Here’s a look at the new Audi A1 competition kit which has been created in honour of some of the more legendary episodes in Audi racing, for example Walter Rohrl’s Pikes Peak campaign with the Audi Quattro Sport S1. If the A1 competition kit hasn’t already, it should really consider a career in rally car driving, if a hot sports version that goes beyond the level of aesthetic is produced.

The A1 competition kit uses the livery of Audi’s racing days in a complete accessory package which also includes ornamental touches to the air intakes, internal colour trim on the central console, door handles and external rear vision mirrors. Specially branded floor mats and sports steering wheel, gear lever and hand brake in red leather complete the look. To examine this A1 sports model more closely, check out the video after the jump.

Continue reading: Audi A1 competition kit pics and video

The first Audi A1 on-road video shows the new compact driven by Markus Winkelhock (official Audi DTM driver), in a more modest standard version than those we’ve seen so far, although we do get a look at the famous “wasabi green” interior inserts and trim. With commentary from Horst Glaser of Audi’s chassis department, this is the first real sense I’ve got that the A1 could be a serious contender to the Mini, without the retro style, of course.

The A1 debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show was almost overshadowed by the A1 E-Tron prototype; the third in the E-Tron family, none of them are headed for production in the near future, although the second compact E-Tron is said to be the future Audi R4. In any case, if we were to see an A1 E-Tron in production, it could be a coup for Audi in conquering the urban electric market. We’ll have to wait and see.

Continue reading: Audi A1 track video

Four models from Audi: the Audi A1, Audi RS5 and the two prototypes A8 hybrid and A1 E-Tron, have been presented at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show. You can see all the new models in these live pics from the Audi stand at Geneva, with the A1 and RS5 appearing in dealerships in the next few months.

The Audi A8 hybrid is a classic hybrid model with combined electric and fuel power with a total of 245 hp. 34 hp come from the electric component while the 2.0-litre TSI supplies 211 hp. The A1 E-Tron on the other hand, is a range extending model that uses a fuel engine as a generator to the electric part. No impressive performance figures are to be seen here, just amazingly low fuel consumption and CO2 emissions - the former measures just 1.9-litres of petrol for every 100 km. At the show, Audi is also celebrating 30 years of its Quattro all-wheel drive technology.

Audi live pics from 2010 Geneva: A1 and RS5

Continue reading: Audi A1 and RS5 live at Geneva motor show

Yesterday the Audi A1 electric for the 2010 Geneva Motor Show was a possibility, we now know that the A1 E-Tron is definitely Audi’s “surprise” for the show. Appearing alongside the new compact A1, the A1 E-Tron is the third in the E-Tron family to be produced. It uses the same kind of range extending, generator technology we’ve been seeing lately (for example on the Opel Ampera), with the capacity to run on electric power, using a combustion engine as generator.

The Wankel fuel engine is a rotary motor which produces power for the electric motor, of about 102 hp. Overall, 105 Nm of torque are produced continuously with peak torque at 240 Nm. The electric motor is powered by a 12 kW lithium ion battery pack stored under the floor and weighing about 150 kg. The range of the A1 in all-electric mode is about 50 km.

Some high-tech features are included on the model, with the GPS navigator coming into play. Audi claims that on programming a destination into the navigator, the A1 E-Tron will automatically choose the most efficient way to generate the engine. The range extender can also be switched on manually.

Overall the car weighs 1,190 kg and can accelerate to 100 km/hr in 10.2 seconds. It has a top speed of 130 km/hr, all of which make this A1 electric strictly a city vehicle, although with a total range of 250 km, longer urban commuting could be achieved. What will be interesting to see in the future is which, if any, of this family of E-Trons will become a production model. If Audi is serious about electric cars, the A1 could be just the kind of premium compact city electric that could be successful. We’ll bring you live pics of the Audi A1 E-Tron from the Geneva show, and to read more about the car, have a look at the press release after the jump.

Continue reading: Audi A1 E-Tron confirmed for Geneva show

The new Audi A1 premium compact will be present at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but a rumour has emerged that we could see an A1 electric model, too. In Audi’s press invitations for the show, we learn that the new A1 will be presented by Justin Timberlake, the RS5 will also be on show, and the A8 hybrid, and that a “surprise” is also in the works.

The idea for an A1 electric has come from an analysis of the recent presentations of the Audi E-Tron, when we first saw the E-Tron as an R8 electric version at last year’s Geneva show. The next E-Tron presented was a smaller model labelled as the fore-runner to the R4, while now bets are we could see a third E-Tron based on the A1 platform.

Whether this is a logical conclusion or not, you can decide, but with only a few days to go before the 2010 Geneva show kicks off, we won’t have long to wait to find out what this new Audi surprise is.

Source | LeBuzzAuto

Continue reading: Audi A1 electric E-Tron to appear at Geneva?

