Audi Singapore Club

Audi RS 3 LMS (TCR)

Second place on the Nordschleife: At the third round of the VLN Endurance Championship on the Nürburgring, the LMS Engineering team celebrated a podium result. Matthias Wasel, Marcus Löhnert and Christian Schmitz shared an Audi RS 3 LMS in the four-hour race and finished second in the TCR class.

Podium result in Portugal: An Audi customer team lifted a trophy at the fourth weekend of the FIA ETCC. Plamen Kralev from Bulgaria was second in the Audi RS 3 LMS in the second heat when the race had to be ended after four laps due to damaged track barriers.

Audi Sport TT Cup

The sole city race on the calendar: In the Audi Sport TT Cup, Nuremberg represents the only circuit on a non-permanent race track. The 16 juniors as well as the guest starters will line-up on the 2.3-kilometer-long circuit close to the “Dutzendteich” lake. British table-leader Philip Ellis is so far undefeated and heads to Nuremberg with a 17-point advantage of Polish racing driver Gosia Rdest. A further then points behind is Dutchman Milan Dontje. Amongst the rookies it is very close as well: the Swiss Yannik Brandt is the best newcomer so far, five points ahead of the Italian Tommaso Mosca. Six points behind Mosca follows Keagan Masters from South Africa.

Dates for next week

27/06–02/07 Bangsaen (THA), Thailand Super Series 3rd and 4th round

29/06-02/07 Watkins Glen (USA), Weathertech SportsCar Championship 6th round

30/06–02/07 Norisring (D), Audi Sport TT Cup 5th and 6th round

30/06–01/07 Imola (I), 24H Endurance Series 5th round

30/06-02/07 Nürburgring (D), Spezial Tourenwagen-Trophy 5th and 6th round

30/06-02/07 Bangsaen (THA), TCR Asia Series 4th round

01-02/07 Kazan Ring (RUS), TCR Russia 7th and 8th round

01–02/07 Zhejiang (CN), GT Masters China 3rd and 4th round

For the survey, Audi polled almost 5,000 members of “Generation Z” (born in 1995 or later) and “Generation Y” (born between 1980 and 1994). The company primarily targeted its own employees, apprentices and trainees, and bachelor’s and master’s students writing their final‑year thesis, as well as students and interns on courses of dual study and training. External students were also polled. The company can use the results to analyze the needs of the various generations of employees. “There have so far been many assumptions about the expectations of ‘Generation Z’ with regard to their working lives, but very few scientific surveys,” stated Thomas Sigi, Board of Management Member for Human Resources at AUDI AG. “The results of our survey supply us with new and in many cases surprising impulses for the further development of our modern world of work.”

For example, no confirmation was found for the theory that the youngest generation of employees is no longer willing to remain with a single employer: 48 percent of the “Generation Z” persons polled would be happy to spend their entire working life with one employer, irrespective of the kind of work involved. This generation therefore actually seems to be more loyal than “Generation Y” with 37 percent. Just 7 percent of those polled from “Generation Z” could not imagine spending their whole career with one employer. With “Generation Y,” that is 8 percent.

On the subject of work‑life balance, there are only minimal differences between “Generation Y” and “Generation Z”. Both generations generally prefer a separation between working life and private life, but believe that the two should adapt to each other flexibly, depending on their life situation (GenY: 65 percent; GenZ: 64 percent). A strict separation is desired by 24 percent of “Generation Z” and 16 percent of “Generation Y.” There are only small differences between the generations also on the question of career goals: About a third of each generation would like to have a career in management; 40 percent want their career to develop in relation to their respective life situation.

For the selection of the employer, general development and career possibilities are the most important criterion for “Generation Z”. Possibilities for further training and job security are the second and third most important. These are followed by pay commensurate with performance and interesting work, while compatibility of career and private life is in sixth place. The latter is in first place for “Generation Y”, followed by pay commensurate with performance and interesting work. The Audi experts believe that these results are affected by the age factor: “Whereas ‘Generation Z’ people are just starting their careers, those of ‘Generation Y’ are also thinking about starting a family,” stated Gunnar Klein, Head of Employee Surveys at AUDI AG. “We have to take this age and socialization effect into consideration when analyzing the results of our surveys.”

The surveys are currently being evaluated at Audi. The poll results will flow into the new Audi human‑resources strategy and will thus have an impact in many areas: from human‑resources marketing to training and further training as well as international human‑resources management. In many cases, the results confirm the course taken by Audi. Since last year, for example, employees have had the option of mobile work when it is compatible with their tasks. And in addition to the traditional management career, Audi offers career development as a specialist. This means that first‑class specialists can reach management positions also without taking on leadership responsibility. And the company is attractive also in terms of job security, with its employment guarantee until 2020 and the guarantee to take on successful apprentices and trainees into permanent employment. 

