• Traffic Light Information is the first true Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) service by an automobile brand
• The service starts up with variations on the Audi A4 and Q7 in Las Vegas
• Networking is essential for autonomous driving in cities

Ingolstadt/Las Vegas, 7 December 2016 – If you know in advance when a traffic light will switch from red to green, your driving is more relaxed and efficient. Audi is the first car manufacturer to connect the car to the city infrastructure – an important step towards autonomous driving. In Las Vegas Audi A4 and Q7 models are now able to display traffic-light phases directly in the car. Further U.S. cities will follow, and introduction of the system is planned in Europe. Traffic Light Information optimises traffic flow, saves valuable time and reduces environmental impact.

Audi of America is cooperating with several cities in North America to upgrade the infrastructure for Vehicle-to-Infrastructure (V2I) technology. “For the first time, our cars are exchanging data with traffic infrastructure in real time. Drivers can adapt their behaviour to the situation and move through city traffic in a much more relaxed and controlled way,” says Andreas Reich, head of Electronics Pre-Development at AUDI AG. “We increase energy efficiency when we connect our Audi models to smart cities. Further V2I services will follow, making the car into an interactive mobile device. We see autonomous driving as the end of this development.”

As a first step, all Audi A4 and Q7 models produced for the U.S. market since June 2016 and equipped with Audi connect have this function on board. In the USA, municipal traffic management centres will communicate the traffic-light data to Audi’s project partner Traffic Technology Services TTS. Here the data are prepared and sent to the on-board computer in the Audi via a fast Internet connection, for example 4G/LTE, in real time.

Fuel savings of up to 15 per cent

The first function of the Traffic Light Information V2I component is called Time-to-Green. In the Audi virtual cockpit or head-up display, drivers see whether they will reach the next light on green while travelling within the permitted speed limit. If not, a countdown is provided of the time remaining until the next green phase – and drivers can throttle back in good time. Pilot projects in Europe have shown that drivers exercise more foresight thanks to this information about traffic lights. This has a beneficial overall effect on traffic flow. “In our tests the number of cars that had to brake to a standstill in traffic fell by around 20 percent. This saved time for the driver and also made fuel savings of about 15 percent in the pilot project,” says Michael Zweck, project manager for Audi Traffic Light Information.

First of all, Audi customers will use this service. The development work that Audi is investing in traffic-light systems will also benefit customers of other brands in future. The increasing spread of the technology will help city traffic planners to understand the causes of hold-ups and optimise the phasing of traffic lights.

In future Traffic Light Information could be linked up to smart navigation and used for new powering concepts. For example, “green waves” in traffic-light sequences could be incorporated in route planning. It is also conceivable that Audi e-tron models could make greater use of braking energy by charging the battery as they decelerate at a red light.

Audi also intends to introduce the technology in Europe. In Berlin, Ingolstadt, Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Verona there have already been extensive pilot projects. In Berlin alone, some 700 traffic lights in the inner city have been connected to the service. Across Europe, however, unified data standards and digital infrastructure do not exist: “In Europe highly diverse traffic technology is in use, as the infrastructure has developed locally. We are working on harmonisation of the data that have been prepared. After that has been done, we can provide Traffic Light Information in Europe too,” Michael Zweck announced.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Exceptionally refined compact executive saloon would be the choice of highly respected magazine test team if a long journey beckoned

• Audi A4 receives ‘Best for Big Miles’ award in BBC Top Gear Magazine’s Best Cars in the World issue due on November 29

They may push cars to extremes to deliver road tests that never pull any punches, but the journalists at Top Gear Magazine have acknowledged that polish matters just as much as performance by declaring the Audi A4 ‘Best for Big Miles’ in its forthcoming Best Cars in the World issue.

The lengths to which Audi engineers and designers have gone with the A4 to bring the unruffled feel and exceptional cabin ambiance of cars in the uppermost classes to the compact executive segment have not been lost on the Top Gear team. In the Best Cars in the World issue, available from November 29, the road testers write: “With the A4, Audi focused on the stuff most people care about: a quiet, comfy cabin, tech to make your jaw slacken and some genuine ride quality."

With an extremely low drag coefficient of just 0.23 the A4 Saloon slips cleanly through the air under power provided by a wide range of strong and economical engines. These range from the super frugal 2.0 TDI ultra with its 72mpg capability and 99g/km CO2 output to the serenely smooth 218PS and 286PS V6 TDIs, the former powering the A4 variant ranked by What Car? Magazine as its Car of the Year for 2016.

The sophistication of the engines is matched by an advanced five-link front and rear suspension delivering the kind of absorbency and control that enables a multitude of miles to be covered seemingly effortlessly, without ruling out incisive handling, particularly where quattro all-wheel-drive is also fitted.

Depending on preference, customers can increase the comfort quotient by adding electronically modulated Adaptive Comfort Suspension with damping control, or choose Adaptive Sport Suspension with damping control for enhanced refinement with a greater emphasis on cornering composure.

