Audi Announces U.S. Pricing for 2007 Q7 3.6
Source: Audi of America

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. – Audi of America, Inc. today announced pricing for the 2007 Audi Q7 3.6 models equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 FSI engine. The Audi Q7 3.6 has a base price of $39,900, with 3.6 Premium models starting at $45,900. Both models have a $720 destination that’s not included in the base price.

The Audi Q7 3.6 features a 3.6-liter V6 FSI engine with gasoline direct injection technology. The engine produces 280 hp at 6200 rpm and 266 ft.-lbs. of torque at between 2500 and 5000 rpm. This powerful and efficient new engine is mated to a standard six-speed Tiptronic® automatic transmission and full-time quattro® all-wheel drive.

Smartly equipped, the Audi Q7 3.6 comes with such features like dual-zone automatic climate control, tilt and telescoping leather wrapped multi-function steering wheel, 12-way power adjustable driver’s seat, leather seating surfaces (standard on Premium), 10 cup and bottle holders, 18-inch alloy wheels, roof rails, a 5500 pound towing capacity, Audi’s Multi Media Interface (MMI®), and an eight-speaker audio system with CD player come as standard. Optional features like seven-passenger seating, Sirius® satellite radio, panorama sunroof, rear side airbags, and a 6600 pound towing package (Premium only) help to add even more luxury and utility for the all-new performance SUV from Audi.

Audi of America is headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan, and markets a line of luxury cars built in plants in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, Germany, Bratislava, Slovakia and Gyцr, Hungary. The parent company, Audi AG, is headquartered in Ingolstadt, Germany.

Fresh from its victory at Le Mans with a diesel-powered R10, Audi has revealed plans to put a twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter V12 diesel in its Q7 sport/utility vehicle.

The Q7 V12 TDI goes on sale in mid-2007 following its world debut at the Paris motor show later this month. The engine is essentially two of Audi’s existing 3.0-liter V6 units mounted together on a common crankshaft. Audi says the four-valve-per-cylinder powerplant produces a whopping 500 hp—some 174 hp more than the German car maker’s most powerful diesel engine to date, the 4.2-liter V8 found in European versions of the A8.

The real achievement of the new engine, however, is its mammoth torque, which swells to a peak of 738-lb-ft between 1750 and 3000 rpm, restricted only by the inability of the Q7’s ZF-engineered six-speed automatic gearbox to handle any more, says Audi.

Nevertheless, it’s still enough to make the new V12 the world’s most powerful production car diesel engine, according to Ingolstadt. Unlike the 90-degree engine used in Audi’s R10 Le Mans winner, the production car diesel is based around a 60-degree design. Audi says the V12 propels the Q7 from 0 to 62mph in just 5.5 seconds.

Accompanying the new engine is a series of suspension upgrades along with the addition of ceramic brake discs. Other changes include a restyled grille and LED driving lights similar to those seen on the S6.

Any chance the V12 is headed into the upcoming R8 to create the world’s first diesel-powered supercar? Audi is tight-lipped on such plans, though clearly the idea is not lost on chairman Martin Winterkorn who has continually hinted that diesel power is among the considerations for Audi’s upcoming two-seater.

2007 Audi Q7 V-12 TDI

Just Mental.

BY JUERGEN ZOELLTER, December 2006

The Audi R10 rewrote the record books on the racetrack this year when the V-12 diesel race car won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This result apparently so excited Audi that it has decided to build a V-12 diesel passenger vehicle.

The Q7 V-12 TDI will likely make its debut at the 2007 Detroit show in January. We got an early drive in a prototype of the world’s first V-12 diesel engine. It’s set to shock the sports-car fraternity even more than did the Cayenne Turbo, thanks to 493 horsepower and 738 pound-feet of torque.

The twin-turbocharged 5.9-liter V-12 engine is influenced by the R10 race car, but it shares its bore and stroke with Audi’s current V-6 and V-8 diesels. Weighing 728 pounds, the V-12 has an iron-block 60-degree cylinder-bank angle instead of the racer’s 90-degree aluminum block. Bosch supplies the common-rail injection system, which pumps up to 29,000 psi of pressure through 12 piezoinjectors. Audi boss Martin Winterkorn has confirmed that the engine will have a urea injection system (similar to Mercedes’ AdBlue technology) when introduced to the U.S. in 2008.

