Audi hits the road again for the North-South Europe efficiency run
Audi is hitting the road for the third time in about a year for an efficiency marathon. This time around, the German automaker is taking 20 of its vehicles on a north-south trek across Europe from A to B or in this case Å to Bée. Å is on the Lofoten archipelago in northern Norway with Bée being in Italy. The fleet covers the gamut from the newly-introduced A3 1.6 TDI with 99 g/km CO2 emissions to the monster Q7 V12 TDI. Audi isn't just using diesels like they did on last year's Mileage Marathon across America. Turbo-direct injected gas engines are being included as well. The vehicles will be driven by 200 journalists and consumers to see how efficiently they go from point A to point B. The marathon starts today in Norway and ends Sept. 30 after 2,485 miles.
[Source: Audi]
press release
Ingolstadt, 2009-09-22
Efficient mobility under everyday conditions – The "Audi Efficiency Challenge A to B"
* Audi confirms the efficiency of its cars on a long-distance trip
* Over 4,000 kilometers through Europe with 20 models from the Audi product range
* Efficiency: standard in every Audi
4,182 kilometers through Europe in nine days, from Å on the Lofoten archipelago in Norway to Bée in northern Italy – Audi is proving the efficiency of its vehicles on the "Efficiency Challenge A to B." 120 journalists and customers of the brand are taking the wheel in 20 cars from five model series for the tour.
The saying "driving from A to B" also stands for daily mobility – for the variety of individual transportation that we take for granted. Audi is now taking this literally, with the "Audi Efficiency Challenge A to B." The tour starts in the north of Europe, in the Norwegian town of Å on the Lofoten islands, and runs through eight countries to Bée on Lake Maggiore in northern Italy. Efficiency is an on-board standard in every Audi, which is why the company is sending not only the particularly optimized fuel-efficient models from five model series on the Efficiency Challenge, but also the sporty top models of each line.
The fuel-saving Audi A3 1.6 TDI with CO2 emissions of 99 grams per kilometer (159.33 g/mile) is joined by the S3 Sportback; the A4 2.0 TDI e by the S4 with 333 hp; and the A5 Sportback 2.0 TFSI by the A5 Sportback 3.2 FSI. Representing the Audi Q7 model series are the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI clean diesel quattro and the Audi Q7 6.0 TDI quattro; and the TT 2.0 TDI quattro is hitting the road along with the dynamic TT RS.
The efficiency leader
Audi is the efficiency leader among the premium manufacturers, with 32 models currently emitting less than 140 grams of CO2 per kilometer (225.31 g/mile). The latest version of the Audi A3 1.6 TDI, which emits only 99 grams of CO2 per kilometer (159.33 g/mile), is making its world premier at the "A to B" challenge and can demonstrate its efficiency under real-world conditions. The A4 2.0 TDI e with its 100 kW (136 hp) 2.0 TDI power unit emits only 119 g of CO2 per kilometer (191.51 g/mile). Audi's modular efficiency platform plays a decisive role in this impressive achievement, bundling a broad portfolio of effective technologies.
Audi uses these new solutions in a variety of ways across the entire product line. The S4's mechanically supercharged V6 engine produces 245 kW (333 hp), yet consumes only 9.7 liters of fuel per 100 km (24.25 US mpg) in the EU driving cycle. The TT RS, whose five-cylinder, turbocharged engine produces 250 kW (340 hp), consumes on average only 9.2 liters/100 km (25.27 mpg).
The Audi Efficiency Challenge kicks off today, September 22, and ends on September 30. It is broken down into three stages, each consisting of several days. The first runs from Å to Trondheim in southern Norway; the second to the German capital city of Berlin; and the third ends at the final destination, the town of Bée overlooking Lake Maggiore. The tour includes a wide range of roads and landscapes, taking participants along the coastal roads on the Lofoten islands and across Germany's autobahns. The route encompasses impressive cities such as Oslo, Copenhagen and Prague as well as the towering mountains of the Alps.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
meme 5:19PM (9/22/2009)
Sounds like a race for idiots.
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gorr 5:57PM (9/22/2009)
Just postpone any car expenditures toward them until they sell the green car instead of letting us pay it for them. They are deeply depressed folks, trying to get back into the human race, after killing it along all biology related thing, long long time ago. They were slave robot without a life and they sill drag it down, like for exemple building and selling and promoting and engineering petrol diesel cars instead of fitting a small, ridicously inexpensive non-polluting water electrolyzer.
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