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Maplewood Audi's automotive expertise is a product of our sustained interest in industry trends and characteristics. We are privileged to share the latest news, promotions and events with you and hope the information will enhance your shopping experience. As you know, there are many new cars from which to choose, and we believe an informed customer is the best customer.

Before you fill up, you should know about TOP TIER gasoline standards.

Audi is part of a group of leading automakers calling for higher gasoline standards.

Audi, along with other top auto manufacturers, recognizes that the current Federal mandates for minimum detergent
requirements for gasoline do not go far enough to ensure optimal engine performance.
This group of automakers is remaining the bar, calling for a premier standard of gasoline performance, with TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards. These Standards create a winning situation for gasoline retailers, auto manufacturers, and drivers.

The Issue

Currently, many gasoline retailers provide fuels with lower-quality additive packages that can build up deposits on fuel injectors and on intake valves. Others can build up deposits in combustion chambers and may lead to intake valve sticking. These lower levels of additives can have a negative impact on engine performance and vehicle responsiveness. Since the minimum additive performance standards were first established by EPA in 1995, most gasoline marketers have actually reduced the concentration level of detergent additive in their gasoline by up to 50%. As a result, the ability of a vehicle to maintain stringent Tier 2 emission standards has been hampered, leading to engine deposits which can have a big impact on in-use emissions and driver satisfaction.

The Solution

TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards help drivers avoid lower quality gasoline which can leave deposits on critical engine parts, which reduces engine performance. That's something both drivers and automakers want to avoid. For the most current listing of retailers that meet the TOP TIER Detergent Gasoline standards, visit toptiergas.com .


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Autonomous Audi TTS

Autonomous Audi TTS

New look, reaffirmed mission for Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak

- Bold new look and name honor the spirit of past Audi rally winners
- Pikes Peak Audi TTS on track for September high-speed testing without a driver on tricky mountain course
- Research project with Stanford University, Oracle points way to future driver assistance safety systems

HERNDON, Va., Jun 25, 2010  -  Audi today launched a bold new design for the Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS, as research surrounding the car that can drive itself enters a crucial stage leading to the goal of a high-speed test up Pikes Peak in Colorado this fall.

With the changed appearance, the Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS is now squarely aligned with Audi cars that made motorsports history a generation ago in the Pikes Peak Hill Climb and other rally racing events.

The new emphasis for the project also honors quattro® technology, which has played an instrumental role in Audi racing successes, has served as a leading example of the progressive engineering found in Audi passenger vehicles and is integral to the handling of the Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS. This year marks the 30th anniversary of quattro on the world automotive stage.

To find a collection of photos of the research car's new appearance, along with b-roll video, please visit www.audiusanews.com.

The association between Pikes Peak and this research project relates to the original goal of developing advanced algorithms and actuation systems that would allow a car to complete a driving course without a human behind the wheel. The partners in developing this technology - the Stanford University Dynamic Design Lab (DDL), the Electronics Research Lab (ERL) for the Volkswagen Group in Palo Alto, Calif., and Oracle. - chose the part-pavement, part-gravel route of the storied Pikes Peak race to prove the project's capabilities.

"Our aim from the start has been to show how the future of driver assistance technologies will lead to dramatic improvements in traffic safety and saving lives," said Dr. Burkhard Huhnke, Executive Director, ERL. "With this project we are working on electronics that will help drivers steer their way out of dangerous situations. But first we need to create programs that would replicate the quick decisions and rapid maneuvers of the best rally racers under the most difficult road conditions."

The connection with rally racing provided another key inspiration to the project team.

"Many of the leading automotive technologies we see in our cars today evolved out of motorsports," said mechanical engineering Associate Professor Chris Gerdes, director of the Center for Automotive Research at Stanford, in Palo Alto, Calif. "This is because racing pushes emerging technologies to the limits before they can be adopted more broadly."

The Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS is based on a street-ready Audi TTS sports car. The team chose the TTS because its native systems, including a drive-by-wire throttle and a semiautomatic DSG gearbox were a good fit with the electronics that allow the car to drive without human input.

The computing hardware added to the Pikes Peak TTS isn't significantly more elaborate than what can be found in a standard laptop. The car currently uses two computers in its trunk - one running safety critical algorithms using Oracle Java Real-Time System (Java RTS). The other runs vehicle dynamics algorithms. The two sets of algorithms are what enable the Pikes Peak TTS to drive at the limits of handling on a variety of surfaces, speeds and conditions.