The new Audi A8 hybrid version will be on display at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show, but in the meantime here is the A8 commercial. The standard Audi A8 is available on the market with a 4.2-litre V8 TFSI Quattro with 372 hp and a 4.2-litre V8 TDI with 350 hp. The Audi A8 hybrid appears at the Geneva show with the new Audi Q5 hybrid at a standa which will also feature the Audi A1 premium compact car.

Continue reading: New Audi A8 commercial: A8 hybrid on show at Geneva

Here are the first videos of the Audi A1 premium compact, where we can get a better look at the style and dimensions of the car. It’s quite a deceiving little vehicle and I can’t quite figure out my idea of its size, especially in comparison to other models. The video after the jump gives us further explanation of the A1 design, but I think a few other things are more telling than having someone discuss the single frame grille, for example.

To be specific, let’s get down to simple visuals - this first presentation A1 is red and shows the twin tone roof colour, making this a more street-style, funky Audi than any of the executive sedans, or elegant sportbacks and coupes achieve. So, one for young city goers it appears. The video discusses quality benchmarks in terms of design, with an interesting discussion of the A1 rear. I say interesting because the front is very trademark Audi and adopts in-house style.

I can’t wait to see this live at the Geneva show, where first impressions will be confirmed or overturned. There’s no doubt it’s an exciting prospect for Audi, but it will be the market who determines just how well Audi has pulled off its premium compact. Despite the Audi technology and quality, I’m a little disappointed in the choice of a 1.2-litre engine as the entry level model. It comes at a good price, but I’m not sure whether Audi will go stripping customers from Mini with that kind of option. We might love Audi, but generally we like them fast and powerful - maybe a turbocharger is called for. We’ll have to wait and see what happens…

Continue reading: Audi A1 first videos

The Audi A1, the first premium compact model for Audi, has the Mini Cooper firmly in its sights and could even become Audi’s biggest selling model ever. That’s the plan, anyway, as we see the first official pics of the new A1. The definition of “premium” seems to be one of brand and not of price, as the starting price of the A1 shouldn’t exceed more than 16,000 euros, although your money here gets you a 1.2-litre engine.

So, the Audi A1 entry level model is fitted with a 1.2 TSI with 86 hp and 160 Nm, with a five-speed manual gearbox. It accelerates to 100 km/hr in 12.1 seconds and has a top speed of 179 km/hr. Audi is highlighting the low emissions and fuel consumption of this option, with 5.1 litres of fuel for every 100 km and CO2 emissions of 119 grams per kilometre.

The Audi A1 will also appear with a 1.4-litre TSI with 122 hp and greater acceleration, reaching 100 km/hr in 9.1 seconds. It will have a dual-clutch, seven-speed S-Tronic transmission, which is a more exciting prospect than the entry level option. No word on pricing here, though.

Continue reading: Audi A1 pics released

Here’s a look at the famous wasabi green interior trim that the Audi A1 is set to have. Apparently it will be just a splash here and there of the colour, used in the seams, for exmaple. Audi has actually built a pilot car using this colour as the internal trim (with white exterior body), and according to Audi “it looked terrific”.

There’s plenty of design theory discussed in the video, and while Audi says it wants to reach people looking for freshness, we suspect it’s more to do with a flashy sports style. We’ll hold off judging the wasabi green until we actually see an example of it, although we hope that’s not the only weapon they’ve got against the Mini or Alfa MiTo…

Continue reading: Audi A1 interior video teaser

The Audi A1 design is based on a sports style with a lateral profile that holds its line from the front right across the roof and down to the rear of the car. The A1 will also have a muscular look but with sloping roof line for individuality and the impression of speed. The big news is that this contrasting curved roof can be ordered in a variety of colours as a small touch of personalisation to the car. Check it all out in the interesting video.

Continue reading: Audi A1 body design

The Audi Q5 hybrid has been confirmed and will be presented most likely at the 2010 Paris motor show, with production starting for a market appearance at the beginning of 2011. The Q5 will be the first Audi hybrid model to be produced, and will be one of the significant models presented in 2010, along with the new Audi A1 and Audi A7.

No technical details of the Q5 hybrid have been released, although it should include the 3.2-litre V6 petrol engine combined with lithium ion batteries. The new hybrid model will contribute to the 42 model line-up planned for 2015, increased from Audi’s current line up of 34 models. 7.3 billion euros are being invested in the development of new models to achieve this aim.

Continue reading: Audi Q5 hybrid to enter production

The Audi A1 presentation is a long way off in February, if you consider Christmas, holidays and New Year all in the middle, but the A1 countdown has already started. The new Audi compact car will debut at the 2010 Geneva motor show from March 4 to 14, but it’s while before our curiosity will be satisfied.

The A1 launch campaign includes tantalising glimpses of the car on Twitter, Facebook and in the video above. On January 28 we should see an A1 test drive video released, followed by a project manager video on February 4. The A1 count down will finish on the day of its online presentation: a date which hasn’t been confirmed yet. After the jump is another corporate video with design concepts revealed, and to register for A1 updates, see the Audi UK site.

Continue reading: Audi A1 design concepts