From Fourtitude.com

Well they say "the third time is a charm" and this time the number 3 has more significance than ever before. For me, this is the beginning of my third project car, which also just happens to be the all-new Audi A3. It's Audi's intent that this new 5-door A3 (a.k.a. A3 Sportback in Europe) will put the company on the map to a whole new world of buyers. A side of that which may not be intended is that of the aftermarket. The A3 is built on the company's corporate A platform. When product planning comes to reality, this platform will play home to the TT as well as several Volkswagens, meaning the tuning aftermarket will be considerable and healthy. There'll be plenty of ways to personalize and tune these cars to each owner's preferences, and that's a market we intend to explore.



Full Story by Brian McCauley with Photos by William Westfall

From AudiClubNA.org

Given the success of the Audi AG driving schools in Barcelona for the past two summers, does it come as a surprise that this year's event would be any different? In summer 2003 Audi AG got the excitement going by putting the driving school students in the newly released V8-powered S4. Last year, students piloted the 2005 TT 3.2 DSG. And this year, students had the great pleasure of sitting behind the steering wheel of the 2006 preproduction RS4. It was a privilege to "play" with the most powerful 4 series platform Audi available to date. This year's event was different, however, in that it raised the bar for driver school experience.


Full Story

From Fourtitude.com

It�s no surprise, most Audi owners and enthusiasts understand and value of all-wheel drive. When quattro burst onto the scene in the early eighties, it took the world by storm and allowed the cars fitted with it to seemingly break the laws of physics. Since then, all-wheel drive in automobiles has become a �must have� option on many high-performance cars. Still, when thinking of all-wheel drive, most don�t think of the bicycle or motorcycle. That�s not so with Steve Christini.


When 2WD is AWD

July 26, 2005

A second generation of Audi's Allroad 4x4 station wagon will be launched in 2006 – you're looking at it and probably focusing on the super economy-size grille that takes the automaker's main identity feature to a new level.

The original Allroad was launched in 2000 (2001 in South Africa) and, the company says, about 90 000 have been assembled - "considerably more than was originally planned".

Audi describes the car as "combining the advantages of an Avant station-wagon with those of an off-road vehicle" by adding all-wheel drive and an air suspension system that can be jacked up or dropped electronically, depending on terrain.

The Allroad quattro has picked up a number of awards over the years: in 2003 readers of the specialist magazine Off Road voted it the best crossover of the year.

The new model has features already displayed on the Allroad quattro concept presented back at the start of 2005 at the Detroit auto show.

"The car captivated the public," Audi reported, "and prompted the decision to build the second generation of the Allroad quattro.

"As well as offering the elegant sportiness of the new Audi A6 Avant, the new Audi A6 Allroad quattro cuts a fine figure off the beaten track.

"The second generation again features quattro permanent all-wheel drive and adaptive air suspension with variable ground clearance."

The second generation of the Audi A6 Allroad quattro will be launched in mid-2006

It started out years ago as a ‘gentlemen’s agreement’. Now, the 155-mph speed limit found on Audi, BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes cars may be lifted after years of being a fact of life. Started as a means to prevent government regulation, this self-regulation is not followed by all manufacturers out side of these four. With more and more manufacturers producing cars that are significantly faster, these four are talking about lifting the limit on their regular production vehicles. The limit removal is being looked into by Audi, BMW, and Lexus. Lexus was not one of the original manufacturers when the limits first were imposed.