While most industry executives are tossing hybrid systems and electric motors at their engineers to squeeze into their cars Audi’s sports minded leaders must have said, “I think we can fit four more cylinders on that engine!”
Coming to the Geneva Auto Show later this week will be Audi’s introduction of the all new Q7 V12 TDI Quattro in all its might and gloss. If there was room to squeeze an “R” or and “S” schematically in the name Audi should have done it, because they have done everything else to this sports flavored SUV. You are looking at a 500-hp 6.0 liter V12 that will be chewing up the pavement with 758-ft.lbs of torque. If zero-to-sixty is your thing the Audi Q7 V12 puts that in a the sportscar range of 5.5 seconds. This is no average soccer parents SUV. However, at just under 20 mpg and with special emissions controls the Q7 already meets the next level of fuel standards.
The flash and dash on the Audi Q7 V12 TDI is not limited to the performance sector as the interior comes with all the leather trimmings and aluminum stripping a buyer could want. With black leather along the dash, the tops of the doors and roof of the Q7 and leather on the seats the occupants are literally folded up in a cocoon of leather opulence. However, this cocoon comes with a glass roof view that opens up the skyline to cloud watchers (driver excluded). …Press Release and Photo Gallery to follow…
The luxury car market is clearly where the money is, seeing how the big Super Bowl car commercials centered around the luxury niche. Perhaps the most memorable car commercial from the Super Bowl this year was Audi’s warning to the old way of doing luxury.
Seems that Audi wants to sex-up the luxury car niche, offering some performance and muscle to go along with the elegant style. What do you think? Is the luxury market prepared for performance focused luxury?
Never content to just ride and report on cars the fellas at Top Gear literally put their cars through the ringer and never hold back with their thoughts and opinion. That is what makes it one of the most popular and entertaining Auto Shows on the boob-tube. In one of their recent episodes they wrangled up a new 2008 BMW M3 and matched up its 414-hp 4.0 Liter V8 against the Mercedes C 63 AMG with its larger 6.2 Liter V8 pumping out 451-hp and pitted them both against (3 hosts, you need 3 cars) the Audi RS4 with its 4.2 Liter V8 Quattro at 420-hp.
Let’s see what the boys from Top Gear can do with these sport luxury vehicles.
Audi has let the not so quiet A1 Metroproject Quattro Concept Car out of its shell, but not before it took on its shape. Is it not just the cutest, sports turtle you have ever seen? To counter the cutesy factor assigned to “Mini” cars in the small car market Audi has infused their A1 with an assertive and purposeful front end that looks like it wants to do business with many advanced technologies engineered beneath the esthetic’s that are all about fuel savings and advancing performance. It is time to dig into what makes up the A1.
