi Group has established ideas programs also at its other plants in Europe. In Győr and Brussels, the company implemented more than 10,100 employee suggestions in 2017 and thus saved approximately €33 million.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

Automobile, home and power supply combined to form an intelligent energy network: In a pilot project the Audi Smart Energy Network for the first time interacts with the power grid. This marks a major advance for grid stability.

As part of a research project, Audi is running a pilot project with households in the Ingolstadt area and the Zurich region in conjunction with other partners. This involves combining various sizes of photovoltaic systems with stationary storage batteries. The control software by the Zurich start-up company Ampard distributes the solar power intelligently based on the current or plannable demand from car, household and heating system. A unique feature of the pilot project is that it also interacts with the power grid: Over a built-in communication interface, all systems are interconnected to form a virtual power plant, and constitute a smart grid.

The connected home storage devices can provide what is known as balancing power. In other words, they balance out the fluctuations between power generation and consumption, and stabilize the grid frequency by temporarily storing smaller amounts of energy in stationary units at short notice. This optimizes internal consumption: Operators of photovoltaic systems increase their proportion of own-use solar power while cutting their power procurement costs.
“We are looking at electric mobility in the context of an overall energy supply system that is increasingly based on renewables. We are playing a pioneering role with the prequalification of the balancing-power market – enabling producers to feed power into the grid, as part of the pilot project. That is now for the first time also possible down at the level of individual households, which helps balance the entire power grid,” remarked Dr. Hagen Seifert, Head of Sustainable Product Concepts at Audi.

As part of its quest for emission-free premium mobility, Audi is also looking at services that extend beyond the automobile as a product. One important aspect is the interrelationship between all those areas of life where the car meshes seamlessly with a connected environment. There is particular focus on services that involve interaction between car and environment.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

“Best Cars 2018”: Audi A5 Sportback best midsize model

The Audi A5 Sportback (fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 6.5 - 4.1*; CO2 emissions combined in g/km: 149 - 106*) won the “Midsize” category in the 42nd “Best Cars” readers survey conducted by the trade journal auto motor und sport. The five-door coupé topped its segment with the majority of votes. The prize was accepted by Peter Mertens, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at AUDI AG, at the end of January in Stuttgart. In addition, the brand with the four rings also took second place three times – with the Audi A3 in the compact class, the Audi A8 in the luxury class and the Audi Q7 in the “Large SUV/Off-road Vehicles” category. The Audi A1 took third place in the “Small Car” category, as did the Audi A6 in the “Upper Midsize” category. Readers selected from a total of 385 models worldwide in eleven categories. Furthermore the Paul Pietsch Award was presented during the “Best Cars” awards ceremony. With the traffic jam pilot in the new Audi A8 the brand took second place in this competition. This prize for innovative technical developments in the automotive sector has been awarded since 1989 in the name of Paul Pietsch, co-founder of Motor Presse Stuttgart.
(January 2018)

“Luxury Car of the Year”: Audi A4 honored by Cars.com
The experts at Cars.com, a leading digital automotive portal, selected the Audi A4 as the “Luxury Car of the Year” at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. They praised the midsize model’s versatility, driving dynamics and spacious interior as well as its superior workmanship and luxurious equipment. The numerous body variants were also recognized – from the Audi A4 sedan to the sporty Audi S4 sporty Audi S4 (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.9 - 7.5*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 179 - 170*) to the Audi A4 allroad (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6.8 - 4.9*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 154 - 127*), which combines off-road qualities with the versatility of a station wagon. The operation of the Audi A4 impressed with its driver-oriented Audi virtual cockpit and standard Audi smartphone interface. The latter incorporates Apple Car Play and Android Auto and therefore offers the familiar smartphone environment. Assistance systems – including the standard feature Audi pre sense city and the optional adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go and traffic jam assist – ensure comfort and safety on board.
(January 2018)

