2011 Audi A1 – Click above for high-res image gallery
There’s been some speculation that the steep price tag on the Audi A1 has kept the hatch from being the sales success that had hoped. Right now, the A1 commands a €15,800 price tag in Germany (that’s a bit over $21k USD), and many analysts seem to think that kind of coin is well out of the reach of most young buyers. Audi, meanwhile, says that it isn’t having any issues moving A1 models off of dealer lots. The automaker is still on track to build 50,000 units this year, and hopes to put 30,000 into the hands of waiting buyers.
According to Automotive News, Audi has sold around 20,000 A1 hatchbacks since the hatchback hit the market in August. Even if things are as rosy as Audi claims, there’s some indication that the company will move to make the vehicle even more appetizing in the near future. European buyers may be able to get their hands on a five-door version of the car in short order. As of right now, the three-door design is the only available body configuration – and no, you still can’t have one, America.
Audi A1 TFSI – Click above for high-res image gallery
surprised us all when it hatchback packing everything but the kitchen sink…and the S1 nameplate. The reason, according to reports, was that every S model in the company’s history has featured Quattro all-wheel drive, but the PQ25 platform on which the A1 is based can’t accommodate it. At least, not yet.
The UK’s Autocar now suggests, however, that a business case is being made inside the Group to engineer the platform to accept the extra driveshaft. Doing so would allow for proper Quattro-driven S1, but that’s not all. In order to justify the cost, the Volkswagen Polo could get a couple of models driven on all fours, including a Polo R hot hatch to slot in above the Polo GTI and a soft-roader with actual traction to back up its butch styling.
2011 Audi A1 1.4 TFSI – Click above for high-res image gallery
Less than a week about the A1’s lack of a U.S. visa comes word that is considering bringing the second generation entry-level hatch to the States. Speaking with Automotive News at the Paris Motor Show, Audi AG board member Peter Schwarzenbauer said the chances of the next A1 coming to the U.S. are “quite high,” although a decision wouldn’t be made for at least another year and a half.
When development of the current A1 was underway several years ago, Audi decided that fuel prices and consumer demand were too low to justify bringing the A1 into North America. However, sales of the combined with strong consumer interest in diesels – not to mention the warm reception of the – have Audi reconsidering the A1’s business case in the U.S. And if Audi wants to achieve its goal of becoming the world’s largest luxury automaker by 2015, it will need all the sales it can get in the States.
2011 Audi A1 1.4 TFSI – Click above for high-res image gallery
Despite the success of the and , continues to deny us the all-new A1. There are a variety of reasons for excluding the pint-sized hatch from the U.S. market (marketing, brand image, average transaction price, etc.), but the introduction of the twin-charged A1 here at the Paris Motor Show has us questioning all of them.
Packing a 1.4-liter TFSI (read: both turbo and supercharged) inline four-cylinder engine, the A1 puts out 185 horsepower and 185 pound-feet of torque, sends it to the front wheels through a seven-speed S tronic gearbox and can sprint to 60 in 6.9 seconds on its way to a top speed of 141 mph. Think of it as the luxury alternative to the , with a price tag to match: €24,250 or just over $30k at current exchange rates. Get all the details in the press release .
2011 Audi A1 1.4 TFSI – Click above for high-res image gallery
As if we needed another reason to salivate over the delicious little Audi A1. The Four Ring’d One has just announced that it will pull the sheets off of a new, hopped-up version of its tiniest hatch at this year’s Paris Motor Show. Here’s the important part: under the hood, there’s a 185-horsepower dual-charged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine with 185 lb-ft of torque. That’s right, this machine makes use of both a supercharger and a turbocharger, and as a result, Audi says that its new A1 1.4 TFSI can scoot to 60 mph in a quick 6.9 seconds.
By way of salting the wound even further, Audi says that the meanest of the A1 breed returns around 40 mpg U.S., effectively making the look both lethargic and overtly wasteful. A seven-speed DSG gearbox handles shifting duties and likely helps with that massive fuel economy number. Quattro all-wheel drive is still not available, however.
European buyers can expect to see the brawny A1 by the end of this year, where it will carry a price tag of around $31,500 at current conversion rates (though the included EU taxes inflate that figure somewhat). As usual, we won’t see it on our shores. to take a look at the press release and the high-res gallery below if you’re a glutton for punishment.
