TRUTH IN ENGINEERING

Audi made available to the US a new dimension in driving dynamics in 2006. The RS 4 combined innovative ideas and concepts with exciting lines and a level of equipment living up to the highest luxury performance standards. A high-speed engine concept, FSI technology, and the latest generation of quattro drive, with asymmetric/dynamic distribution of torque, result in a startling 420 hp with 90% of the torque consistently available between 2250 and 7600 rpm. Indeed, the RS 4 is the top-of-the-range model in the A4 series and a development all-new from the ground up.

Audi introduces their first SUV to the US Market. The Audi Q7 arrived in U.S. showrooms in June 2006 with a 350 hp 4.2-liter V8 engine with FSI direct-injection technology. The Q7 V8 also featured Audi’s legendary quattro all-wheel drive and 7-passenger seating as standard equipment. Accolades for the Audi Q7 were abundant, including the Ward’s Auto Interior of the Year Award, The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s “Top Safety Pick,” Bild am Sonntag’s Golden Steering Wheel, and a Five-star rating for frontal and side-impact crash tests from the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration.

The Audi R10 TDI started seven-times in the American Le Mans Series 2006 season, and took the checkered flag as winner on each occasion. Dindo Capello and Allan McNish wrapped up the Drivers’ Championship with a couple of races left in the season. Audi also won the Team and Manufacturers’ Championships. Every title in the “top flight” LM P1 class went to Ingolstadt for the seventh time in succession.

Audi positions itself as the sportiest manufacturer in the premium class segment and its success in motorsport is the perfect base for this. Furthermore, through its diesel involvement in motorsport, Audi has increased its advantage in the TDI sector even further and accelerated the development of TDI technology, directly benefiting the consumer market.

Audi announced its entry into the most discerning segment of the car market with its R8 mid-engine sports car – and immediately took up a position among the leaders: equipped with the expertise that Audi has gathered from its involvement in motor sport and from building sporty premium-class cars, the R8 is the embodiment of superlative road behavior, pioneering technology and fascinating design. The 420 hp V8 FSI engine, quattro permanent four-wheel drive and the aluminum space-frame body endow the R8 with outstanding qualities to challenge for leadership of this segment, as do its excellent everyday suitability and Audi's typical standards of perfection in quality and finish.

Audi caused a stir with the introductions of the newly remodeled TT Coupe at the 2006 New York Auto Show and then with the TT Roadster at the 2006 L.A. Auto Show. The first generation of the TT was a milestone in automotive design, an icon. For the new generation TT Audi lovingly retained and stylishly enhanced that genetic code with greater focus on breath-taking performance. The new Audi TT is powered by two transversely installed engines – a four-cylinder turbo and a V6. Both units provide it with high levels of power and performance. Additionally, the Audi TT will be remembered as a study in how to instill a tremendously successful predecessor with even greater emotion, performance and dynamism.

In order to increase the popularity of the diesel engine even further in the USA, Audi announces they will back Clean Diesel under the name of Bluetec together with Volkswagen and DaimlerChrysler. By means of this joint campaign, the three car manufacturers intended to demonstrate the benefits of modern diesel technology to consumers in the USA: excellent performance, high fuel-efficiency, low-emissions output and low-maintenance.

At the 2007 North American International Auto show Audi demonstrated the possibilities of TDI technology with the majestic V12 TDI power-unit. The Audi Q7 V12 TDI raised the bar in the burgeoning sports utility vehicle segment. Its six-liter twelve-cylinder diesel unit confirmed the tremendous technological expertise at Audi's fingertips.

At the 2007 Geneva Auto Show Audi expanded into a highly emotionally charged segment of the market with the A5. The A5 successfully unites the acclaimed Audi design language and thrilling dynamic driving performance, and combines generous refinement with the brand’s characteristic quality and sophistication. Its progressive design gives the new coupe an appearance that is both elegant and dynamic. With its muscular FSI and TDI engines, its entirely newly developed high-precision running gear, and a raft of innovative, luxury-class equipment features, the Audi A5 has been crafted to be a modern grand tourer, a touring coupe in the best tradition.

The Audi S5 is an extra sporty offering to complete the new series. A powerful V8 FSI engine gives the S5 a dynamic edge, which underscores its athletically accentuated design.

In May 2007 Audi introduced the company’s first all-new multimedia campaign since 2002. The campaign focuses on several Audi models, including the all new TT, A4 sedan, the Audi Q7 SUV and A6 sedan. The theme that unites each ad is the company’s U.S. tagline – “Truth in Engineering.” It represents the notion that Audi’s superior design, history and engineering provide the most authentic, truthful driving experience in the luxury segment.