Battle of tech between Jaguar and Audi and Automobilia auction returns
WITH JAGUAR stressing the technological advances present in its new entry level executive – the XE – so the company which invented vorsprung durch technik is mounting its fight back.
Audi, which has been anticipating the launch of the new kid on the block, has been feverishly working on its own compact saloon ready for a relaunch later this summer.
The bosses at the firm, eager not to lose ground to Jaguar and to maintain its competition to BMW and Mercedes, said the new A4 and its Avant (estate) variant had been designed with a wealth of innovative features ready to entice UK motorists when it becomes available to order in late summer ready for first customer deliveries at the tail end of the year.
Audi said the new car was up to 120kg lighter than outgoing models, up to 21% more fuel efficient and featured wide four and six-cylinder engines with outputs from 150PS to 272PS.
The line-up includes the new 2.0 TFSI with a revolutionary combustion system and fleet favourite 2.0 TDI will have a sub-100g/km CO2 output (when fitted with the 17-inch standard wheels).
The most powerful engines are two TDI six-cylinder units with up to 272PS. Driver assistance and infotainment systems are of luxury quality. A new generation of four-cylinder TFSI engines with newly developed combustion methods sets benchmarks in terms of fuel consumption, emissions and performance for four-cylinder petrol engines.
Elsewhere, the powertrain and the chassis of the new A4 and Avant have been completely redeveloped. The six-speed manual transmission, the seven-speed S tronic (now also available for front-wheel drive) and the eight-speed tiptronic have been redesigned; the automatic transmissions now offer a fuel-saving freewheeling function. Wheel-selective torque control supplements the work of the front-wheel drive and the quattro drive. For the most powerful TDI, Audi will offer the sport differential on the rear axle as an option from 2016.
Audi also claims the saloon will have a lowest-in-class 0.23 drag coefficient (Avant 0.26) to aid refinement.
Standard equipment includes 17-inch alloy wheels, Xenon headlights with LED DRLs, Audi smartphone interface, Audi drive select, three-zone climate control and 7-inch colour MMI monitor.
The front of the dashboard features a broad band of air outlets and a large decorative surface. At night, optional discreet contour lighting illuminates the doors and the central console.
Audi said the two new models offered an abundance of intelligent technologies, the use of which is even more intuitive with the new Audi MMI display and control concept. Technological highlights of the new A4 include the Audi virtual cockpit, the Audi Matrix LED headlights, the Audi smartphone interface, the Bang & Olufsen Sound System with 3D sound, the Audi phone box with wireless charging, the head-up display, and new driver assistance systems and Audi connect services.
With the Audi virtual cockpit and the MMI the focus is on two innovations. The optional Audi virtual cockpit, a fully digital combination instrument, features a 12.3-inch LCD screen that displays the most important information in brilliant high-resolution graphics, with great detail and sophisticated effects.
The MMI control concept in the centre console is also a newly designed feature and acts as the main control element. The top-end infotainment system, MMI Navigation plus with MMI touch and a large 8.3-inch monitor, has a touchpad in the rotary controller to zoom in and out and to enter characters. The entire MMI control logic is similar to that of a smartphone and includes an intelligent free-text search function. The new, more natural, voice-control system also understands input in normal everyday language.
MMI Navigation plus is backed by the computing power of the second-generation modular infotainment platform, which allows Audi to bring consumer electronics innovations into the vehicle quickly.
If customers order a car with MMI Navigation plus, they automatically receive the Audi connect hardware module, which connects the A4 and A4 Avant with the Internet via the high-speed LTE network. Passengers can surf the Internet and send and receive e-mail with their mobile devices via a Wi-Fi hotspot while the driver can use the tailored services of Audi connect.
The Audi smartphone interface is a new standard feature. It supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto platforms and displays smartphone contact and information such as navigation mapping on the MMI screen. The Audi phone box connects smartphones to the on-board antenna and charges them inductively according to the Qi standard. For discerning hi-fi fans, the Bang & Olufsen Sound System with innovative 3D sound is available, which introduces the additional dimension of height. The new Audi tablet can also be used as flexible rear seat entertainment.
