Press Releases

The Audi R8 Spyder V10 plus (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.3; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km: 287) will be making its debut appearance in the United States this weekend at the Monterey Car Week. Audi Sport is using the occasion to celebrate the long and successful motorsport involvement of the brand with the four rings. Current road and racing models will also be presented.

Audi is offering its customers two sustainable alternatives in the midsize category: the new A4 Avant g-tron and the new A5 Sportback g-tron. Both models are powered by a bivalent 2.0 TFSI engine developing 170 hp. Like the A3 Sportback g-tron that is already on the market, they can run on a choice of the climate-friendly fuel Audi e-gas, conventional CNG (compressed natural gas) or gasoline. Customers can now order both models from dealers. A4 Avant g-tron: CNG consumption in kg/100 km: 4.4 - 3.8*; combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6.5 - 5.5*; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (CNG): 117 - 102*; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (gasoline): 147 - 126* A5 Sportback g-tron: CNG consumption in kg/100 km: 4.2 - 3.8*; combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 6.3 - 5.6*; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (CNG): 114 - 102*; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (gasoline): 143 - 126* A3 Sportback g-tron: CNG consumption in kg/100 km: 3.6 - 3.3*; combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 5.5 - 5.1 *; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (CNG): 98 - 89*; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km (gasoline): 128 - 117*

The circuit of Zandvoort in the Netherlands is the backdrop for the fourth of seven Audi Sport TT Cup events. As a challenging driver’s circuit, it traditionally promises exciting racing.

The DTM is returning from its summer break with an absolute highlight this weekend. The touring cars delivering more than 500 hp are going to race at Circuit Zandvoort on August 19/20. The track in the dunes on the Dutch North Sea coast is regarded as the most challenging one on the DTM calendar. Audi has celebrated nine victories there to date.

The new Audi Sport Brand Book has received three awards at this years “Red Dot Award: Communication Design”: The painstakingly produced Brand Book from Audi Sport GmbH took the renowned German in the categories “Books” and “Film Craft” - for the book itself and for two of the films produced for it.

At the fourth race weekend of the Audi Sport TT Cup, the media and fans will enjoy prominent guest drivers.

AUDI AG is offering attractive trade-in bonuses to customers who switch to an Audi with Euro 6 standard from diesel-powered cars with emission standards Euro 1 through Euro 4. The price advantage is scaled by model. Depending on the category of the new car, it amounts to between €3,000 and €10,000. The bonus is especially attractive for customers who select an Audi with plug-in-hybrid technology or a g-tron model that runs on CNG (compressed natural gas). The initiative is applicable in Germany with immediate effect. In this way, Audi is helping to accelerate the replacement of older vehicles with modern and more environmentally friendly cars.

Toomas Heikkinen continued his streak in the eighth round of FIA World Rallycross Championship in Trois-Rivières by reaching the final in Canada for the fourth time in succession – a record. Any hopes of a podium finish were however destroyed by a slow puncture. The Finn was fifth in the end. Mattias Ekström was forced to retire in the semi-final with clutch problems. In the overall standings, the reigning Rallycross World Champion still holds third – as does EKS in the teams’ classification.

AUDI AG has increased its worldwide deliveries in July by 3.5 percent year-on-year. With around 154,600 cars sold, the company achieved the highest July sales in its history. Sales increased in all core regions – in Europe by 1.4 percent, in North America by 4.0 percent and in Asia-Pacific by 6.7 percent. China made up the biggest share of gains in the past month, up 10.3 percent to 51,235 customers. In the United States (+2.5%), Audi continued its growth streak despite the clearly negative market environment. Around 1,063,550 worldwide deliveries since January are 3.6 percent below the 2016 reference figure following a challenging beginning of the year. At the start of July, the cumulative figure was still at a negative 4.7 percent.

New robot colleague in the assembly of Audi A4/A5 models: People and robot now work there side by side without a protective fence. With this human-robot cooperation (HRC), the smart factory comes closer to reality at the Audi plant in Ingolstadt. “Adhesive application with robot assistance,” abbreviated from the German as KLARA, provides support with the installation of roofs made of carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) in the new Audi RS 5 Coupe (fuel consumption combined in l/100 km: 8.7; CO₂ emissions combined in g/km: 197*). So for the first time, Audi is using an HRC light robot in its main plant for applying adhesive in final assembly. Similar robots are already integrated into production in the body shops in Ingolstadt and Brussels as well as in engine assembly in Győr.