Edmunds CES Tech Driven Awards 2018: Audi honored twice
Audi was honored as the “Most Innovative Automaker” and for having the “Most Innovative Infotainment System” at the Edmunds CES Tech Driven Awards. The awards were accepted by Thomas M. Müller, Head of Electrics/Electronics at AUDI AG, and Alfons Pfaller, Head of Connected Car/Infotainment Development at AUDI AG, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas. The awards are presented by the CES and by Edmunds, the leading car sales portal in the USA, as a means of recognizing innovative concepts and pioneering technologies in the automotive industry. According to the jury of experts, the traffic jam pilot was the decisive factor in the company’s being named the most innovative car manufacturer. The new Audi A8 is the world’s first production automobile developed for conditional automated Level 3 driving. On highways and multi-lane expressways with a physical barrier between opposing lanes, the system handles driving in slow-moving traffic up to 60 km/h (37.3 mph). The (remote) parking pilot and remote garage pilot also made their debut in the new flagship car. They make parking extremely convenient by autonomously driving the luxury sedan into parallel or perpendicular parking spaces as well as garages, and by driving the car back out. Audi was also honored for having the “Most Innovative Infotainment System” thanks to the Audi virtual cockpit and the MMI system. The jury was impressed by the clear graphics, the integrated user experience and the intuitive menu navigation. In addition, the Audi smartphone interface was praised for connecting compatible Android and iOS devices via USB to the on-board infotainment system.
(January 2018)

Car and Driver “10Best Trucks & SUVs” 2018: Audi Q7 takes the award in its category
For the second time in a row, the US magazine Car and Driver has named the Audi Q7 the “Best Mid-Size Luxury SUV” in the selection of the “10Best Trucks & SUVs.” The jury recognized the roomy SUV’s practicality and driving dynamics as well as its innovative technologies and connectivity. The interior offers premium comfort for seven people: The panoramic glass roof, for instance, provides a light-flooded interior, while the Bang & Olufsen 3D Sound System creates a listening experience similar to that of a concert hall. One highlight is the fully digital Audi virtual cockpit, in which the driver can set various displays for navigation and infotainment. Numerous assistance systems complement the extensive offerings – from the standard Audi pre sense basic and Audi pre sense city to the optional Audi side assist, which warns of vehicles in blind spots. The Audi Q7 is offered in the United States with a 3.0 TFSI V6 engine and a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine. Both engines are combined with quattro permanent all-wheel drive and an eight-speed triptronic.
(January 2018)

“Car of the Year 2018” in Korea: Audi R8 tops in performance
The Korea Auto Expert Journalist Association has selected the Audi R8 (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 13.6 - 12.4*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 309 - 283*) as Car of the Year in the “Performance” category. The jury members selected nominees in four categories from a total of 60 new models that entered the Korean market last year. They made their final decision after extensive test drives. The Korea Auto Expert Journalist Association was founded in 2012 and consists of 25 journalists working for print and online newspapers as well as automotive magazines.
(December 2017)

“Connected Car Award 2017”: Audi A8 honored in the “Connectivity” category
For the fifth time, AUTO BILD and COMPUTER BILD have presented the “Connected Car Award” for digital trendsetters. The expert jury selected the car with the best connectivity for the first time this year: In the new category, the Audi A8 clearly outperformed its four competitors and impressed the jury with its latest generation of modular infotainment systems, the MIB 2+. The system incorporates the fast mobile radio standard LTE Advanced into the car as well as a comprehensively optimized navigation system based on the map service provider HERE. It is operated via two touch displays in the center console. The Audi virtual cockpit offers full HD resolution of 1,920 x 720 pixels and displays a wide range of information in a highly detailed display. The highlight is the natural language voice control, which understands freely formulated statements and responds accordingly: say “I am cold” and the A8 increases the temperature. “I want a hamburger” and you’re on your way to the next diner. The prize was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to Thomas M. Müller, Head of Electrics/Electronics at AUDI AG.
(December 2017)

“Auto Bild Sportscar of the Year 2017”: victory for the Audi RS 3 Sedan
The trade journal Auto Bild Sportscars has awarded the “Sportscars of the Year” award for the 16th time. The Audi RS 3 Sedan (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8.4 - 8.3*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 191 - 188*) garnered 30.43 percent of the votes in the “Small and Compact Production Car” category. With its 400 hp 2.5 TFSI engine, up to 280 km/h (174.0 mph) top speed and acceleration from 0 to 100 km/h (62.1 mph) in 4.1 seconds, the compact RS model demonstrates outstanding performance – accompanied by its characteristic five-cylinder sound. The award ceremony took place during the Race Night at the 50th Essen Motor Show. A total of 110 cars from tests and driving reports from the last twelve editions of the magazine were available for selection. The award was presented in 15 categories.
(December 2017)

Eleven Awards for Audi in Singapore

Numerous new models launched by Audi in Singapore during 2017 were awarded prizes by the local automotive press:

The Audi A3 Sedan 1.0 TFSI – Oneshift.com “Best Compact Sedan” (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 4.7 - 4.4*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 109 - 103*)

