Audi to Invest Billions in New Models

Audi is to invest considerable capital in expanding its model range significantly over the next few years. The company plans to invest a total of 11.8 billion euros between 2006 and 2011. This was decided by the AUDI AG Supervisory Board at its last meeting for the year 2006. This means that the amount to be invested by the car manufacturer from Ingolstadt will continue to remain at a very high level. Around 8.4 billion euros (71 percent) of the total investment volume will be invested in new Audi vehicles alone. The Audi brand intends to extend its range of vehicle models from the existing 22 to a total of 40 by the year 2015. From 2007 onwards, investments will rise steadily to around two billion euros per year.

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snatch - 12/11/2006 10:32:41 AM

-1 Boost

how about focusing some funds on quality control?? my mom's brand new Q7 is in the shop for the 2nd time already.

IamEvilHomer - 12/11/2006 2:16:01 PM

+2 Boost

Q7 has been great for realibilty. you should have bought it from a good dealer that inspects every car before they sell them

phaetonmeister - 12/11/2006 7:16:54 PM

+3 Boost

What was wrong with your moms car????

IamEvilHomer - 12/11/2006 2:17:31 PM

+3 Boost

yes and JD power and Consumer reports like the reliablity. People that talk about realibily have not owned an Audi in the last few years. The last crap car that Audi built was the old A6

S4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2006 12:13:31 AM

0 Boost

Yes, they do, in fact.

Hey! Don't call the A6 a "crap car"! I had one!

99gs400 - 12/11/2006 10:56:59 AM

-2 Boost

skip the new models , invest the billions in quality and reliablity PLEASE !!!

iown1 - 12/11/2006 12:22:42 PM

+4 Boost

People complain about the quality and reliability and yet the brand has grown for the 11th consecutive year. They must be doing something right. I've had two without a problem and whenever I got to the dealer for service everyone seems to be happy with their cars. Maybe that's just my experience but it's the only one I car about.

IamEvilHomer - 12/11/2006 2:18:27 PM

+4 Boost

I am on my 5tyh Audi and I never had a problem

audiot - 12/11/2006 11:02:22 AM

-3 Boost

Audi is strangely-content with the quality of its line-up. That 250hp V6, for example, shows up in every new model they talk about, but it isn't a good engine. The acceleration figures are always on the low side. The driving dynamics are likewise lukewarm received. What does the Audi brand stand for? Watered-down performance? Like the poster above, I'd rather hear Audi is going to reinvent its existing product line. It's what Americans are waiting for.

Heyhuub - 12/11/2006 11:05:11 AM

+3 Boost

Here in the Netherlands the A6 came first in big sedan catogory of the Autoweek 2006 satisfaction survey.
So reliabilety doesn't seem a big problem over here.

Rupert - 12/11/2006 1:13:45 PM

+4 Boost

yeah they are! remember my post about the most reliable in britian? 2 audis, 1 vw, 1 bmw, 1 ford and 1 lexus. 2 hondas and 2 toyotas.

audiot - 12/11/2006 4:32:46 PM

0 Boost

Audi is one of best-stupidest car makers in business.

The fact that this post gets, what, 12 comments shows how irrelevant they are to the enthusiast community.

Audi: drop your plans for new models. Make a kick-ass A4. All your problems will be solved.

btw... The quattro 2.0T A4 MT does 0 to 60 in 7.3 seconds. That blows. The BMW 328 MT is 6.3 seconds.

The A4 is a commuter car. Make it your best car and you will succeed in America. Until then, you lose.

audiot - 12/11/2006 10:49:41 PM

+3 Boost

btw... I love Audi. I just wish they would cut down on the lifestyle products and focus a bit.

S4cabriofoxone - 12/11/2006 11:46:23 PM

+1 Boost

"Make a kick-ass A4."

THAT'S what they're going to do with the next one, THANK GOD. All the other A4s have been great- but never class-leading. The new one might just break that trend.

What, you love Audi? Doesn't seem that way.

