Audi: Looking to the future

Audi is a German car manufacturer, it is one of the most successful car manufactuers. Audi's tagline is Vorsprung durch Technik which means 'Advancement through technology'. Many famous people drive Audi cars such as Brad Pitt, Anderson and Steven Gerrard. Following the recent success of the Audi R8, Audi has planned to bring out a new 4 door coupe in 2009 (Audi A7).

As you expect the Audi A7 is a 4 seater, but you buy the car for its sporty looks rather than space. "The segment for four-door coupes is growing, most significantly in North America. It is not something that can be ignored," said a senior Audi source. Audi expects to sell around 40,000 a year once sales are in full swing. The A7 is expected to rival the Mercedes-Benz CLS

New features of the Audi A7 is that it will use air springs for a better quality ride, a new 6 cylinder power plants. Normal models will run a 2.8 litre direct-injection FSI V6. Also buyers can choose between a diesel option (2.7L V6 TDI), and either single or twin turbocharged versions of the 3.0 litre V6 TDI. The interior is also expected to be higher-quality than previous models. The A7 is exclusively for a 4-seater but A6 and A8 may offer more practicality.

There all also a great variety of gearboxes, three transmissions are too be offered, with a six-speed manual and a choice of seven-speed dual-clutch or automatic transmission. The A7 could make its debut at the New York International Auto Show from March 21 - 30, 2008.

Also two new Audi models are planned further down the pipeline, the RS7 and the S7. These are both powered by the 5.2 litre v10 engines. These can reach up 600hp in the RS7. These models are expected to cost around £35,000 to £50,000.

The most recent Audi model is the R8, which was released in 2007 and is a great Audi leasing hit. The Audi R8 is based on the Lamborghini Gallardo. Many say it is the best sports car ever made, beating the Porsche 911 and was voted 'Fastest Car in the world' in 2008 and is very popular for Audi contract hire. The car can reach 0-60m in 4.0secs. The R8 is hard to fault, providing excellent performance and brilliant handling and refinement. The only problem with the R8 is the R-Tronic semi-automatic system is expensive and is jerky at low speeds.

Darrell F writing about the model Audi contract hire models.