The predictive efficiency assistant helps drivers to save fuel, Audi active lane assist helps them to stay in lane and the Stop&Go adaptive cruise control including traffic-jam assist eases driving in slow-moving traffic. One special feature of traffic-jam assist is its control strategy. It takes into account a large number of parameters such as road markings and the traffic ahead. Some more innovations that make important contributions to safety are parking assist, rear cross-traffic assist, exit warning, collision avoidance assist, turn assist and the Audi pre-sense systems. Camera-based traffic-sign recognition is also available.
“The A4 and A4 Avant are ahead of their peers in terms of infotainment and assistance systems,” said the company. “As a result, UK customers who will begin taking delivery of their cars in late 2015 can look forward to a truly high-tech experience – an innovative synthesis of technology and aesthetics.”
The luggage compartment of the new A4 Avant offers storage space of 505 litres, which is said to be the highest in its class. With the rear seats folded down and loaded to the roof, the space increases to 1,510 litres. The electric luggage compartment cover and electric tailgate are standard equipment. An optional extra is sensor control for opening and closing the tailgate.
The two new Audi A4 models will be available to order in the UK later this summer – deliveries of the saloon will begin towards the end of the year and the Avant will follow in early 2016.
Bentley flying high with new very special edition
BENTLEY is taking its fusion of luxury and performance to new extremes with the launch of the Continental GT Speed Breitling Jet Team Series. This exclusive series is limited to just seven cars, each inspired by one of the seven Breitling Jets.
This summer the Breitling aerobatics team will be performing across the United States and Canada in a grand tour. To commemorate this, Bentley’s Mulliner division has re-imagined the Continental GT Speed to mirror the distinctive look of the Breitling Jets, fusing extreme customisation with immense speed.
The exterior is painted in a striking duo-tone split of Hallmark and Onyx with highlights colour matched to the exact Pantone of Breitling’s unique Yellow, reflecting the trademark look of the L-39 Albatross Jets.
This bespoke colour theme is continued on the interior, with unique sculpted seats featuring accents in Breitling Yellow.
Taking customisation to new heights, each car is individually numbered and corresponds to one of the seven Breitling Jets. The dashboard’s carbon fibre fascia panel displays an image of the seven planes in their signature Avenger flight formation, with the corresponding jet highlighted in Breitling Yellow.
Similarly, Mulliner has matched the hide and thread to Breitling’s signature yellow and designed a series of logos and graphics for the headrests that highlight the number of each car and the jet that inspired it. The tread plate plaques are also individually numbered.
The series will debut at the Boeing Seafair Airshow on July 31 in Seattle, where the Breitling Jet Team is performing. The key for each car will be handed over to its owner by the corresponding plane’s pilot, but not until they have experienced a flight in the jet that inspired their car.
Geoff Dowding, director of Mulliner, said: “The Continental GT Speed Breitling Jet Team Series demonstrates the level of customisation Mulliner can achieve for customers. Creating this very special edition has been an exciting experience for the entire team, taking inspiration from the Breitling Jet Team’s grand tour.”
Tennants relaunches Automobila sales
YORKSHIRE auctioneers Tennants is staging its first Automobilia sale since 2006 and the event promises to hold some treats for motoring enthusiasts.
The sale, at the Auction Centre, Leyburn, over July 17 and 18, will feature an array of cars, motorbikes, tractors and even a rickshaw.
Highlights include the already coveted ‘Penny Mini’, a 1973 Porsche 911 (pictured), an Alfa Romeo GT Junior, an MG Midget, a Toyota Supra and a Jaguar E Type. There is also a Massey Ferguson 135 tractor in such good condition it looks like it’s never seen a field, and for those who prefer two wheels to four, there is a handful of motorcycles.
Jeremy Pattison, Tennants managing director, said: “With the creation of The Garden Rooms, we now have a fantastic space both inside and out to showcase top quality classic cars and other automobilia.
“We knew that in order to offer the best possible service to our vendors and buyers across this section we needed the space and skills to achieve great results.
“We now have consultants on board to assist with cataloguing this section and as such we hope this is the first of many automobilia sales at Tennants.”
