Audi 2008 Annual Report Download - page 95

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Triumphant TDI
During the Audi Mileage Marathon 2008, TDI technology passed the ultimate effi-
ciency test. While traversing the United States, currently the world’s cleanest diesel
engine also demonstrated its superiority in the Audi Q7 3.0 TDI*.
road trip clear across the United States: from New
York to Los Angeles, from metropolis to metropo-
lis, from coast to coast. “Going west” is a cor-
nerstone of the American experience. The Audi brand has
penned a new chapter in the spellbinding tradition of
crossing this continent: efficiency. In its first starring role
on the U.S. stage, TDI technology demonstrated its pairing
of excellent drivability and remarkable fuel efficiency. During
the Audi Mileage Marathon, some 200 participants from
15 countries experienced different facets of the United
States. And they subjected the new Audi models to an extra-
ordinary test run – among them was the Audi Q7 with TDI
clean diesel, currently the world’s cleanest diesel technology.
Audi did not choose the shortest westward route, but rather
the most varied. It encompassed over 7,800 kilometers
(over 4,800 miles), 13 daily stages and took the participants
through open expanses, over hills, through metropolises
and past wonders of nature like the Grand Canyon. Yet
the Mileage Marathon was no theoretical experiment in
extreme fuel efficiency; instead, it realistically mimicked
everyday driving. Whether in Chicago traffic, on a Tennessee
highway or on a winding Rocky Mountain pass, the TDI un-
leashed its full potential, demonstrating its efficient opera-
tion under realistic conditions on urban and rural routes.
The green flag was waved in New York’s Central Park at
9 a.m. on October 6, 2008. The Audi fleet, consisting of
23 vehicles from four model lines, mastered Manhattan
traffic en route to the first-stage destination: Washington,
D.C. From there, the route proceeded via Cleveland to
A
9292 * Fuel consumption and emission figures at the end of the Annual Report.