With not one, but three brand-new models on display, plus a spectacular concept vehicle in the Audi Pikes Peak Quattro, the brand with the four rings is set to make an indelible impression on the public as THE luxury ‘sports performance brand’.

The all new A3 Sportback; the long-awaited TT 3.2 quattro and the dynamic and exciting A6 will be presented at the 2004 Show, giving Audi one of the youngest and most-sought after product ranges on display.

The Audi Pikes Peak quattro
will appear at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show.

Combining on- and off-road dynamism, clever design, the latest technology and sheer spaciousness, Audi’s stellar Pikes Peak quattro concept will be seen for the first time outside Europe or the USA at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show.

This impressive concept study takes its name from Pikes Peak, a 4,300 metre high mountain that rises abruptly out of the Colorado Plain of the Rocky Mountains.

Three victories have made the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Race part of Audi’s successful motor sport history. In 1985 the race was won by Michèle Mouton, the first woman driver ever to win a world championship rally. A year later, the legendary American race driver Bobby Unser proved to be unbeatable, and in 1987 Walter Röhrl, driving the Audi Sport quattro S1, scored a much-admired overall victory by conquering the Peak in the new record time of 10:47.85 minutes.

The Pikes Peak quattro boasts a V8 engine with twin turbochargers and a power output of 500 hp. This has been achieved thanks to the advanced FSI direct fuel injection principle, first used on Audi’s mighty Le Mans-winning cars.

In the Audi Pikes Peak quattro, the eight-cylinder twin-turbo FSI engine is notable for its free revving and vigorous pulling power at all engine speeds.

It accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in only 5.0 seconds and has a governed top speed of 250 km/h. Maximum torque of 630 Newton-metres is available from 2,000 rpm upwards and remains constant over a broad speed range. This supreme, massive pulling power is ideal for fast cross-country driving and for negotiating off-road sections of the journey.

When designing this versatile concept vehicle it was logical for Audi to integrate its in-depth knowledge of quattro and its experience with variable-height active air suspension. The development brief for the Audi Pikes Peak quattro was that it could tackle loose surfaces and poor roads just as supremely as fast sections of the highway.

The new Audi A6
will appear at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show.

The classic proportions of Audi's A6 sports saloon with its low-slung windows and coupé-like roofline are now elevated to a new level of appeal. The contours of the upward-curved shoulder lines and the powerful, sweeping motion of the dynamic line above the side sills give the entire body of the car a forward-moving, dynamic appearance. The powerfully-rising centre section of the front bonnet is a hint at the muscular performance of the new Audi A6.

Seen from the front, Audi’s dynamic trapezoidal single-frame radiator grille clearly characterises the A6 as a representative of the brand’s latest model generation.

From the interior, the A6 also gives way to a distinct and different design that befits a new model of this significance. The high and wide centre console, with controls and switches within perfect reach, emphasise the sporting architecture of the interior, and surround the driver as the central player. Teardrop-shaped instrument clusters and a new generation of sports steering wheel are strong indicators of this newest generation of sporting Audi models.

The A6 features both a new six-speed tiptronic transmission with quattro variants and Audi’s seamless multitronic transmission, now with 7 pre-selected ratios, for front-drive models.

Weight reduction, a fast and crisp gearshift, as well as optimised gear strategies ensure the 6-speed tiptronic versions combine the superior comfort of automatic gearshift with the sporting performance so typical of the A6.

The all new Audi A6 will be launched in Australia in early October 2004.

The new Audi A3 Sportback
will appear at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show.

Characterised by the sporting elegance of a coupé and the versatility of a five-door vehicle, the A3 Sportback bristles with sophisticated technology and well-defined driving dynamics.

With four and six-cylinder engines developing up to 184 kW, front-wheel or quattro permanent four-wheel drive and – as an option – the revolutionary DSG transmission, the engine, drivetrain and chassis live up to the expectations raised by the sporty exterior of this five-door vehicle – driving pleasure in a new guise.

In Europe, the first deliveries of the new A3 Sportback only commenced last month in September 2004. Australian-specification vehicles are expected to be introduced to the market in the first quarter of 2005. Engine range, pricing and equipment for Australia have not been defined.

Audi’s new 2.0T FSI engine makes its world premiere in the new Sportback. This extremely dynamic representative of the FSI engine family boasts a four-cylinder unit with turbocharger, delivering 147 kW. Maximum torque of 280 Nm is available across a wide speed range from 1,800 to 5,000 rpm. As a result, the A3 2.0T FSI (with 6-speed manual gearbox) sprints from 0 to 100 km/h in just 7.1 seconds, with a top speed of 234 km/h.

The Audi A3 Sportback deliberately carves its own niche in the compact class. It offers the emphatically sporty qualities and the athletic styling of the three-door A3 with which it shares its drivetrain, dynamic suspension and wheelbase.

At the same time – as well as the addition of two rear doors – it offers even more space and flexibility thanks to its tail end which is 68 millimetres longer than its three-door counterpart.

The Audi TT 3.2 quattro
will appear at the 2004 Australian International Motor Show.

The long-awaited TT 3.2 quattro is noted for a unique combination of six cylinders, sporty DSG and superior quattro drive. This combination turns the top-of-the-range TT into a super sports star and will help to capture new, performance-oriented customers in a sports car segment that favours six-cylinder models.

The source of the power is the proven 184 kW 3.2-litre V6 engine with four valves per cylinder. The six-cylinder engine is particularly well-suited to the sporty Audi TT by virtue of its outstanding torque and power characteristics, especially in combination with the new twin-clutch transmission. Maximum torque is 320 Nm from 2,800 to 3,200 rpm. The Audi TT Coupé 3.2 quattro marries its high performance concept with relative frugality, completing the sprint from 0 to 100 km/h in 6.2 seconds.

The new TT V6 variant will be launched in Australia in late 2004/early 2005.