Audi A1 meets ’50s cool – Click above to watch video
We’ll be honest: we have no idea what’s going on in the video after the jump. Near as we can tell, wanted to work up a photo shoot for its new A1 subcompact, so the company dialed up two members of the band Tokio Hotel, packed a warehouse with 22 pieces of classic iron and went to town. Yeah, we don’t quite get it ourselves. There’s a ’50s drag-race flavor about the whole affair thanks to a tatted-up blonde bombshell playing flag girl, which only furthers our befuddlement.
At least the song isn’t half bad.
It’s true that the Audi A1 is a pretty cool piece of machinery. And, yes, we dig on pre-’60s hardware as much as the next auto-obsessed site, but the two aren’t quite the same kind of awesome. Maybe Audi is looking to flex the customizable side of the A1, or maybe the ad department was just looking for an excuse to meet a couple of members of Tokio Hotel. Who knows? to try to solve this mystery for yourself.
The Audi A1 certainly looks the part of a premium micro mini. Luxury touches like LED headlamps and available faux aluminum trim helps make the case that newest and smallest ride deserves to wear the four-ringed badge.
But beyond attractive sheet metal and a typically wonderful Audi interior, we can’t help but wonder how the A1 handles itself. Is it too small to feel luxurious on the open road? Does it have the chops to take on the venerable ?
Jonny Smith from Fifth Gear attempts to answer those questions and more by taking the A1 for a spin on UK streets. to take in the 3:09 video. We don’t want to spoil anything, but lets just say that we’re very interested in getting our hands on the smallest Audi money can buy.
Audi A1 painted by Damien Hirst – Click above for high-res image
Elton John puts on auctions throughout the year for his AIDS foundation. The latest auction fete, held at Elton’s manor, included an Audi A1 “spin painted” by British contemporary artist Damien Hirst. The A1 is still so far off that it hasn’t even been priced yet, but one hopes the MSRP will be a scant fraction of the £350,000.00 ($527,205 U.S.) that the Hirst-hued model took home. Art may be dead, but apparently it is more expensive than ever…
Damina Ramirez joins Justin Timberlake and the Audi A1 in The Next Big Thing – Click above to view the video
When first announced it would be relying on the talents of to push the company’s new , we were a little skeptical. At first, it looked like JT was to do little more than stand on stage and look pretty next to the pint-sized hatch, but it appears the four-rings has other plans in mind, including a new action driving series starring none other than the singer-turned actor.
If you’re thinking a bunch of star-packed mini-movies sponsored by a German automaker sounds more than a little familiar, it should. followed the same recipe with Clive Owen in way back in 2001 and 2002. The result was a total of eight short films that remain some of our favorite time-wasters to this day. What can we say? You can’t have James Brown drag race the devil for his soul and not be a winner.
From what we can tell from the short trailer, Audi’s effort looks to have all the right ingredients. There’s gun fire, car chases, tire smoke, good music and, of course, a hot antagonist (Dania Ramirez). Throw in any semblance of plot, and you’ve already got 9/10ths of a Michael Bay masterpiece. Sign us up. You can to see the trailer before the action begins next month.
2011 Audi A1 S Line – Click above for high-res image gallery
The not-for-U.S. (at least not for now) Audi A1 just made its at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and we’re eager to see how the new hatch stacks up to the likes of the much-loved . We’re especially fond of this S Line model, which gives the A1 a much more aggressive appearance and tweaks the hatch’s dynamics ever so slightly.
The S Line kit is made up of two separate packages. The exterior package adds a larger roof spoiler, a revised front bumper with side air vents, more chiseled sill tops and a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Beyond the host of exterior changes, the S Line sport package adds a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, a sport suspension, and a choice of either 17- or 18-inch alloys. In all, the whole S Line treatment looks great and gives us more reason to lust after the A1. Click through our to see dozens of high-res shots of the A1 in its hot hatch-like S Line guise.
2011 Audi A1 – Click above for high-res image gallery
We’ve just returned from ’s press conference here at the Geneva Motor Show, where Justin Timberlake has laid claim to one of the first A1 hatchbacks that comes off the line. Funny thing is, even with his undoubtedly massive bank accounts, the pop star won’t be able to get one – at least not to park in front of any of his U.S. cribs. That’s because Audi has announced that the entertaining-looking three-door isn’t headed to the States. Given how the has festered in darkened showroom corners in the American market, we can’t exactly blame them for not importing an even smaller hatchback, but somehow we think this -fighter might just find a market where the frumpier, more conventional A3 has stalled.