The differential GPS system is capable of keeping the Pikes Peak TTS within two centimeters of the center line of a normal course; researchers are planning on a one-meter margin on Pikes Peak due to the extreme conditions.

The Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS gained global recognition last year with a Web video that showcased the car's ability to execute complex maneuvers on Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats without a human behind the steering wheel.

In the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, Audi legends were born a generation ago. Audi rally cars, such as the Audi S1 quattro, employed the all-wheel drive technology to win the 12.42-mile "Race to the Clouds" in convincing fashion. The drivers of those Audi quattro rally cars - Bobby Unser, Walter Roehrl and Michele Mouton - earned places in motorsports history at Pikes Peak. In fact, the researchers from Stanford and the Volkswagen Group's Electronics Research Laboratory in Palo Alto, Calif., nicknamed the project "Shelley" after Mouton and her racing exploits.

The S1 also inspired the "S" range of performance models, such as today's critically acclaimed Audi S4 sedan.

Tying the Audi traditions into a look for the Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS became an engaging assignment for Audi designers at the company's Design Center California in Santa Monica. Several options emerged, including an art car look that depicted the Pikes Peak route in a topographic map covering the body of the TTS.

For the design that was selected, the goal was to pay homage to the past, while conveying the leading-edge technology that defines the Pikes Peak Autonomous Audi TTS. Designers decided to give the rally car themes from the 1980s a forward-looking twist, said Sangyup Lee, Chief Designer (Group Exterior) at VW/Audi Group Studio California.

The original rally cars, for example didn't feature a large four rings logo on their roofs. But the designers used that design cue from modern Audi DTM racing cars in Europe so the brand image would be evident in aerial photos and videos.

"We were very much inspired by the Pikes Peak race cars," noted Raul Cenan, Lead Designer on the Pikes Peak TTS project. "But there was very different technology used in those cars overall. So we decided to go with more modern elements that were heritage-inspired."

TIMELINE FOR THE PIKES PEAK AUTONOMOUS AUDI TTS

The highlight of the months ahead of the Pikes Peak Autonomous TTS is the planned high-speed testing up Pikes Peak in September. The entire route of the challenging Pikes Peak Hill Climb with be the course that the research car will attempt to complete.


June 27-29: Researchers visit Pikes Peak to collect data points, scout locations immediately after the 2010 Pikes Peak Hill Climb race.

July-August: Continued testing to prepare for Pikes Peak attempt.

September: Pikes Peak autonomous attempt, conditions permitting. This will be closed to the public, due to the extreme nature of the course. But the testing will be certified by an independent motorsports organization.

Mid-November: Weather permitting, a Guinness Book of World Records land speed attempt at the El Mirage Lake dry-lake bed in southern California or another nearby location . Officials from the Guinness Book plan to certify whether the Pikes Peak TTS establishes a record in the new category of fastest speed in an autonomous vehicle. Media coverage details will be forthcoming.


ABOUT AUDI
Audi of America, Inc. and its 272 U.S. dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. AUDI AG is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. During 2009 Audi outsold all other luxury brands in Europe, while in the U.S. market Audi posted the largest market share gain of any luxury automotive brand. Between 2010 and 2012 the Audi Group is planning to invest around ?5.5 billion, mainly in new products, in order to sustain the Company's technological lead. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

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Audi R8 V10 is named as 2010 World Performance Car

Audi R8 V10 is named as 2010 World Performance Car

-Second win for Audi R8 in World Performance Car category at World Car of the Year Awards
- Third win out of five for Audi in World Performance Car category

INGOLSTADT/NEW YORK, Apr 1, 2010  -  The Audi R8 V10 was named as the 2010 World Performance Car at the World Car of the Year Awards ceremony at the New York Auto Show. This is the second time that the R8 has won the World Performance Car award: the V8-powered R8 took this award in 2008.

The World Car Awards jurors observed that: "In the opinion of many on the World Car Awards jury, Audi has at long last satisfied our hunger for a street car that lives up to the excitement of the original Le Mans series-dominating R8 LMP1 race car."

Developed jointly with quattro GmbH, the Audi R8 V10 is powered by a 5.2 liter direct injection ten-cylinder engine which develops 386 kW (525 hp), enabling it to sprint from zero to 100 km/h (62.14 mph) in just 3.9 seconds and then to a top speed of 316 km/h (196.35 mph). It features Audi technologies such as quattro permanent all-wheel drive, a lightweight aluminum body and the innovative all-LED lights.

