Showing posts with label Audi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Audi. Show all posts

Audi's Über Cool Soccer Table Enters Production, on Sale for €12,900 / US$15,900


Remember that awesome -conceptual then- soccer table from Audi's design team that we showed you back in the summer of 2008? Well, almost two years later and Audi has taken the decision to produce the soccer table in a limited series of hand-made models.

Featuring typical Audi design traits and materials such the aluminum casing, the soccer table is said to meet "the high standards demanded in professional tournaments." Only 20 of these football tables will be built initially by Leonhart, a Bavarian company that has specialized in table soccer games since 1949.

Each [hand-made] game table is priced at a hefty €12,900, which comes to around US$15,900 at the current exchange rates.

Here's what Audi's Design boss and the Chairman of the Bavarian Table Soccer Association had to say about Ingolstadt's creation:

Wolfgang Egger, Head of Audi Group Design:

"It's a attractive task to transfer our cars' design language to other day-to-day articles, and the results are often surprising! The Audi Design soccer table features large-area, flowing surfaces and sharp, clearly defined lines. The brushed aluminum frame creates an exciting contrast to the white body. Our design team looks forward to displaying one of these tables at our Concept Design studio in Munich."


Thomas Przesdzink, German table soccer champion and Chairman of the Bavarian Table Soccer Association:

"It looks just great. That tells us nothing about how it performs, but here too I was pleasantly surprised: this is a very good table. From a sporting point of view, it could certainly be used for an official tournament series."


2011 Audi TTS Coupe: New Photos of Facelift Model


Audi has published a new picture gallery of the subtly facelifted 2011 TTS Coupe that will go on sale in the U.S. this fall. Cosmetic changes are limited to the revised single-frame grille with its aluminum-look horizontal double bars and the bumper, along with the addition of a new Panther Black exterior finish and a new two-tone (silver/black) option for the interior.

Unlike the base 2011 TTs, there are no mechanical upgrades for the TTS Coupe and its Roadster sibling that continue to be powered by the German firm's 2.0-liter TFSI with the larger turbocharger and other modifications that develops 272HP and 350Nm (258.15 lb-ft) of torque, the latter from 2,500 to 5,000 rpm.

The Ingolstadt-based automaker says that the TTS Coupe with the optional S tronic sprints from zero to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 5.2 seconds and goes up to a governed top speed of 250 km/h (155 mph). With the S tronic, the Coupé consumes an average of 7.7 liters of fuel per 100 km which is equal to 30.55 mpg US.



Volkswagen Group Buys 90.1% of Italdesign Giugiaro


Ending days of rumors, the Volkswagen Group announced Tuesday it was buying a 90.1 per cent stake in Italian design firm and Italdesign Giugiaro S.p.A. as part of its global expansion plan, without, however, giving out any information on the financial aspects of the deal.

The German automaker said that the shares are being acquired by AUDI's Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holding S.p.A., while the Giuigiaro family will keep a 9.9 per cent stake in the Italian company that generates sales of over €100 million (US$122 million) and has a workforce of some 800 employees.

"The Volkswagen Group will be continuing its model initiative over the coming years and will benefit from the capacity and competence of Italdesign. The company will therefore be making an important contribution to our 2018 global growth strategy," said VW CEO Martin Winterkorn.

Italdesign's Giorgetto Giugiaro said: "Becoming part of the Volkswagen Group means revaluating ourselves and our strength. Entering Volkswagen means to open up a promising perspective for the company."

Founded in Turin by Giorgetto Giugiaro and Aldo Mantovani in 1968, the Italian styling house has created many vehicles models for the VW Group including the Golf I and concepts for important models such as the first Volkswagen Passat, Scirocco and the Audi 80.

Italdesign has also worked on a series of models for the Fiat Group including the Fiat Punto and Grande Punto and Alfa Romeo 156 /159 and Brera.

It remains to be seen if Italdesign Giugiaro will continue to work on projects for other automakers in the future or if the company will concentrate on the VW Group's portfolio.