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      11-06-2006, 12:02 PM   #1
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More incentive for a good 2er...

http://www.autoblog.com/2006/11/06/c...-2009-audi-a1/

They say it's competition for the Mini, but I suspect that the 2er will slot right in with this. Not so much with the A3. The A1 looks more sporting and exciting than the A3 and more in line with what I'd expect from the 2er...

Same debate around dilluting the brand and all that...
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      01-04-2007, 09:04 PM   #2
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Oooh- I haven't seen this before. Looks like a photoshop using a TT...but nicely done.
I'd give this a good chance- IF Audi can get the price right and offer it with quattro and manual.
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      01-08-2007, 10:25 AM   #3
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Yep. Based on looks, this would be at the top of my list. Love the grill and headlights and the Mini-like proportions are fantastic.
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      01-08-2007, 11:37 AM   #4
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Separated at birth?



I think the Q7 was the basis for the A1 PS.
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      01-08-2007, 01:58 PM   #5
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You could be right Spud- but no matter who the daddy- the A1 looks great.
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      01-08-2007, 09:46 PM   #6
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Agreed. As does the Q7, which looks like competition for Range Rover.
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      01-24-2007, 08:21 AM   #7
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Couple more cgi's on the proposed A1/A2





No word if this will reach production. Said to be based on VWPolo which would make it about the same size as the Mini.
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      01-24-2007, 08:40 AM   #8
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The blue one is a bit of an ugly puppy, but I really like the proportions. Were it to loose some of the baby fat and get a torquey i4 turbo, it would be very interesting....
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      01-24-2007, 08:53 AM   #9
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Yes, the blue one from a future no one asked for-
the red one, on the other hand, is pretty sweet.

I imagine this'll be built...I feel sorry for N/A Audi fans...
they'll probably have to go through the whole thing we've had to endure with the 1-2-er.

BTW Spud, I'm seriously looking at used Audi A3's to tide me over between turning in the leased Z4 this summer and the 2-coupe's availability in what...a year +?
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      01-24-2007, 12:14 PM   #10
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Good to have you firmly on board, Brookside. I was concerned you were becoming a distracted ally when you were musing about interim measures...

Here's some more stuff on the A1/2 concept from Autoblog. I see this car as being more competitive with the 1er/2er. As would be expected, the renderings below are more evokative and inspiring than the shotting brake concept, but both are an indication that Audi intends to be an aggressive competitor in the luxury sport-compact niche. Good for us if this motivates BMW, esp. if it comes to N/A. There would be no shortage of good choices...

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/01/24/f...n-the-audi-a1/

http://www.infomotori.co.uk/a_6_EN_16832_1.html

"Future speculation on the Audi A1

Posted Jan 24th 2007 6:51AM by Damon Lavrinc
Filed under: Concept Cars, Hatchbacks, Audi


Infomotori's commissioned designer has come out with several more images that elaborate on the speculation surrounding Audi's possible release of a premium B/C segment competitor. Such a vehicle will assuredly be dubbed the A1, slotting below the A3, and aimed squarely at other German luxury offerings, as well as the MINI Cooper.

Andrea Rosati takes several cues from Audi's Shooting Brake concept, but manages to utilize more of the lines from the recently released TT and R8. The corporate gaping maw front clip is present and accounted for, as are the seven-spoke wheels pulled straight from the RS4. From there however, the diversions become more apparent, with a much more upright stance that runs counter to Audi's current low slung offerings, as well as narrower headlamps that are pulled back at a more extreme angle to the outsides of the vehicle, starkly contrasting the lights currently employed by the TT.

Although we have normally dispatch most artist's renderings as pure speculation, there were a few trick elements that we'd like to see utilized on future Audis: namely, the angular central exhaust outlet and the Audi-logo-turned-third-brake-light.

Follow the "Read" link for all the renderings, a few pics of the Shooting Brake Concept and some speculation on possible powertrains."










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      01-24-2007, 01:30 PM   #11
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Just read today on some blogs that the Audi TT shooting brake (pictured above) will not be made.

Audi afraid that it would cannibalize sales of the TT coupe.
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      01-25-2007, 08:25 AM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Harold View Post
Just read today on some blogs that the Audi TT shooting brake (pictured above) will not be made.

Audi afraid that it would cannibalize sales of the TT coupe.
Saw that. The article also supported speculation that a smaller Audi would slot in under the A3...
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      01-30-2007, 02:40 PM   #13
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Clean CGI's From Huckfeldt/AutoBild



Huckfeldt is said to have his best sources within the auto industry at Audi..
which is to say that this is probably very accurate.
The rear, to me is an especially clear vision for a small Audi...an improvement over the cancelled Shooting Brake except for the saucepan-sized exhausts.




