The 2010 Audi Q7 is here. Audi has totally redesigned the Audi Q7 for 2010, and added new features. Audi has added distinctive new LED front and rear lighting, and the 2010 Q7 models now include 3G MMI 3D navigation screen and SIRIUS traffic.

Cool new interior enhancements of the 2010 Audi Q7 include additional ambient lighting, decorative inlays and available ventilated front seats. The 2010 Audi Q7s are scheduled to arrive at U.S. Audi dealers in September 2009.

2010 Audi Q7 (excluding $825 destination charge, taxes, title, options and dealer charges):
2010 Audi Q7 3.6 quattro (Tiptronic ) $46,900
2010 Audi Q7 TDI quattro (Tiptronic) $50,900
2010 Audi Q7 4.2 quattro (Tiptronic) $61,000

Exterior enhancements include a new wheel program, updated front and rear bumpers, distinctive new front headlamps and tail lights, single frame grille in gloss black with vertical chrome strips, exterior mirror housings, and a new lower body panel strategy featuring contrast paint for the Q7 3.6 quattro, full body paint with Chrome package on the Q7 TDI quattro clean diesel, and S line treatment on the Q7 4.2 quattro. The equipment packages for the 2010 Q7 3.6 quattro and the 2010 Q7 TDI begin at the Premium level, while the 2010 Q7 4.2 quattro starts with the Prestige level packaging.

Interior upgrades include optional ventilated front seats, a new decorative inlay on the passenger side of the dashboard, additional ambient lighting on all four doors, an upgraded MMI system, additional interior chrome accents, and a new instrumentation font.

The redesigned 2010 Audi Q7 features technological advancements as available features that enhance both interior and performance luxury. The 3G MMI (Multi Media Interface) provides richly detailed 3D map courtesy of an automotive grade NVIDIA(TM) chip for graphics processing, along with SIRIUS traffic and joystick control. The system also features voice-based destination input control and voice inputs, such as “I’m hungry,” “I need gas” and “I need coffee” that will point to the closest options.

Audi is also the first car company in the United States to equip 100% of its gasoline engines with FSI direct injection technology beginning with model year 2010. Audi began racing with FSI direct injection technology in 2000 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the American Le Mans Series with the R8 FSI prototype racing sports car. Once this technology first became available for U.S. Audi customers in late 2004 with the introduction of the 2005 A6 3.2 FSI quattro, the list of Audi vehicles sold in the U.S. with FSI direct injection technology has continued to grow.

Audi of America, Inc. has announced that sales for the month of September totaled 8,021 vehicles, an increase of 0.2% from last year’s figures. To date, Audi has sold 68,479 vehicles in 2007, a 9.4% increase over the previous year.

Several key markets recorded significant increases, including New York (+25.7%), Chicago (+21.2%), Miami (+22.8%) and Los Angeles (+22.1%).

Audi Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) sales also are up for the year. Compared with last year’s figures, September CPO sales came to 2,171 units, an increase of 6.5%. To date, CPO sales for 2007 are tracking at 19,608, an increase of 4.1%.

              AUDI OF AMERICA:  SEPTEMBER 2007 SALES

AUDI US SNAPSHOT                              ------YEAR TO DATE------
                Sept-07 Sept-06  Yr/Yr %  Sept-07  Sept-06  Yr/Yr %
                 Actual  Actual  change     YTD      YTD    change
                                               actual   actual
A3                    462     601   -23.1 %   4,831    6,590   -26.7 %
A4/S4/RS 4          3,437   3,787    -9.2 %  26,671   28,167    -5.3 %
A4/S4 Cabriolet       499     710   -29.7 %   6,145    5,799     6.0 %
S5                    115       0        -      115        0        -
A6/S6               1,126   1,061     6.1 %   8,762   13,308   -34.2 %
A8/S8                 311     438   -29.0 %   2,754    3,802   -27.6 %
TT                    412      74   456.8 %   3,084      903   241.5 %
R8                     68       0        -       68        0        -
Audi Q7             1,591   1,333    19.4 %  16,049    4,010   300.2 %
Total               8,021   8,004     0.2 %  68,479   62,579     9.4 %

Audi of America, Inc., currently offers a line of luxury vehicles that include the Audi A3 sport compact; the sporty A4 and S5 sedans, Avant, and Cabriolet models; the high-performance RS 4 sports sedan and Cabriolet; the all-new S5 coupe with a 354-horsepower engine; the A6 sedan and Avant; the V10-powered high-performance S6 sedan; the Audi Q7 performance SUV; the all- new for 2008 TT Coupe and Roadster models; and the all-aluminum R8 mid-engine sports cars. Audi’s 270 dealers sold 90,116 vehicles in the United States during 2006. Information regarding the Audi brand and products can be found at http://www.audiusa.com/.

