Tag Archives: AUDI AG
Audi Expected To Acquire Ducati For $1.1 Billion Tomorrow
It is rumored that Audi will be acquiring Ducati for $1.1 billion later this week. “Ducati is one of the finest machines you can buy but strategically it’s insignificant for Volkswagen,” stated HIS analyst Christoph Stuermer. “Its revenue is more than Lamborghini’s and Bugatti’s combined, but to the automotive operations, it’s a mere accessory.”
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Categories AUDI AG, Ducati, Volkswagen, Volkswagen Group
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Volkswagen Acquires Italdesign Giugiaro
Volkswagen has acquired Giorgetto Giugiaro’s Italdesign. Volkswagen Group bought a 90.1% stake in IDG. Now Volkswagen owns IDG’s stake in brand name rights and patents. Audi’s Italian subsidiary Lamborghini Holding S.p.A. was responsible for the acquisition. The Giugiaro family will keep the remaining 9.9% share. [TheTruthAboutCars]
AutoTech Roundup: Hyundai Chairman Sued For $60 Million, GM’s Upcoming Rear-Wheel Hybrids, Ford Shelby Shows Off The 2011 GT500, Danica Headed To NASCAR, Jim Lentz Talks To Digg, Chad Henne Wins Audi Competition
Hyundai Chairman Mong-Koo Ordered To Pay $60 Million
Hyundai Motor Chairman Chung Mong-Koo will have to pay $60 million in damages to Hyundai Motor Company because of a lawsuit brought by 14 minority shareholders in the car company. Hyundai shareholders Chung Mong-Koo and Kim Dong-Jin suffered major losses when Hyundai Motors sold shares of Hyundai Chaebol (Hyundai Airspace & Aircraft Co. and Hyundai Hysco) and their affiliates. [TheTruthAboutCars]
General Motors Working On Rear-Wheel Drive Hybrids
General Motors will be moving their Two Mode Hybrid powertrain made for trucks to rear-drive cars according to GM Vice Chairman of Global Product Operations Tom Stephens. This motor will appear in 2013 when GM introduces a new line of full-size trucks. [Edmunds]
Ford Shows Off The Shelby GT500
Ford will be showing off the 2011 Shelby GT500 later today at the SVT garage near Detroit. [AutoWeek]
Danica Patrick Heading To NASCAR Nationwide Series
GoDaddy.com girl Danica Patrick got 6th place at the ARCA race this past Saturday. This year she will have a Nascar Nationwide Series debut at the Daytona International Speedway. “Racing in the Nationwide Series race was my goal during this entire two-month preparation process, but we wanted to make sure it was the right thing to do,” stated Patrick as quoted by The New York Times. Patrick will drive the Number 7 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet Impala. [NYT]
Toyota Exec Jim Lentz Goes On Digg
Jim Lentz, President and Chief Operating Officer of Toyota Motor Sales will be answering some of the top questions asked by the Digg communitylater today as part of a Live Digg Dialogg. Over 1,000 questions have been asked on the forum. Some of the questions include:
“What do you drive?”
“How far along is Toyota on moving into some truly gas free cars in the future? Are these kinds of vehicles even possible or feasible in our current lifetime?”
“It has been years since Toyota had a sports car (Supra) available for sale in North America. Are there any plans to bring back the Supra or come out with a new afordable [sac] sports car?” [Digg]
Chad Henne Wins Audi Fuel-Efficiency Competition
Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Henne won a competition between reporters, writers, and athletes to find out who can get the most miles per gallon out of a 2010 Audi Q7 TDI engine. The route was to be between Herdon, Virginia and Miami, Florida. Henne was able to achieve 32.6MPG. Henne won $20,000 and donated it to the Berks County Community Foundation. [Examiner]
2011 Audi A8 Will Be The First Vehicle To Be Equipped With Google Earth
The 2011 Audi A8 is one of the most high-tech upcoming vehicles to hit the roads in 2010. The Audi A8 is equipped with a 4.2 liter FSI V8 motor and 372 horsepower. Fuel consumption will be reduced by 15%. And the transmission of the A8 is eight-speed tiptronic transmission with manual mode. The A8 navigation system is very intuitive as well.
The Audi A8 will have a multimedia interface (MMI) combined with the standard navigation system and touchpad. The car will have a traditional hard disk navigation system with integrated GPRS/EDGE modem integrated into the MMI which will allow users to download content from Google. Audi A8 drivers will be able to map out trips using Google Maps or Google Earth. As a matter of fact, the Audi A8 is the first production vehicle to have Google Earth integrated into the navigation.
By inserting a SIM card into the A8 MMI setup or data-enabled phone supporting Bluetooth, A8 drivers will be able to have a 3D view of their surroundings using Google Earth in the MMI. The LCD display is 8 inches and supports terrain modeling.
Below is the full press release:
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Categories 2011 Audi A8, AUDI AG, Google, Google Earth
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Audi e-Tron Concept May Become Reality By 2012
The worst part about many car concepts is that they are usually never going to be made on mass production. However the Audi e-Tron that was presented at the Frankfurt auto show last month may be made available for purchase in 2012.
The announcement was confirmed by Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen. “I expect we will see running examples in the next 24 months,” stated Nysschen in an interview with Automotive News.
The concept car had 230 kilowatts produced by four motors giving the vehicle about 313 horsepower with 3,319 pound-feet of torque. The lithium-ion battery with a 42.4 kilowatt hour gives the car a 154 mile range. The recharge requires about 6-8 hours at about 230 volts.
This car will directly compete with the Mercedes-Benz Gullwing and the Tesla Roadster. Audi is also working on hybrid vehicles such as the Q5 crossover which is expected to arrive in 2011.
Categories AUDI AG, Audi of America, Johan de Nysschen
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