Brisbane show: Audi A4

AUDI Australia used last Friday’s Brisbane motor show opening to showcase a 3.2 FSI quattro version of its redesigned A4 medium sedan, which is due on sale here in April and was unveiled in Brisbane by managing director Joerg Hofmann and Australian swim star and Audi Ambassador, Libby Lenton.

As the most important new model for Australia’s fastest-growing German luxury brand (7225 sales in 2007 – 20 per cent of them in Queensland, home to Audi’s top-selling dealer - saw Audi’s sales grow by 25 per cent last year), the new A4 will account for around 45 per cent of vehicle sales. Australia is now also the world’s second-fastest growing market for Audi, behind Russia, and Audi Oz sold 1025 vehicles in January – up a massive 45 per cent on January 2008.

Full local details and pricing is yet to be revealed, but Mr Hofmann said the next A4, which has attracted 30,000 orders since goin on sale in Europe last month, will be available with two petrol engines and one diesel from launch – and a starting price of between $50,000 and $55,000 for the A4 1.8 TFSI.

Other engine choices will include the 3.2 FSI V6 and 2.0 TDI, with a 2.7 TDI version to follow in May 2008.

Audi says that, at 4.7 metres long, the new model is longer and wider than the current A4 – yet more rigid, safer and lighter, leading to average fuel consumption reductions of 13 per cent for the petrol engines and six per cent for the TDIs.

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