Sweet....now if only Audi can finally get pricing to a level that is in alignment with reality (the A3 suffers from being priced so close to the A4)
and go ahead and build this thing in a timely manner-they've got a real winner here. If I were them, I would put a rush on this to get it out asap.
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      01-30-2007, 08:28 PM   #14
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Sealed With A Deal

VW/Audi Confirms 2009 A1 With Brussels Labor Contract



Volkswagen Brussels Plant strike set to end This Week. (12-28-007)
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Volkswagen Brussels management and unions settled some differences after marathon talks into Saturday morning, paving the way for a return to work at the plant on Monday, a union official said.

Belgian Labour Minister Peter Vanvelthoven had sent in a mediator in a bid to end a dispute over restructuring at Volkswagen's plant in Belgium, where workers stopped production on Thursday.

Union negotiators secured written guarantees that the factory would produce the Audi A1 from 2009. They also received assurances that redundancy payments would apply over the course of the next few years, Belgian media reported.

Workers at the plant went on strike for seven weeks from November over Volkswagen's plans to stop making its top-selling Golf model at the plant and slash the workforce to 1,500 from more than 5,000.

They only returned to work at the start of this month after Europe's largest car maker offered to produce over 100,000 Audi A1 cars per year at the factory from 2009, securing 3,000 jobs.

Audi officials visited the site on Thursday to discuss conditions for production of Audis in Brussels.
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      01-30-2007, 11:31 PM   #15
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That Audi is a fabulous looking car. But I am seriously concerned about the effect of the weak dollar affecting the chances of these cars ever coming to the U.S. I see the situation worsening.
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      01-31-2007, 01:25 AM   #16
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that's a great looking car. if bmw fails to bring the 1 series hatch to the states, i'm going to go for the audi a1.
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      01-31-2007, 07:35 AM   #17
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The good thing about being late (2009) to the party is you know exactly what your competition is handing you.
In this case BMW is introducing breakthrough technology on the new 1-series...regenerative brakes that store energy in a revamped battery system, a new water pump that varies its speed to the engine's revs (why did that take so long?),
direct fuel-injection....something that Audi already offers.
But consider this- Audi's workhorse 4 cyl. engine still has an iron block while BMW has a magnesium/aluminum block in the in-line 6.

I really like the A1 (especially if its available with quattro) but if it's going to compete with the 2-coupe Audi is going to have to invest in new technology that matches BMW.... & not just a usb connection for an i-Pod.
That's part of where I see this whole small-fast car thing going...cutting edge technology that distinguishes it from cars costing less.
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      01-31-2007, 08:27 AM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Brookside View Post
That's part of where I see this whole small-fast car thing going...cutting edge technology that distinguishes it from cars costing less.
I wonder if it is slightly different than that. Economy cars are providing unprecedented levels of refinement and performance. Honda Civic Si, VW GTI, Mazdaspeed 3 etc. are providing a lot of bang for a reasonable buck. That's not to say that they are BMWs, Audis or Mercs, but they offer pretty good technology and refinement and the premium carmakers may be running out of tricks to justify the price gap to their entry-level models.

I think we're seeing a convergence between premium and mainstream makers. The meeting point will be small, fast cars. They won't converge around larger cars, family sedans, SUV etc. But seeing a small Audi (A3) or Merc (B200) priced very close to a VW and Civic Si gives the impression that premium makers are seeing an opportunity to steal some market from the mainstream makers and culture a deaper entry-level foundation for their brands.

While I'm sure we will see versions of the 2er that merit "entry-level exotic" status, with an associated cost, I'm more inclined to think that the product strategy behind the 1er/2er has been more in line with offering a product that will provide for a broadening of the BMW family, without compromising the brand...

My $0.02...
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      01-31-2007, 02:25 PM   #19
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Audi Suits Say Yes to A1

Audi's new CEO Rupert Stadler, new development boss Michael Dick, and new production manager Frank Dreves are all adamant development goes forward on a rival to the Mini Cooper called the A1, according to Germany's Autobild. The magazine has also put together a new series of illustrations of the two-door hatch.

The first A1 variant will be a two-door "Shooting Brake" (sports wagon) similar to the regular Mini. Although Audi decided against building the TT Shooting Brake, it appears the concept will live on in the form of the A1.

Eventually, other variants may follow, and Autobild reckons a convertible version is almost a certainty.

The latest illustrations — presumedly based on insider info from Audi's design studios — show a typical Audi design with clear similarities to the TT Shooting Brake Concept and the Mini Cooper. It's not known if Audi's design team has "frozen" the A1's proposed styling, or if various proposals are still being considered. Production is expected in 2009.

Source: LeftLaneNews
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