Month: April 2016

The 4.0 TDI of the new Audi SQ7 TDI has been redeveloped from the ground up. It combines best-in-class performance with low consumption and therefore guarantees maximum dynamics. An electric powered compressor (EPC) makes its first ever appearance in a production vehicle. This device supports the work of the two turbochargers in the new Audi SQ7 TDI especially at lower revs, assuring agile starting performance. The result is dynamism without any hint of turbo lag.

The power for the EPC – which peaks at 7 kW – is provided by a 48-volt electrical subsystem. The SQ7 TDI is the first automobile from Audi to feature this higher-power electrical system. In conjunction with the EPC, this technical solution also paves the way for the high-performance system of electromechanical active roll stabilization. To meet its high power requirements and short-term energy requirements, there is a separate 48-volt lithium-ion battery in the electrical subsystem beneath the luggage compartment. It has a peak output of up to 13 kilowatts. A DC/DC converter connects the 48-volt and 12-volt electrical subsystems.

The electromechanical active roll stabilization is a new technological solution in this market. It makes controlled, sporty handling possible. The car rolls less on bends, lateral inclination is markedly reduced and the tendency to understeer is kept even better in check. This enables higher lateral acceleration and thus faster cornering.

The base price for the new Audi SQ7 TDI in Germany is EUR 89,900. This already includes popular equipment options from the Audi Q7 worth around EUR 10,000, all supplied as standard. They include LED headlights, adaptive air suspension with S-specific settings, a 3-spoke sport steering wheel with multifunction buttons and shift paddles, a larger 85-liter (22.5 US gal) tank, an anti-theft alarm, electrically adjustable, heated sport seats in Alcantara and leather, 20-inch wheels, sporty-contoured bumpers and door trim strips, plus brushed aluminum inlays.

As an option, Audi can also equip the new SQ7 TDI with the advanced dynamic driving package, which comprises three technology modules: quattro with sport differential, all-wheel steering and the new electromechanical active roll stabilization.

Fuel consumption of the models named above:

Audi SQ7 TDI (5-seater):
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.5 – 7.2 (31.4 – 32.7 US mpg)**;
Combined CO₂ emissions in g/km: 198 – 189 (318.7 – 304.2 g/mi)**

Audi SQ7 TDI (7-seater):
Combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 7.6 – 7.2 (30.9 – 32.7 US mpg)**;
Combined CO₂ emissions in g/km: 199 – 190 (320.3 – 305.8 g/mi)**

**Fuel consumption and CO₂ emissions data are dependent on the choice of wheels and tyres as well as on the combination of engine and gearbox.

Spa is an outstanding venue for Audi’s sports cars. Since 2010, the team has clinched ten trophies in total there with Le Mans prototypes. They include victories in 2012, 2013 and 2015, plus three second and four third places. “It’s not only due to our success that we always enjoy returning to Spa,” says Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “The track is challenging. That’s why the drivers love it. In addition, Audi has many Belgian fans.” Audi has been producing locally in its own plant in Brussels since 2010. The company delivered 32,000 cars to Belgian customers last year. 

The Audi trio of Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer (CH/D/F) has been the most successful squad at Spa in recent years. Lotterer, for instance, who was born in Germany and grew up near Nivelles 150 kilometers west of Spa, won the WEC rounds in Belgium in 2013 and 2015 with his two teammates, and in 2012 took second place. Other drivers were victorious there under the banner of the four rings as well. Loïc Duval (F) won with Audi on the tradition-steeped circuit in 2012 and mounted the podium at Spa on two other occasions. His current teammates, Lucas di Grassi (BR) and Oliver Jarvis (GB), took two podium places in the Belgian endurance race with Audi, too.

Thomas Faustmann, Dipl Ing., was born in Peine (Lower Saxony) on September 30, 1962. He is married and has four children.

After an apprenticeship as a foundry specialist at the Peine and Salzgitter Steel Works and graduating in mechanical engineering at the University of Hannover, Dr. h.c. Thomas Faustmann began his career in 1991 as a production planner at the Salzgitter plant of Volkswagen AG.

As of 1992, he worked in planning in Wolfsburg. In 1995, he was made Head of Planning for Engine Manufacturing at the Chemnitz plant. In 1998, he returned to the Salzgitter plant, where he held several management positions, the last of which was Head of the Engine R5/V/W Product Center.

In 2002, Faustmann moved to AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft., at first as Head of Production, and from 2004 onwards he was Chairman of the Management there. At the same time, Faustmann was Head of Engine and Transmission Planning in Ingolstadt. Under his leadership, the engine plant in Győr, Hungary, became the biggest in the world. In addition, car production at Audi Hungaria was developed into manufacturing with a full chain of production in 2013. Meanwhile, four models drive off the assembly lines there – completely produced in Győr.

Since April 2016, Dr. h.c. Thomas Faustmann has been Head of the Pre-Series Center at AUDI AG. This is where Audi builds concept cars, prototypes and pre-series vehicles. The task of the Pre-Series Center is to provide the Technical Development division with experimental material for testing and assessment, while ensuring a car’s series-production feasibility. For this purpose, the cars are produced virtually and physically under conditions close to series production, and are then analyzed. A key aspect is the very close collaboration between development and production. The Audi Pre-Series Center is present at all of the Audi Group’s worldwide production plants when new models go into production, and is permanently established at the plants in Ingolstadt, Neckarsulm, Győr (Hungary), Brussels (Belgium), Beijing (China) and San José Chiapa (Mexico).

In 2007, Dr. h.c. Thomas Faustmann received the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary in recognition of his work for the development of the Hungarian automotive industry. In 2014, Széchenyi István University of Győr awarded him an honorary doctorate for promotion of scientific cooperation between the University and AUDI HUNGARIA MOTOR Kft.