If you turn off the stability system, hard acceleration in first and second gears paints black rubber stripes down the highway despite the best efforts of the Quattro system to make the thing behave. Audi claims this SUV will rip from 0 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, with top speed governed at 155 mph. Winterkorn is pleased with the fuel consumption: The Q7 V-12 TDI gets 20 mpg on the European combined cycle.

Don’t think, however, that this engine turns the Q7 into a sports car. In fast corners and under heavy braking, the monster diesel shows the limits of a high center of gravity and so much weight.

The car goes on sale in Europe next year, priced at Cayenne Turbo S money: Think $110,000 or more.

VEHICLE TYPE: front-engine, 4-wheel-drive, 7-passenger, 5-door wagon

ESTIMATED BASE PRICE: $110,000

ENGINE TYPE: twin-turbocharged and intercooled DOHC 48-valve diesel V-12, iron block and aluminum heads, direct fuel injection
Displacement: 362 cu in, 5934cc
Power (SAE net): 493 bhp @ 4000 rpm
Torque (SAE net): 738 lb-ft @ 1750 rpm

TRANSMISSION: 6-speed automatic with manumatic shifting

DIMENSIONS:
Wheelbase: 118.2 in
Length: 200.2 in
Width: 78.1 in
Height: 68.4 in
Curb weight: 5700 lb

PERFORMANCE (MFR’S EST):
Zero to 62 mph: 5.5 sec
Top speed (governor limited): 155 mph

PROJECTED FUEL ECONOMY (MFR’S EST):
European combined cycle: 20 mpg

An output of 500 bhp and 738 ft.-lbs. of torque – Audi is unveiling an engine which sets new standards in the diesel sector. The majestic V12 TDI power unit with its capacity of six litres endows the high-performance Audi Q7 SUV with sports car credentials. It is the harbinger of a wide-scale model initiative, as Audi seeks to make major inroads into the US market with its diesel models – courtesy of a new emission control technology which cuts emissions drastically.

The Audi Q7 V12 TDI raises the bar in the burgeoning sports utility vehicle segment. A time of just 5.5 seconds for the dash from zero to 100 km/h and an electronically governed top speed of 250 km/h give the high-performance SUV sports car calibre. Its six-litre twelve-cylinder diesel unit demonstrates the tremendous technological expertise at Audi's fingertips. 18 years after the Ingolstadt brand invented the modern-day TDI engine, it is presenting it in an all-new high-tech, range-topping guise.

Audi makes the vital breakthroughs

All of the diesel engines from Audi deserve the tag of 'sporty' on account of their impressive performance – the six and eight-cylinder 2.7 TDI, 3.0 TDI and 4.2 TDI units serve to underline this. The pioneering role that Audi assumes in the field of diesel technology stems from the peerless expertise it has amassed over recent decades. Audi engineers have been responsible for one vital breakthrough after another – the most important of these was the world's first ever TDI engine to be fitted in a passenger car, which Audi introduced in 1989.

Last year, Audi demonstrated the dynamic potential of diesel power in most memorable fashion on race tracks around the world. The V12 TDI in the R10 sports prototype unleashed in excess of 650 bhp and left its petrol-engined competitors in its wake in each of the eight races it competed in. Highlights of this winning streak included its triumph at the gruelling Le Mans 24 Hours as well as its victories in the LMP1 category of the American Le Mans Series.

The trend towards diesel engines is gathering strength all the time in the United States too. Audi is firmly convinced that the TDI engine represents the powerful and economical alternative for the future of motoring, and is therefore preparing a model drive to bolster this trend. The Q7 3.0 TDI is expected to hit showrooms in the USA in late 2008. Thanks to the exceptionally low emissions resulting from its cutting-edge Bluetec technology, this engine even complies with the US Tier II Bin 5 standard which places extremely tough demands on nitrogen oxide and particulate emissions.

SCR catalytic converter for reducing nitrogen oxide levels

At the core of the Bluetec technology is a catalytic converter known by the abbreviation of SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction). The second system component takes the form of an auxiliary tank which contains a carbonyl diamide solution. The solution is injected in small doses into the exhaust system where it decomposes into ammonia, which then breaks down the nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and water. The arrival of the ultra-clean Bluetec diesel engines will see Audi hold true to its tradition of always being at the very forefront of diesel technology.