Among the in-car technological highlights of the A4 that so impressed the Top Gear Magazine critics are the standard Audi Smartphone Interface bringing Apple CarPlay and Android Auto to the car, the Audi virtual cockpit with its fully digital, absolutely flicker-free display and the Audi phone box facilitating wireless mobile phone connection and charging.

The team will also have factored in features such as MMI Navigation plus with its pin sharp 8.3-inch monitor, Bang & Olufsen 3D sound with 755 watts of music power, Matrix LED headlamps capable of diverting their beam around multiple road users to maximise illumination without dazzle and an array of cutting edge driver assistance and safety systems. These include a traffic jam assist function capable of taking over braking, acceleration and steering inputs at speeds of up to 37mph to take the strain out of stop-start traffic, and the predictive efficiency assistant, which uses route data to calculate when free-wheeling or engine braking can be automatically applied to boost overall mpg.

All of these award-winning refinements can be enjoyed in conjunction with Saloon and even more accommodating Avant body styles, the latter adopting a more rugged stance in the transformation to the A4 allroad quattro with its raised ride height. The high performance S4 with its completely new 354PS TFSI engine and quattro all-wheel-drive is also available in both formats.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

• Top grades for active and passive safety, including pedestrian protection
• Emergency braking assistant standard on the Audi Q2
• Greater safety on the Audi A5 thanks to Audi pre sense city

Ingolstadt, December 1, 2016 – The new Audi A5 and Q2 have each been awarded a full five star rating in the Euro NCAP test, confirming their place among the safest vehicles in the segment. This is true for both adult and child safety, for pedestrian protection and for other safety systems.

Emergency braking systems were introduced to the evaluation procedure in 2016. The Audi Q2 is equipped as standard with the emergency braking assistant as part of Audi pre sense front. The system examines whether other vehicles or pedestrians are in the path of the vehicle. If a collision is imminent, it warns the driver and if necessary initiates automatic emergency braking.

The new Audi A5 Coupé and A5 Sportback models were also awarded the top grade of five stars by the examiners. Both models offer high levels of safety for adults and children, as well as good pedestrian protection.

The standard Audi pre sense city helps the A5 Coupé and A5 Sportback to avoid accidents. At speeds of up to 52mph, the system scans the road for other vehicles and pedestrians using a windshield-mounted front camera with a range of over 100 metres. If it detects an impending collision, the driver receives a series of warnings, and if necessary the car initiates maximum braking. At speeds up to 24mph, accidents can be avoided completely within the system limits. At higher speeds (up to 52mph), warnings and brake intervention reduce the impact velocity.

The Audi A5 also features an extensive range of other assistance systems, for example collision avoidance assist or turn assist. While collision avoidance assist helps the driver to drive around an obstacle, turn assist monitors oncoming traffic when turning across the flow of traffic at low speed. In a dangerous situation, it brakes the vehicle to a complete stop, if necessary, to prevent a turn when there is oncoming traffic.

The Euro NCAP (New Car Assessment Program) has been investigating the crash performance of new car models since it was established in 1997. In order to simulate real-life accident conditions better, the consortium continually tightens crash safety requirements.

Article source: www.audi.co.uk

Compact Audi SUV channelling the family genes and technological assets in a new design direction set to take to UK roads in November

• Q2 available to order now, priced from £22,380 OTR – first UK cars set to arrive from November 12
• Entry-level three-cylinder 1.0 TFSI available later this year, starting at £20,230 OTR SE, Sport, S line and top flight Edition #1 specification levels available depending on engine specified
• Standard equipment highlights include progressive steering, Audi smartphone interface, Audi pre-sense front with pedestrian recognition, alloy wheels (16” SE, 17” Sport, 18” S line, 19” Edition #1) and LED lights front and rear (S line models)
• Engines at launch comprise 150PS 1.4 TFSI (manual and S tronic) and 116PS 1.6 TDI (manual – S tronic to follow in late 2016), and 150PS 2.0 TDI (with quattro drive and S tronic initially – front-wheel drive to follow in 2017)
• Suite of class-leading technology also available from Audi virtual cockpit, Audi Phone Box and Audi connect to the head-up display and Audi side assist
• Edition #1 also available to order now in conjunction with 1.4 TFSI and 2.0 TDI engines
• Exclusive model features unique Quantum grey paint, LED lights, Amaretto brown interior highlights, illuminated inlays, contrasting Manhattan grey lower body parts and a host of other individual touches
• Full spectrum of Vorsprung durch Technik innovations from Audi virtual cockpit, Audi Phone Box wireless charging, Bang & Olufsen sound system and a head-up display optionally available
• Driver assistance systems from the full-size class include Adaptive cruise control with Stop&Go and Traffic Jam Assist, Audi Active Lane Assist, cross-traffic assist rear and emergency assist

Article source: www.audi.co.uk