What’s new on Audi’s Geneva Motor Show stand?
The biggest news from a sales point of view might have been the A4 Avant – on an all-new chassis for improved driving ability and a bigger boot – but new variants of the TT, Q7 and R8 arguably stole its show stand thunder.
The production diesel TT and Q7 were finally unveiled. The oil-burning sportscar will do 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds thanks to its 168bhp 2.0 TDI engine and offers 53.3mpg and a lowly 140g/km of CO2. It is set to take a fifth of all TT coupe sales and 12 percent of roadster registrations from a summer 2008 on sale date. Prices start at £23,740.
The Q7 meanwhile gets the R8 concept’s massive 493bhp 6.0 V12 diesel to do the same 0-60 run in an extremely rapid 5.5 seconds. It will top the range from late 2008 for £75k-plus.
More curious was the boat-influenced Q7 Coastline ‘study’ featuring new velvet-touch cream leather seats and pinstripe walnut and smoked oak trim inlay on everything from the seatbacks to the boot floor. Audi hopes to make a limited run of 100.
There was another V12 diesel R8 study too – this time called Le Mans – featuring a slick, ducted glass roof – but insiders say it’s still 18 months away from production.
CAR highlight
The Coastline’s amazing ‘now you see them now you don’t’ pop-out boot floor aluminium boxes and the beautiful roof on the R8 TDI Le Mans.
What were they thinking?
In bright red with over-polished chrome wheels and side panel, the R8 Le Mans study looked over the top in the metal.
In a nutshell
Audi’s relentless niche-filling product onslaught continues – mostly successfully, if a bit predictably.
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