Audi RS 3 Sedan – Oneshift. Com “Best Engine Sound & Exhaust Noise” and ST-Torque Best Buys of 2017 “Compact Executive” (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8.4 - 8.3*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 191 - 188*)

Audi A5 Cabriolet – Oneshift. com Best Compact Convertible (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8.0 - 4.4*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 181 - 114*)

Audi S5 Sportback – sgCarMart “Best Cars of 2017” (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.7 - 7.5*; combined CO2emissions in g/km: 174 - 170*)
Audi Q2 – ST-Torque Best Buys of 2017 “SUV/Crossover”, ST-Torque Awards 2017 “Best Compact SUV” and sgCarMart “Premium Crossover of the Year”

Audi Q5 – ST-Torque Best Buys of 2017 “SUV/Crossover”

Audi SQ5 – Oneshift. Com “Best High Performance SUV” (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 8.5 - 8.3*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 195 - 189 g/km*)

Audi R8 Spyder – ST-Torque Best Buys of 2017 “Sportscar” (Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 13.6 - 12.6*; combined CO2 emissions in g/km: 309 - 286*)

(December 2017/January 2018)

* Fuel consumption and CO2 emission figures given in ranges depend on the equipment
selected in each case

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

AUDI AG has increased its global sales for the eighth year in a row. Despite a turbulent first half of the year, the company achieved a new record-breaking figure: Around 1,878,100 deliveries represent an increase of 0.6 percent. The Four Rings sold more than in the previous year in all three core markets in 2017: In the United States, Audi achieved new record-breaking sales month by month and closed the year 2017 with growth of 7.8 percent. In China, Audi not only managed to offset the poor delivery figures from the first half of the year, but even achieved a cumulative increase of 1.1 percent in the year-end spurt. In Germany, sales built on the very high level in 2016 with an increase of 0.4 percent.

“Despite a very challenging situation we achieved positive growth in all core markets in 2017 and achieved a new record-breaking sales result worldwide. Every single market contributed to this outcome. This demonstrates the attractiveness of our product portfolio to our customers,” says Bram Schot, Board Member for Sales and Marketing at AUDI AG.

Since June, Audi has managed to return to growth in China, steadily reducing the cumulative year-on-year decline month by month and ultimately achieving a positive sales balance. In the period January through December, the brand increased its deliveries by 1.1 percent to 597,866 automobiles. With this new all-time high, the company continues to maintain its lead in the Chinese premium market. Following on from its similar achievement in November, China also posted the highest volume growth of any individual market in the last month of 2017. Here the sales figures once again increased sharply, up 34.3 percent to 69,160 automobiles year-on-year. Never before had so many Chinese customers taken delivery of an Audi in a single month.

Audi of America also achieved another successful year despite the declining overall market. Audi was the only premium manufacturer in the United States to grow steadily in 2017: up 7.8 percent to 226,511 units. In December 2017, the company also celebrated its 84th record-breaking month in a row (+16.3% to 26,977 units).

With high growth throughout the year, Audi Canada (+17.9% to 36,007 cars) also established itself as a firm fixture among the top ten largest markets.

Despite numerous political and economic uncertainties, sales in Europe rose 0.4 percent to around 860,600 cars. In addition to Germany (+0.4% to 294,544 cars), Italy (+10.5% to 68,954 cars) and France (+3.6% to 63,980) achieved new annual record-breaking figures. The market downturn in the UK had a negative impact on overall results: With 175,217 deliveries and a drop of 1.3 percent, total Audi sales in the United Kingdom, however, comfortably outperformed the declining overall market.

The global increase in demand for the Q models (+10.8% to around 689,150 cars) was a major factor in the growth of the Four Rings in 2017. More than one out of every three Audi models sold was therefore an SUV. The best-selling Q model in Europe is the Q2. Apart from Germany (23,167 units), other major buyers here included the UK (12,636 units) and Italy (11,068 units). Global sales of the Audi Q3 once again increased in December (+11.3% to around 20,950 cars). In 2017, the most successful member of the Q family was the Audi Q5 with around 281,850 automobiles delivered. The most Audi Q5 models were delivered to the individual market China. The successor model will go on sale at Chinese dealers as a long-wheelbase version in spring 2018. The Audi Q7 also saw sales increase by 3.9 percent in 2017. Since the start of the year, sales of the full-size SUV have increased in North America alone by about a fifth to around 43,800 units.

Article source: www.audi-mediacenter.com

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