The 2007 Audi Q7 is the first vehicle in North America to offer a new system by Hella that uses radar to monitor objects in the car’s blind spot. Hella calls it “lane-change assistant”, and audi calls it “Audi Side Assist”.

Audi Side Assist supports you by constantly monitoring neighboring lanes when the vehicle reaches 35 miles per hour.

While driving the Audi Q7, and a vehicle enters your range of vision, a subtle, yellow vertical light strip illuminates on the corresponding side-view mirror. In addition, when you activate a turn signal (to indicate an intention to change lanes) and a vehicle is in a lane next to you, you will receive a warning in the side mirror. The car’s vertical light strip will then flash.

The Audi Side Assisthas two 24 GHz radar sensors integrated into the vehicle’s bumper with a range of 164 feet. The system functions regardless of the weather conditions.

Hella, a global supplier, develops and manufactures components and systems for lighting and electronics for the automotive industry, including driver- assistance systems enhancing safety and comfort. In addition, its joint- venture companies produce complete vehicle modules, air-conditioning systems and vehicle-electric systems. Hella is also one of the world’s largest companies selling automotive aftermarket parts and accessories, with its own sales companies and partners in more than 100 countries. Annual consolidated sales for the Hella Group total $4.4 billion.

Hella is one of the 100 largest industrial companies in Germany. More than 24,000 people are employed in 70 production facilities, production subsidiaries and joint-venture companies. Nearly 2,900 Hella engineers and technicians work in research and development. Customers include all of the world’s leading automakers and system manufacturers, as well as the automotive aftermarket.

Audi has officially announced the pricing for the new Audi 2008 R8. The new Audi R8 with a six- speed manual transmission will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $109,000 when it launches this fall in the United States. Models equipped with the six-speed R tronic automatic gearbox will start at $118,000.

Take a look at the automotive web directory where you can get an automotive link from only one dollar.

The R8 is the first mid-engine sports car Audi has ever produced. With a 420 hp V8 4.2L FSI engine and rear-biased quattro(R) all-wheel drive system, the R8 has the performance capabilities unlike any Audi before it. With a zero to 60 mph time of 4.4 seconds and a top speed of 187 mph, the R8 is the fastest Audi ever produced. The lightweight aluminum frame and body and 44:56 front-to-rear weight distribution give the R8 tremendous handling capabilities, with the balance expected of a mid-engine sports car.

Standard luxury features include Audi magnetic ride, automatic bi-xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights, LED taillights and LED engine compartment lighting. 19-inch alloy wheels, automatic climate control, power and heated leather/Alcantara sport seats, cruise control, Sirius(R) satellite radio, and nine-speaker audio system. An optional Convenience Package includes Audi parking system advanced with rearview camera, Audi hill hold assist, a six-disc CD changer, HomeLink(R), Bluetooth(R) phone prep, auto dimming exterior mirrors, and a storage package.

Stand alone options on the R8 include a 12-speaker, 465-watt Bang & Olufsen(R) sound system, Alcantara headliner, Audi navigation plus, an upgraded Leather Package, and Enhanced Leather Package which includes a leather covered dash and interior trim pieces, metallic/pearl effect paint, carbon fiber sideblades, body color sideblades, and the previously mentioned R tronic automatic gearbox. These options allow R8 owners to personalize their sports car to make it an even more exclusive vehicle than it is right from the hand-assembly plant in Neckarsulm, Germany.

Audi’s history in America dates to 1969, when the brand was first introduced to the U.S. market. Today, a network of over 260 Audi dealers currently offers a line of premium vehicles that include the Audi A3 compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the all-new Audi Q7 performance SUV; and the all-aluminum Audi A8; and the new V10-powered S6 and S8 performance sedans.

“quattro” is a registered trademark of AUDI AG. All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.

Though a direct translation to English is difficult the sentiment is “Technologically One Step Ahead” Surprisingly the tagline isn’t used in the US where “Never Follow” graces all the companies marketing.