This is the second World Performance Car award win for the Audi R8: the original V8-powered version won the same award in 2008. Whether a customer chooses an R8 with a V8 or a V10 engine, they will get a World Performance Car award winner.

This is also the third Word Performance Car award for Audi in the five years that the award has been on offer: the RS 4 was named as the 2007 World Performance Car.

The truly global nature of the World Car jury is evidence that Audi is hitting the performance car sweet spot of car lovers around the world.

Since the awards began, Audi has claimed one overall award and five category awards:

2005
Audi A6 World Car of the Year

2007
Audi RS 4 World Performance Car
Audi TT World Car Design of the Year

2008
Audi R8 World Performance Car
Audi R8 World Car Design of the Year

2010
Audi R8 V10 World Performance Car

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Audi TDI clean diesel paves road to energy independence


Audi TDI clean diesel paves road to energy independence


?    Switching just one-third of U.S. vehicles to clean diesel can save 1.5 million barrels of foreign oil per day
?    Audi launches Facebook Cause campaign supporting The Nature Conservancy
?    Audiusa.com/tdi microsite highlights proof that "diesel" is no longer a dirty word

HERNDON, Va., June 22, 2009 ? Audi today launched an aggressive public awareness campaign in the U.S. to highlight the ways in which TDI clean diesel can help America achieve energy independence. Ranging from television ads to a social media-driven charitable donation, the campaign will kick off a summer-long push to change public perception of the once-maligned diesel engine.
"Energy independence and fuel efficiency are at the forefront of public debate, and with the launch of the Q7 TDI clean diesel, Audi is introducing a viable solution into that national discussion," said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. "Several solutions for reducing America?s dependence on foreign oil have been introduced, but few are as convenient, accessible, and fun as simply switching from regular gasoline to clean diesel."
Not only do the statistics on clean diesel show a dramatic change from the smoky, noisy, and dirty diesel image of the past, but these truths prove that diesel is a viable, ready-to-go solution for reducing America?s dependence on foreign oil.
TDI Clean Diesel: The Truths
?    A U.S. EPA analysis found that if one-third of Americans fueled their cars, pick-ups and SUVs with clean diesel instead of gasoline, the United States could send back 1.5 million barrels of foreign oil per day.
?    One drop of diesel fuel has 12% more power than one drop of gasoline.
?    TDI clean diesel engines reduce carbon emissions by 20% over gasoline engines.
?    If one-third of Americans switched from gasoline to clean diesel, it would be the equivalent of planting 2.2 billion trees.
"Many Americans still don't understand the benefits clean diesel provides," said Scott Keogh, Chief Marketing Officer, Audi of America. "That's why Audi developed an intensive campaign to spread the truth about TDI technology. Central to our message is this point: With far lower carbon emissions and far better fuel efficiency than gasoline, it can truly be said that diesel is no longer a dirty word."
Launching today, the Audi multimedia campaign to educate America about the benefits of TDI clean diesel includes advertisements at fuel pumps around the country, a television advertisement, a "Truth in Diesel" viral video and a Facebook Cause campaign in support of reducing carbon emissions. To check out the campaign and learn the truth about TDI clean diesel, check out audiusa.com/tdi. Download the new "Di*sel | It's No Longer A Dirty Word" Audi TDI ad here.
To drive the TDI message online, Audi is also launching "Truth in Diesel," a viral video that emphasizes the need for America to achieve energy independence. Starting 30 years ago with the oil crisis of 1979, the video provides historical context around the nation's ongoing struggle to break free from foreign oil. The simple solution = clean diesel. The video has been seeded on various online video sites. Check out "Truth in Diesel" on YouTube available here.

Stressing its commitment to reducing emissions, Audi is making a donation to help support the first project in The Nature Conservancy?s voluntary carbon offset program. Through The Nature Conservancy's Facebook Cause, Audi hopes to spread the word about reducing carbon emissions. For every Facebook user who joins the cause, Audi will donate $1 to The Nature Conservancy's voluntary carbon offset program. To join the cause and for more information about this initiative visit causes.com/natureconservancy, which will be launching later today.


News and Events

Before you fill up, you should know about TOP TIER gasoline standards.
Audi is part of a group of leading automakers calling for higher gasoline standards. Audi, along with ...
Autonomous Audi TTS
Autonomous Audi TTS New look, reaffirmed mission for Autonomous Audi TTS Pikes Peak - Bold new look ...
Audi R8 V10 is named as 2010 World Performance Car
Audi R8 V10 is named as 2010 World Performance Car -Second win for Audi R8 in World Performance Car ...