Jim Autos UK is United Kingdom’s top new and used dealer exporter of Audi

First Audi vehicle was launched in 1910 and just one year later our Great Grandfather established world’s longest continually running dealership in 1911. Audi is a manufacturer of premium luxury vehicles which manufactures full range of vehicles from superminis to crossover SUVs and all are available at United Kingdom’s top new used dealer Jim Autos UK

Audi Current model range available for export at Jim Autos UK in new and used

Audi A1	Audi A3	Audi A4	Audi A5	Audi A6	Audi A7	Audi A8	Audi TT	Audi R8 Road Car	Audi Q3	Audi Q5	Audi Q7
Supermini	Compact Car	Compact Executive Car	Compact Executive Car	Executive Car	Executive Car	Full-size Luxury Car	Compact Sports Car	Sports Car	Compact Crossover SUV	Compact Crossover SUV	Crossover SUV
3-door Hatchback	3-door Hatchback 5-door Sportback 2-door Cabriolet	4-door Saloon 5-door Avant Allroad Quattro	2-door Coupé 2-door Cabriolet 5-door Saloon	Saloon Avant Allroad Quattro	5-door Fastback	4-door Saloon A8 L version	Coupé Roadster	Coupé V8 & V10 Spyder V8 &V10 GT	5-door SUV	5-door SUV	5-door SUV Regular & V12 version

Technology

Bodyshells

Audi produces 100% galvanised cars to prevent corrosion, and was the first mass-market vehicle to do so, following introduction of the process by Porsche, c.1975. Along with other precautionary measures, the full-body zinc coating has proved to be very effective in preventing rust. The body’s resulting durability even surpassed Audi’s own expectations, causing the manufacturer to extend its original 10-year warranty against corrosion perforation to currently 12 years (except for aluminium bodies which don’t rust).

An all-aluminium car was brought forward by Audi, and in 1994 the Audi A8 was launched, which introduced aluminium space frame technology (called Audi Space Frame). Audi introduced a new series of vehicles in the mid-nineties and continues to new technology and high performance. Prior to that effort, Audi used examples of the Type 44 chassis fabricated out of aluminium as test-beds for the technique.

Drive layout

In all its post Volkswagen-era models, Audi has firmly refused to adopt the traditional rear-wheel drive layout favored by its two arch rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW, favoring either front-wheel drive or all wheel drive. The majority of Audi’s lineup in the United States features all wheel drive standard on most of its expensive vehicles (only the entry-level trims of the A4 and A6 are available with front-wheel drive), in contrast to Mercedes-Benz and BMW whose lineup treats all-wheel drive as an option (BMW only started offering all-wheel drive on its 7 Series starting in the 2010 model year, while the Audi A8 has had all-wheel drive available/standard since the 1990s). Regarding high-performance variants, Audi S and RS models have always had all-wheel drive, unlike their direct rivals from BMW M and Mercedes-AMG which are rear-wheel drive only.

For most of its lineup (excluding the A3, A1, and TT models), Audi has not adopted the transverse engine layout which is found in economy cars, since that would limit the type and power of engines that can be installed. In order to be able to mount powerful engines (such as a V8 engine in the Audi S4 and Audi RS4), Audi has usually engineered its more expensive cars with a longitudinally front mounted engine, in an “overhung” position, over the front wheels in front of the axle line. While this allows for the easy adoption of all wheel drive, it goes against the ideal 50:50 weight distribution (as do all front wheel drive cars).

Audi has recently applied the quattro badge to models such as the A3 and TT which do not use the Torsen-based system as in prior years with a mechanical centre differential, but with the Swedish Haldex Traction electro-mechanical clutch AWD system.

Space frame

Replacing the Audi V8 in 1994, the Audi A8 debuted with an aluminum space frame (the “Audi Space Frame” or ASF) which saves weight and improves torsion rigidity compared to a conventional steel frame. The weight reduction is somewhat offset by the quattro four-wheel drive system which is standard in most markets. Nonetheless, the A8 is usually the lightest all-wheel drive car in the full-size luxury segment, also having best-in-class fuel economy. The disadvantage of the aluminum frame is that it is very expensive to repair and requires a specialized aluminum bodyshop.

The Audi A2, Audi TT and Audi R8 also use Audi Space Frame designs.