The story behind the name is often mistold. Many people believe that Audi is an acronym spelling out “Auto Union Deutschland Ingolstadt” this is not the case. Apparently the name of the company was decided by the son of Franz Fikentscher.
Franz & the owner August Horch where having a meeting when Franz’s son suggested the name Audi as it was Latin for Horch (which means Hark! In English).

However it wasn’t until 1932 when Audi merged with three other car manufactures that there famous four ring logo came into use. The first ring represents Audi, the second represents DKW, third is Horch, and the fourth and last ring Wanderer. The company was heavily affected by the Second World War, and it took time for the company to reach the international popularity of the brand today.

Audi produce a number of highly desirable models that are available on contract hire including:

A2 – Though now discontinued the A2 was considered by many to be ahead of its time in design. The car came a few years before the recent supermini craze and lost out as a consequence. While not hugely common they compare very well to Mercedes equivalent A Class.

A3 – In recent years certain models made by the Volkswagen group have become quite similar across the different manufacturing brands. The A3 is just such a car. It bears more than a striking resemblance to the VW Golf, Seat Leon & Skoda Octavia. While it may look similar to the other cars they can’t compare in terms of the finishing & final product produced by Audi.

A4 – One of the most popular cars to lease, the A4 is a compact executive car. This does quite a good job of squeezing as much of a luxury you get in Audi’s high end models into a slightly smaller form factor.

A5 – The A5 is the perfect example of a Luxury Coupe. Though not available yet the car is expected to offer the same kind of mixture of performance and comfort as the CLK Mercedes Benz and BMW 3 Series Coupe.

A6 – The E-Class competitor from Audi was recognized as the car of the year in 2005 and is one of the manufacturer’s most popular models. The Mid sized luxury car has an innovative Multi Media Interface which is a system controlling in-car entertainment, satellite navigation, climate control, car settings.

TT – the TT is one of the most instantly recognizable sports cars on our roads today. The sleek shape & styling has proved a huge hit. The super car styling on a more reasonable budget has proved immensely successful. An update of the iconic design is being made available during 2007 which should refresh the look to turn even more heads.

Danny Trip trip works for GMC Car Leasing who are experts in Audi Contract Hire

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Danny_Tripp
http://EzineArticles.com/?Audi-Contract-Hire—Why-Audi-Make-Popular-Car-Leases&id=495462

The first Audi R8 sports car to be sold in the U.S. will be auctioned off at the 15th Annual Elton John AIDS Foundation party to celebrate the Academy Awards. All proceeds will be donated to EJAF to support its work in the fight against HIV/AIDS. This marks the second year in a row Audi has teamed up with the EJAF to auction off a vehicle during the party. Two Audi Q7 models sold for a combined $280,000 last year.

Bidding for the first Audi R8 will start at $100,000. Bids can be placed live by attendees at the viewing party, over the telephone, by proxy, or at anytime between now and the end of the auction at eBay Live Auctions (www.ebayliveauctions.com). The live auction is being conducted that evening by Jamie Niven, Vice Chairman of Sotheby’s and is being hosted online by Julian’s Auctions based in West Hollywood. The winning bidder will take delivery in July and have the distinction of owning the first R8 sports car in North America, well before the planned launch in fall of this year. Final pricing for the R8 has not been set for North America, but the comprehensively equipped car being auctioned is expected to retail between $130,000-$150,000 (U.S.).

Audi recently concluded an auction on eBay for a one-day test drive of the all-new R8. The winning bid was for $12,601, all of which is donated to EJAF. On February 24th, the winner and one guest will get to experience the abilities of the R8 on the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, then spend the rest of the day testing the R8 on public roads in the scenic Valley of Fire. They will then have the opportunity to attend the EJAF Academy Awards Viewing Party on February 25th.

The R8 is Audi’s first mid-engine sports car. It incorporates everything Audi knows about motorsport into a production vehicle. With a 420 hp 4.2-liter V8 engine and light weight Audi Space Frame (ASF(R)) technology, the R8 can accelerate from 0-62 mph in 4.6 seconds. Power is delivered by Audi’s legendary quattro(R) all-wheel drive system through a six-speed manual transmission, or Audi’s new R tronic sequential gearbox. Even though the two- seat R8 is a highly capable sports car, it’s still an Audi. The passenger cabin is luxuriously appointed, spacious, quiet, and can even fit two golf bags behind the front seats. The R8 will be in dealerships starting in fall of 2007.