DTM shooting star René Rast in his Audi RS 5 DTM after the first third of the season is leading the standings. His track record at the Norisring is strong, highlighted by success in 2012 when Rast in the Porsche Carrera Cup took pole position twice, won both races and set two fastest race laps. “I like city circuits,” says the campaigner from Audi Sport Team Rosberg that is leading the teams’ classification. “The Norisring is a great challenge. It’s bumpy and you have to brake late – that suits my style.”

His teammate, Jamie Green, is nicknamed “Mr. Norisring.” An amazing four times the Briton has won on the short, 2.3-kilometer city street circuit between the “Dutzendteich” lake and the Nuremberg soccer stadium. “There are other DTM tracks I find more challenging to race on,” says the Briton. “But for the fans, the circuit is perfect. And that the Norisring suits me well is something I’ve not only proven by having won there four times. I’ve always been fast there.”

This can be said about Mattias Ekström as well, who has been racing at the Norising for 17 years as one of the strongest Audi drivers on every occasion. While the Swede has been on podium in Nuremberg seven times to date, he is still lacking a victory at the Norisring. This weekend will present him with two more opportunities for which he has even passed up his participation in the World RX round in his homeland. “I’m happy that my boss (Dieter Gass) has made this decision for me,” says Ekström. “That of all events there’s a clash between my home race in Höljes and one of my favorite races in the DTM is a real shame. I’d have loved racing at both events but, unfortunately, that’s not possible.”

“It was a very difficult decision because we’re still early in the season and Mattias has title chances in both championships,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. “But the factory commitment in the DTM has priority for us. Mattias can win his third DTM title this year and has always been very strong at the Norisring. Last year, we finally won again at the Norisring after a long time. We’d like to continue this success, but are expecting an extremely close event. Technically, brake, traction and top speed are the be-all and end-all in Nuremberg – and all of these are strengths of our new Audi RS 5 DTM.”

Due to TV coverage of the Tour de France, the two DTM races at the Norisring will start unusually late: on Saturday at 6:55 PM CEST and on Sunday at 5:20 PM. ARD will be airing live coverage from Nuremberg on “Das Erste.” Tickets and Audi fan packages are available online at www.audi.com/dtm. 

The all-new active suspension on the Audi A8 is a fully active, electromechanical suspension system, which drives each wheel individually and adapts to the prevailing road conditions. Each wheel has an electric motor which is powered by the 48-volt main electrical system. Additional components include gears, a rotary tube together with internal titanium torsion bar and a lever which exerts up to 1,100 Nm (811.3 lb-ft) on the suspension via a coupling rod.

Thanks to the front camera, the luxury sedan detects bumps in the road early on and predictively adjusts the active suspension. Even before the car reaches a bump in the road, the preview function developed by Audi transmits the right amount of travel to the actuators and actively controls the suspension. In this way the suspension reacts precisely at the right time, virtually completely eliminating any vibrations and jolts. This complex process takes just a few milliseconds, with the camera generating information about the road surface condition 18 times a second. The electronic chassis platform (ECP) processes the road surface information and precisely controls all suspension components almost in real time. In conjunction with the air suspension fine-tuned for the A8, the innovative suspension concept delivers an entirely new driving experience in this way. Irrespective of the high level of comfort, the new luxury sedan sits close to the road even with a dynamic driving style.

The active suspension specifically influences and minimizes rolling movements when cornering, and pitching movements when braking or accelerating, for instance. The customer can drive dynamically while keeping the vehicle under control or work undisturbed in the rear.

The innovative combination of dynamic and rear axle steering resolves the conflict of aims between agility and stability in the shape of dynamic all-wheel steering: The steering characteristics are sporty and direct while ensuring a high level of handling stability; the steering feel encompasses a wide spread from comfortable through to intense feedback. The turning circle of the A8 is smaller than that of an A4.

In conjunction with the Audi pre sense 360˚ safety system, the active suspension on the new Audi A8 takes passive safety to a new level. The system uses the sensors networked in the central driver assistance controller (zFAS) to detect risks of a collision around the car. In the event of an imminent side impact at more than 25 km/h (15.5 mph) the suspension actuators raise the body on the exposed side by up to 80 millimeters (3.1 in) within half a second. As a result, the collision is directed to the even stronger areas of the luxury sedan, such as side sills and floor structure. Hence the load on the occupants is reduced by up to 50 percent compared with a side impact where the body is not raised.