Audi A2

The Audi A2 was a futuristic super mini born from the Al2 concept. It featured many features that gave Audi the cutting edge technology that it had lacked for years, like the aluminium space frame which was a first in production car design. In the A2 Audi further expanded their TDI technology through the use of frugal three cylinder engines. The A2 was extremely aerodynamic and was designed around a wind tunnel. The Audi A2 was criticised for its high price and was never really a sales success but it planted Audi as a cutting edge manufacturer. The model, a Mercedes-Benz A-Class competitor, sold relatively well in Europe. However, the A2 was discontinued in 2005 and Audi decided not to develop an immediate replacement.

Audi A4

The next major model change came in 1995 when the Audi A4 replaced the Audi 80. The new nomenclature scheme was applied to the Audi 100 to become the Audi A6 (with a minor facelift). This also meant the S4 became the S6 and a new S4 was introduced in the A4 body. The S2 was discontinued. The Audi Cabriolet continued on (based on the Audi 80 platform) until 1999, gaining the engine upgrades along the way. A new A3 hatchback model (sharing the Volkswagen Golf Mk4’s platform) was introduced to the range in 1996, and the radical Audi TT coupé and roadster were debuted in 1998 based on the same underpinnings.

The engines available throughout the range were now a 1.4L, 1.6L and 1.8L 4 cylinder, 1.8L 4-cylinder turbo, 2.6L and 2.8L V6, 2.2L turbo-charged 5 cylinder and the 4.2L V8 engine. The V6s were replaced by new 2.4L and 2.8L 30V V6s in 1998, with marked improvement in power, torque and smoothness. Further engines were added along the way, including a 3.7L V8 and 6.0L W12 engine for the A8.

Direct-Shift Gearbox

At the turn of the century, Volkswagen introduced the Direct-Shift Gearbox (DSG), a type of dual clutch transmission. It is an automated semi-automatic transmission, drivable like a conventional automatic transmission. Based on the gearbox found in the Group B S1, the system includes dual electrohydraulically controlled clutches instead of a torque converter. This is implemented in some VW Golfs, Audi A3 and TT models where DSG is called S-tronic.

Fuel Stratified Injection

New models of the A3, A4, A6 and A8 have been introduced, with the aging 1.8 litre engine now having been replaced by new Fuel Stratified Injection (FSI) engines. Nearly every petroleum burning model in the range now incorporates this fuel-saving technology.

Electric technology

Audi is planning an alliance with the Japanese electronic giant Sanyo to develop a pilot hybrid electric project for the Volkswagen Group. The alliance could result in Sanyo batteries and other electronic components being used in future models of the Volkswagen Group.

Hybrid electric vehicles includes:

    Audi A1 Sportback Concept

    Audi A4 TDI Concept E

Fully electric vehicles:

    Audi e-tron Concept Supercar

LED daytime running lights

Beginning in 2006, Audi has implemented white LED technology as daytime running lights in their products. The distinctive shape of the DRLs has become a trademark of sorts. LEDs were first introduced on the Audi S6, and have since spread throughout the entire model range.

Multi Media Interface

Audi has recently started offering a computerised control system for its cars, called Multi Media Interface (MMI). This came amid criticism of BMW’s iDrive control. It is essentially a rotating control knob and ‘segment’ buttons – designed to control all in-car entertainment devices (radio, CD changer, iPod, TV tuner), satellite navigation, heating and ventilation, and other car controls with a screen. MMI was widely reported to be a considerable improvement on BMW’s iDrive, although BMW has since made their iDrive more user-friendly.

MMI has been generally well-received, as it requires less menu-surfing with its segment buttons around a central knob, along with ‘main function’ direct access buttons – with shortcuts to the radio or phone functions. The screen, either colour or monochrome, is mounted on the upright dashboard, and on the A4 (new), A5, A6, A8, and Q7, the controls are mounted horizontally.

An “MMI-like” system is also available on the A3, TT, A4 (B7), and R8 models – when equipped with the Audi Navigation System Plus (RNS-E) satellite navigation system.

Engines

In the 1980s, Audi, along with Volvo, was the champion of the inline 5 cylinder, 2.1/2.2 L engine as a longer-lasting alternative to more traditional 6 cylinder engines. This engine was used not only in production cars but also in their race cars. The 2.1 L inline 5 cylinder engine was used as a base for the rally cars in the 1980s, providing well over 400 horsepower (298 kW) after modification. Before 1990, there were engines produced with a displacement between 2.0 L and 2.3 L. This range of engine capacity allowed for both fuel economy and power.