S4cabriofoxone - 12/11/2006 11:49:40 PM

+1 Boost

Oh, and- that A4 figure shows that they NEED to put DSG in all of their cars, quickly!

My A3 is over a second quicker than that, with the same engine!

BTW, is that with or without quattro? Because I remember it being significantly quicker than that in the AWD Sedans comparo in R & T back in March. Something like 6.4 or 6.5. It was with quattro and S-Line.

audiot - 12/12/2006 10:19:55 AM

+1 Boost

You always hurt the ones you love.

audiot - 12/12/2006 10:25:46 AM

+3 Boost

The A4 figure I stated is with quattro. The A4 they had on display at the LA Auto Show was a FWD manual, and they showed a 7.5 0 to 60 time on their placard! Yikes. Not exactly the Bugatti (which they had downstairs.... wow).

Yes, I think they'll get there with the A4, but they've done nothing over the past 2 years while BMW, Lexus and Infiniti have outperformed the category. Not even a 20+ horsepower bump. If you buy an A4 today, you're really getting less for your money.

I'm waiting for the A4 sportback... if the V6 is better. Would Audi ever go with an inline-6? (I'd love to get a high-performance turbo, but their high-performance turbo engines are showing up as RS models. Don't see the value there for the common man.)

S4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2006 8:37:27 PM

0 Boost

"The A4 they had on display at the LA Auto Show was a FWD manual, and they showed a 7.5 0 to 60 time on their placard!"

Well, don't rely on Audi for 0-60 times. We've said this many times, but... they're ALWAYS, ALWAYS WRONG. They state times that are way slower than what is attained by most magazines.

IamEvilHomer - 12/14/2006 10:45:35 PM

0 Boost

that is the quattro
if you compare the 2wd the 0-to is faster in the 2.0t

IamEvilHomer - 12/15/2006 3:30:04 AM

0 Boost

there are 40 coments now
car to revise your post?

chewy - 12/11/2006 7:23:18 PM

+2 Boost

Lookinf forward to more great Audis in the future.

S4cabriofoxone - 12/11/2006 11:48:09 PM

+1 Boost

Their new models are going to be exciting. New A5 this year, new A4 later this year (or next year), RS6 this year, A7 next year, Q5 next year, new A3 (insert year here), A1, A8......

S4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2006 8:38:00 PM

0 Boost

How do you know?

If the A5 is being released this year, why not the A4 a little later?

SixxFive - 12/12/2006 1:03:26 AM

0 Boost

Audi needs to invest in quality and reliability. Until then, they will remain known as a poor mans Lexus.

S4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2006 8:40:17 PM

+2 Boost

LOL! I've never heard that either!

They're like the anti-Lexus. Well, not exactly. BMW is the anti-Lexus. But Audi is still nothing like them.

I think you're just saying that because you're a Lexus fan.

It's quite different. Lexus is the poor man's Mercedes-Benz. Case in point: LS460 vs. S550. Most LS460 owners cannot easily attain an S550 without cutting back on everyday costs. This continues to some of the different models. One where Mercedes has the advantage is GL vs. LX. The GL is significantly cheaper ($14,000 difference), but has equal luxury and a lot more power.

1uberaudi - 12/12/2006 11:14:34 AM

+2 Boost

The only poor mans car is a Lexus. The quality, reliability, and performance of Audi and other German manufactures far surpasses Lexus. You can see this with the nearly three to one sales over Lexus worldwide. Lexus needs to try to invest billions of Toyota dollars to compete with the German market. Let's start by spending the money on FSI, Aluminium frames, DSG, CVT, all wheel drive systems, etc, etc, etc. But, they probably won't. Lexus customers are happy with their Japanese Cadillacs.

S4cabriofoxone - 12/12/2006 8:41:53 PM

+2 Boost

"Let's start by spending the money on FSI, Aluminium frames, DSG, CVT, all wheel drive systems, etc, etc, etc..."

That would just be copying other companies (ahem Audi), which is what some have been bashing them for all along.