Next Audi A4 to Shed 200 Pounds, Q7 to Drop Nearly 900 Pounds
Audi will continue its focus on weight savings when it rolls out the next generation A4, Q5 and Q7 models, making drastic reductions across the board.
At a recent technical presentation, Audi engineers focused on the use of aluminum in the next-generation of vehicles, following what’s been done on the new A8 and A6 sedans. Referring in particular to the next A4, one executive declared it would be, “significantly lighter,” than the current car, with engineers later commenting that the body alone would weigh 220-lb less than the 2011 model.
That weight savings, however, is insignificant compared to the next Q7, which they promised would be “up to 400 kilograms lighter” – or roughly 880-lbs. Along with a lighter frame, it’s also expected to use a version of the Porsche Cayenne’s new AWD system, which has been credited for cutting as much as 400 lbs from that SUV.
Audi’s next Q5 will also reduce weight, with engineers touring the “every gram counts” strategy when displaying new aluminum B-pillars that over 5 lbs less than the current steel unit.
Even small savings in weight will have big improvements, not just in acceleration, but in fuel economy and handling too as Audi looks to solidify itself as a serious rival to BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
[Source: MotorTrend]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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