Available in Europe with four turbocharged, direct-injected engines (two TDI diesels, two gasoline), the A1 will be available with a six-speed manual or a seven-speed dual-clutch S tronic gearbox with optional paddle shifters. Thanks to standard start-stop and energy recuperation among other fuel-saving tricks, the A1 is estimated to reach between 44 miles-per-U.S.-gallon and 62 mpg on the European Cycle.
Audi is also showing an as the latest in its e-tron family. Packing a t-shaped lithium-ion battery and a single-rotor Wankel rotary IC engine(!) along with a few external cues to hint at its extended-range hybrid technology, it also drew more than a few eyeballs.
Interestingly, Audi’s press materials (available after the jump) make no mention of the availability of Quattro all-wheel drive. Whether the option will come later remains to be seen, but for now, the A1 picks up where the not-for-U.S. A2 left off.
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Photos by Chris Paukert and / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Audi]
: Audi A1 to hatch jealousy in the eyes of Americans
2011 Audi A1 – Click above for high-res image gallery
still hasn’t released any images of its new electric A1 e-tron concept, but it has revealed some details of the car. Unlike the two previous e-tron sports car concepts that were both pure battery electric models, this one is a range-extended EV. Like the , the A1 e-tron uses a smaller battery pack that allows it to go up to 31 miles on a single charge with no emissions.
Once the battery is depleted, an internal combustion engine kicks in to drive a 15-kilowatt generator and keep the A1 going. However, unlike the Volt or Fisker Karma, the A1 is using a single-rotor Wankel engine to drive the generator. While Wankels are not renowned for their fuel efficiency (much the opposite in fact), in this application it could work well thanks to its high power density.
The range with the Wankel running is bumped up by another 124 miles to a total of 155. With only a 15kW generator available to sustain the battery, it will be interesting to see how much performance is degraded in that mode. Audi claims the A1 e-tron achieves 123.8 miles per gallon (U.S.) on the draft EU standard for ER-EVs. We should have more details tomorrow, so stay tuned.
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[Source: Audi]
: Audi A1 e-tron is extended-range EV with Wankel rotary generator
The relentless run-up to the ’s official introduction at the Geneva Motor Show continues unabated, this time with a video of Markus Winkelhock taking the A1 for a spin around Audi’s test track in Neustadt, Germany.
The current DTM pilot for gushes about the A1’s communicative steering and compliant suspension, while Dr. Horst Glaser, Audi’s Head of Chassis Development, hypes up the lightweight construction and quick 14.8:1 steering ratio. It’s not the most compelling video, but it’s nice to see the premium hatch finally on the road. And we’ve got to admit that the A1 looks noticeably better blacked out, without the slightly contrived aluminum roof trim. See for yourself .
2011 Audi A1 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Audi will finally show off its new A1 minicar this week in Geneva. As usual, it’ll be available in Europe with an array of gas and diesel engines, but a French website reports that the A1 will also form the basis for a third e-tron concept. If Audi sticks with the pattern it started last month in Detroit, this one will be dubbed the e-tron Geneva Concept. The idea isn’t without merit; reports that Audi plans to build a roadgoing electric version of the A1 have circulated for some time.
While Audi plans to build a limited run of the R8-based e-tron that it unveiled in Frankfurt, an electric car based on the new A1 is most likely to be the brand’s first volume plug-in vehicle. Small, limited-range, urban commuters like the A1 will likely dominate the electric car arena for the foreseeable future until battery costs come down. A tip of the hat to Adam!
In addition to the world premiers of the , the (complete with Justin Timberlake cameo) and the near-production A8 Hybrid, plans to trot out an additional concept car onto the stage at the Geneva Motor Show, and your guess is as good as ours.
With the two previous and Audi’s push to get an electric sports car to market within the next two years, it almost seems inevitable that another variant of the e-tron is in the cards, but maybe not this soon. Other possibilities include a new hatch to replace the – something that seems decidedly staid for an otherwise spectacular show – and our personal pick: Something TTish. So… what do you think is coming to Switzerland? Sound off in the comments below and get ready for our live coverage beginning on Tuesday.