DETROIT - Audi of America Inc. will launch diesel and hybrid versions of the Q7 SUV in 2008.

"We believe it is an important business opportunity we cannot afford to ignore," says Johan de Nysschen, executive vice president in charge of Audi.

Because of stricter U.S. emissions requirements, the diesel engine used in this market had to be re-engineered to meet requirements in all 50 states.

Audi of America had to pay the bill, de Nysschen says: "The issue is that a new engine had to be developed for the U.S."

Audi showed a concept diesel at the Detroit auto show last week, a 6.0-liter 12-cylinder with 500 hp for the Q7. But the U.S. market will get a 3.0-liter V-6 TDI powerplant for this market, says de Nysschen. The same engine can be used in the A4 and A6 cars, as well as the new A5 coupe due later this year and smaller Q5 SUV for 2008.

Audi hasn't priced the Q7 diesel model, which is scheduled for the second half of 2008. Its executives estimate the diesel's premium is about $3,000 to $4,000 over a gasoline-powered car.

"We know the market will not bear that kind of price premium, but we have taken the decision to go ahead with the program anyway," de Nysschen says. "What I don't want to do is to wait before we have crossed all the T's and dotted all the I's before we start the development because then we will be watching on the sidelines as the business takes off."

Audi will charge "what the prevailing market" price is for diesels, de Nysschen says. But it may remove some content from the Q7 to help counter the cost of the diesel, de Nysschen says.

He expects the diesel share in the United States to be about 15 to 20 percent seven years from now.

Audi expects only the Q7 in hybrid form. De Nyssschen would not give an estimate on price: "It is no secret by now that we are not that ecstatic about hybrids, it is just one of those things we have to do."

Just ahead of the Geneva Motor Show, Audi has announced plans to put its Q7 V12 TDI into production. The 500 horsepower crossover was first previewed with two concepts over the last 18 months. Audi has released photos of the production vehicle, plus a new "coastline" concept that will be on display in Geneva.

Pre-orders for the Q7 V12 TDI will begin in the second half of 2008. It's not known when deliveries will begin, nor is it clear when Audi will announce pricing. U.S. availability also remains a mystery.

The SUV comes equipped with a 6.0-liter engine similar to the one featured in R10 Le Mans racing car. It produces 500 horsepower and 758 pound-feet of torque (1000 Nm). The crossover is capable of hitting 62 mph in 5.5 seconds, with a limited top speed of 155 mph. Maximum torque is available from just 1,750 rpm.

Unlike other Audi V-engines, this model features a special cylinder angle of 60 degrees. The twin-turbo V12 TDI conforms to the Euro 5 emissions class which should come into force in 2010. Fuel economy is estimated at nearly 20 mpg.

A six-speed automatic is the standard transmission. The Q7 V12 TDI rides on a high-tech aluminum chassis with double wishbone front and rear suspension. The air shock absorbers have three settings ranging from extremely comfortable to highly sporty. The driver can also adjust ground clearance in five stages via this system and lower the tail end by 2.8 inches for comfortable loading.

The stylish wheels — available in 10 spoke 20-inch or 20-spoke 21-inch — house large ceramic carbon-fiber discs and powerful brake calipers.

Daytime running lights consisting of twelve white LEDs per headlight and are located on the upper edge of the air intake slots, replacing the turn signals that were moved to the bi-xenon headlights.

Interior enhancements include plenty of shiny aluminum inserts and optional wood trim. Notably, the air vents are made from aluminum and the pedals from stainless steel, giving the SUV a slightly more exotic look inside. The 195 mph speedometer also contributes to this feel.

Other luxury features include Verano leather seats, ambient lighting, black roof lining, navigation, MMI, a large glass roof, and the Audi parking system with a rearview camera.

As the US dollar continues to decline, foreign automakers are being put in the tough position of deciding between product and profitability. The current situation has forced Audi to decide against importing the Q7 hybrid to the United States.

The Q7 hybrid was originally planned to go on sale early next year, but the head of Audi in US said "If you look at the way the economics are going, it was a very hard car to make the numbers work.” He also said that “We will not do the hybrid Q7 as a conventional product offering”, however a few will be available for commercial use.

A diesel version of the Q7 is still in the works for the US market and should launch either later this year or in early 2009.