Audi 2006 Annual Report Download - page 41

in brief:
economy
One year after start of produc-
tion of the new Audi A6 Avant,
AUDI AG celebrated an impor-
tant production landmark for
this model in mid-January
2006: the five millionth A6, an
Avant in Silver, metallic with a
2.7 TDI engine* with 132 kW
(180 bhp) left the Neckarsulm
production line. This is the lat-
est milestone in the success
story of the modern premium-
class Audi A6, which began 37
years ago with the first Audi 100.
The opening of the Audi brand’s new showcase
was marked by an Audi cavalcade down Park
Avenue, which had been cordoned off for the
occasion. Thousands of onlookers witnessed the
first appearance in the USA of the new Audi R8*
mid-engine sports car, leading the cavalcade
with none other than Mayor Michael R.
Bloomberg behind the wheel as it pulled up at the
Forum. The New York City Audi Forum is located
right at the heart of Manhattan, on the corner of
Park Avenue and 47th Street.
Five millionth Audi A6
Audi Forum
opens in New York
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg (left) and
Audi Board Member for Marketing and
Sales Ralph Weyler.
The success story of the
A6 began 37 years ago.
Clean diesel
partnership in
the USA
To boost the popularity
of the diesel engine in
the USA, Audi is joining
forces with Volkswagen
and DaimlerChrysler to
promote clean diesel un-
der the name of Bluetec®.
The three car manufactur-
ers agreed on this highly
promising campaign in
November 2006. The aim
is to demonstrate the
advantages of modern
diesel technology to
consumers in the USA.
The Audi diesel models
will satisfy the toughest
US emission standards
upon their market launch
in 2008 and can thus be
sold in all US states. The
first Bluetec®model will
be the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI*.
ECONOMY: IN BRIEF
PHOTOS: AUDI
39AUDI 2006 ANNUAL REPORT
Identifying even more ac-
curately what customers
want and thus being in
an even better position to
fulfil these wishes is
the purpose of the newly
established “Audi Lab of
Market Research”. In
partnership with the Uni-
versity of St. Gallen, the
Ingolstadt carmaker is
thus creating a leading
centre of research that
focuses on integrating
customer requirements
even more deeply into the
development and market-
ing processes for cars.
The Swiss-based market
research lab is headed by
Prof. Andreas Herrmann.
Audi Lab of
Market Research
* fuel consumption figures at the end of the Annual Report