Audi 2007 Annual Report Download - page 153

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Audi intends to use the above measures, combined in the modular efficiency toolkit, to cut
the vehicle fleet’s CO2 emissions by 20 percent by 2012.
The new generation of the Audi A4 Sedan offers impressive proof of how much has al-
ready been achieved; its CO2 emissions have been cut by 15 percent, while its performance
has simultaneously risen by 14 percent.
Efficiency gains illustrated by the Audi A4 Sedan
Audi A4 (B6)
1.8 T
2000
Audi A4 (B7)
1.8 T
2004
Audi A4 (B8)
1.8 TFSI
2007
110 kW (150 hp)Output 120 kW (163 hp) 125 kW (170 hp) + 14%
210 NmTorque 225 Nm 250 Nm + 19%
199 g/kmCO
2
197 g/km 169 g/km - 15%
Audi A4 (B6)
1.8 T
2000
Audi A4 (B7)
1.8 T
2004
Audi A4 (B8)
1.8 TFSI
2007
110 kW (150 hp)Output 120 kW (163 hp) 125 kW (170 hp) + 14%
210 NmTorque 225 Nm 250 Nm + 19%
199 g/kmCO
2
197 g/km 169 g/km - 15%
In launching the e models at the start of 2007, Audi has also been able to provide a particu-
larly attractive form of travel that combines resource conservation with dynamism. The first
such model to appear was the Audi A3 1.9 TDI e, launched in January 2007, with an output of
77 kW (105 hp) and CO2 emissions of 119 g/km.
Audi vehicles already satisfy the forthcoming EU recycling directive
AUDI AG is the first and only volume car manufacturer whose current models already satisfy
EU Directive 2005/64/EC on the recyclability and recoverability of motor vehicles, which will
take effect in 2010. By then, new vehicles must be 85 percent recyclable and up to 95 per-
cent recoverable. The engineers who design the vehicles built by the brand with the four
rings select recoverable materials. Every model is therefore subjected to exhaustive recy-
cling tests and material analyses before its market launch.
Further information on environmental aspects can be found on the Internet at
www.audi.com/environmental-protection and on the Group portal at
www.volkswagen-sustainability.com.
Global economic situation
In 2007, vigorous economic growth worldwide was sustained at almost the same level as the
year before. The powerhouses of growth were principally the national economies in emerg-
ing countries in Asia, Latin America and Central and Eastern Europe, which experienced very
dynamic expansion. In the industrialized nations, the crisis prompted by the U.S. subprime
mortgage market clouded the economic climate on international financial markets in the
second half of the year.
There was a sharp slowdown in economic growth in the U.S. in 2007. Growth in gross
domestic product was down as well year on year, at 2.2 (2.9) percent. This was prompted by
slower growth in consumer spending in the wake of the financial crisis on the one hand and
weakened investment activity, particularly in private-sector housing, on the other.
Economic environment