Audi of America may be readying to pick up and relocate its offices from the Detroit suburb of Auburn Hills, but that doesn’t change the fact that Detroit’s hometown show is still an important date on Ingolstadt’s calendar. Kicking off a very busy year and with plenty to see on their stand in a year where many manufacturers chose to introduce nothing at all.
Audi’s momentum in the market is no surprise. The company has been churning out new models at a blistering pace. Before even mentioning the cars about to be revealed, Audi chairman Rupert Stadler revealed the brand had seen an all-time sales record – up 6.5% worldwide and 4.5% in America.
The product onslaught continued in Detroit where the all-new TTS was shown – an introduction that included a serenade by musician Brian Adams. Under the hood of this hottest version of the TT beats the S3’s 262-hp 2.0T FSI, while outside the white show car on the stand was also fitted with a new 5-spoke wheel design and floating grille design fascia that will be a trademark of the TTS. Similar to L.A.’s Audi Cross Coupe concept, the floating grille looks much better in person than it does in photos.
The TTS has been confirmed for sale in the USA, expected during the model-year changeover next fall. DSG is the only confirmed transmission for US cars… for now, but that’s not definitely the only option we’re told. Reading into the inference, the rumored TT-RS will have a manual transmission or the TTS will get a manual at a later time… possibly if the current decision to bring the TT-RS to this market should, for some reason, get scuttled.
More important to maintaining Audi’s own sales figures is the A4. While a special edition of the outgoing B7 is expected at Chicago, the all-new A4 was on display in Detroit. The B8 is expected to hit market next fall with the 2009 models.
Not a production car… yet anyway… was a design study based on the R8. Fitted with the brand’s V12 TDI shown last year in a Q7, the R8 features a new front and rear fascia styling, satin silver paint and anodized-look red brake calipers and engine cover.
Inside, details were plentiful. On the steering wheel was a start/stop button with turn-dial Audi Drive Select controls. Audi’s shell-style Recaro sport seats were fitted, shod in black leather with red stitching and red-dyed perforations placed in a pattern creating R8 script, which payed homage to the old quattro script interiors of the eighties. Rumors of the longer V12 TDI engine swallowing up the so-called “golf bag storage” area behind the seats were entirely correct. The R8’s Recaros sat squarely against the re-located rear wall.
Of course, the main facet of this concept was the engine shoehorned within. At 500 hp and 737 lb-ft. of torque, this monster R8 is capable of 0-62 mph in just 4.2 seconds and gets 24 mpg. Added cooling for the big diesel motor comes from a glass-roof-splitting inlet – a design seriously influenced by the iconic Audi Avus concept.
Audi subsidiary Lamborghini did not choose to show an all-new model or special edition in Detroit. Instead, the Italian marque showcased its Ad Personam service whereby Sant Agata custom-tailors their cars for consumers willing to pay a little extra. Two blue Murcielagos showcased unique color and interior combinations, as did a Gallardo Spyder painted in the same matte shade of grey as Lamborghini’s jet-inspired Reventon.
Audi’s own penchant for design is well-known. The brand inspires many young designers around the world, so we regularly find something Audi-branded each year in the display of the Michelin Challenge Design. Following projections in spacial challenges for urban environments, the Audi Snook concept designed by Tilmann Schlootz of Frankfurt, Germany seems to be inspired by the upright nature of a Segway and the ball-style wheel design used on the Audi RSQ from the movie iRobot.
The North American International Auto Show in Detroit opens to the public on January 19 and runs until Sunday Jan 27. Check out these new models, concepts and more at metro Detroit’s Cobo Hall.