For the ultra-luxury version of its Audi A8 fullsize luxury flagship sedan, the Audi A8L W12, Audi uses the Volkswagen Group W12 engine instead of the conventional V12 engine favored by rivals Mercedes-Benz and BMW. The W12 engine configuration (also known as a “WR12”) is created by forming two imaginary narrow-angle 15° VR6 engines at an angle of 72°, and the narrow angle of each set of cylinders allows just two overhead camshafts to drive each pair of banks, so just four are needed in total. The advantage of the W12 engine is its compact packaging, allowing Audi to build a 12-cylinder sedan with all-wheel drive, whereas a conventional V12 engine could only have a rear-wheel drive configuration as it would have no space in the engine bay for a differential and other components required to power the front wheels. In fact, the 6.0L W12 in the Audi A8L W12 is actually a bit smaller by overall dimensions than the 4.2L V8 that powers the Audi A8 4.2 variants.  The 2011 Audi A8 debuted a revised 6.3 liter version of the W12 (WR12) engine with 500 PS.

Current model range engines

Petrol engines:

•     1.2 TFSI 86 PS (63 kW; 85 hp) → Audi A1
•     1.2 TFSI 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) → Audi A3
•     1.4 TFSI 122 PS (90 kW; 120 hp) → Audi A1
•     1.4 TFSI 125 PS (92 kW; 123 hp) → Audi A3
•     1.4 TFSI 185 PS (136 kW; 182 hp) → Audi A1
•     1.8 TFSI 120 PS (88 kW; 118 hp) → Audi A4
•     1.8 TFSI 160 PS (118 kW; 158 hp) → Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A5
•     2.0 TFSI 180 PS (132 kW; 178 hp) → Audi A5, Audi Q5
•     2.0 TFSI 200 PS (147 kW; 197 hp) → Audi A3
•     2.0 TFSI 211 PS (155 kW; 208 hp) → Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi TT, Audi Q5
•     2.0 TFSI 265 PS (195 kW; 261 hp) → Audi S3
•     2.0 TFSI 272 PS (200 kW; 268 hp) → TTS
•     2.5 TFSI 340 PS (250 kW; 335 hp) → RS 3, TT RS
•     2.8 FSI 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) → Audi A7
•     3.0 TFSI 272 PS (200 kW; 268 hp) → Audi Q7
•     3.0 TFSI 290 PS (213 kW; 286 hp) → Audi A6, Audi A8
•     3.0 TFSI 300 PS (221 kW; 296 hp) → Audi A6, Audi A7
•     3.0 TFSI 333 PS (245 kW; 328 hp) → S4, Audi Q7
•     3.2 FSI 265 PS (195 kW; 261 hp) → Audi A4, Audi A5
•     3.2 FSI 270 PS (199 kW; 266 hp) → Audi Q5
•     4.2 FSI 354 PS (260 kW; 349 hp) → S5
•     4.2 FSI 372 PS (274 kW; 367 hp) → Audi A8
•     4.2 FSI 430 PS (316 kW; 424 hp) → Audi R8 (Road Car), Audi RS4
•     4.2 FSI 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp) → RS 5
•     5.0 FSI 580 PS (427 kW; 572 hp) → Audi_RS6
•     5.2 FSI 450 PS (331 kW; 444 hp) → Audi_S8, Audi_S6
•     5.2 FSI 525 PS (386 kW; 518 hp) → Audi R8 (Road Car)
•     6.3 W12 500 PS (368 kW; 493 hp) → Audi A8

Diesel engines:

•     1.6 TDI 105 PS (77 kW; 104 hp) → Audi A1, Audi A3
•     2.0 TDI 136 PS (100 kW; 134 hp) → Audi A4
•     2.0 TDI 140 PS (103 kW; 138 hp) → Audi A3
•     2.0 TDI 143 PS (105 kW; 141 hp) → Audi A4, Audi Q5
•     2.0 TDI 170 PS (125 kW; 168 hp) → Audi A3, Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi TT, Audi Q5
•     2.0 TDI 177 PS (130 kW; 175 hp) → Audi A6
•     2.7 TDI 190 PS (140 kW; 187 hp) → Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi A6
•     3.0 TDI 204 PS (150 kW; 201 hp) → Audi A6, Audi A7
•     3.0 TDI 240 PS (177 kW; 237 hp) → Audi A4, Audi A5, Audi A6, Audi Q5, Audi Q7
•     3.0 TDI 245 PS (180 kW; 242 hp) → Audi A6, Audi A7
•     3.0 TDI 250 PS (184 kW; 247 hp) → Audi A8
•     4.2 TDI 340 PS (250 kW; 335 hp) → Audi Q7
•     4.2 TDI 350 PS (257 kW; 345 hp) → Audi A8
•     6.0 V12 500 PS (368 kW; 493 hp) → Audi Q7