Tournament debutants and first time winners: Atlético de Madrid beat Liverpool FC 6:5 after a penalty shoot out in the final of this years Audi Cup in the Allianz Arena. In the third place play off, SSC Napoli beat FC Bayern München 2:0.

Thrilling football matches with six goals – match day one of the Audi Cup 2017 inspired the fans in the Allianz Arena. Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC won the two semi-final games. The final is held for the first time without the participation of the hosts FC Bayern München.

On July 30, Audi won the Spa 24 Hours for the fourth time. The background information and the facts about the victory in the Ardennes.

Following a six-week summer break, the engines will be roaring again in the FIA World Rallycross Championship this weekend. Round eight in a total of twelve will be held in Trois-Rivières, Canada, from August 4 to 6 – and World Champion Mattias Ekström is returning to the wheel of his Audi S1 EKS RX quattro. The Audi factory driver had missed out on his home round in Sweden due to races in the DTM.

Audi has won the Spa 24 Hours for the fourth time. With this result, the brand has taken the lead in the manufacturers’ standings of the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

At this year's Schloss Dyck Classic Days from August 4th to 6th, Audi Tradition is presenting the whole bandwidth of Audi motor sports history. Historic racing cars from a total of three epochs await the approximately 40,000 visitors. On the race track, you can experience the first AUDI AG racing car, the Audi Type C, the legendary Auto Union Type C racing car with its 16 cylinders, and the Audi Sport quattro Rallye. Also, Audi will be exhibiting another icon at the Classic vehicle festival in the Rhineland: the Audi Sport quattro S1 victory car driven by Walter Röhrl to win the Pikes Peak race in the USA in 1987.

Audi driver Lucas di Grassi is the new champion of the worldwide Formula E electric racing series. After taking the lead of the standings with a lights-to-flag victory in the first of the two final races in Montreal (Canada), the Brazilian from Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport wrapped up the title on taking seventh place on Sunday.

Quotes from Audi Sport Team Saintéloc following Audi Sport customer racing’s fourth victory in the 24 Hours of Spa.

In one of the most thrilling editions of the 24 Hours of Spa, Audi has clinched its fourth victory in the world’s biggest GT3 endurance race. After 3,824 kilometers, Jules Gounon/Christopher Haase/Markus Winkelhock had a winning advantage of 11.862 seconds. In a very balanced competition, four marques were battling for victory up until the end and ultimately claimed the top four positions.

With a brilliant day Audi driver Lucas di Grassi achieved a good starting base in the first of two races of the Formula E season finale in Montreal (Canada), converting a ten-point deficit into a six-point advantage. As the leader of the standings, he will now be able to win the championship on Sunday on his own power. His teammate Daniel Abt thrilled the crowd with a strong comeback drive.

At the start of next week, the footballing world looks to Munich: The fifth edition of the Audi Cup will take place in the Allianz Arena on August 1 and 2. At the pre-season tournament, hosts FC Bayern München, Atlético de Madrid, Liverpool FC and SSC Napoli will face each other.

The Audi Group achieved revenue of €30.1 billion and operating profit of €2.7 billion in the first half of 2017. Audi improved its operating performance compared with the first half of last year. The operating return on sales increased to 8.9 percent and is clearly within the target corridor of 8 to 10 percent. Worldwide deliveries of Audi brand cars were lower than in the first half of 2016 following the temporary decrease in sales in China. In June, unit sales in China increased again and reached their highest ever level for the month of June. The company anticipates stronger sales worldwide in the second half of the year, while advance expenditure for new models will have a greater financial impact than in the first six months of this year.

In the battle for its fourth overall victory in the 24 Hours of Spa on July 29 and 30, Audi Sport has achieved a good starting base. Audi Sport Team WRT secured the third-best grid position in a fiercely fought competition on the 7.004-kilometer roller coaster in the Ardennes.

An Audi customer on the other side of the world celebrated the biggest success of the weekend: Smeg Racing won an endurance championship in New Zealand with the Audi R8 LMS.

Audi will be fighting for its fourth overall victory at the Spa 24 Hours on July 29 and 30. A total of ten Audi R8 LMS, four factory-supported race cars and six more with Audi customers at the wheel, will compete at the endurance classic. The event is a season highlight in GT3 racing; with 66 competitors from eleven brands, there is nowhere else in the world where so many race cars of this class are brought together on one grid.

Following two spectacular races at Moscow Raceway, Audi continues heading all three DTM classifications. Quotes after the visit to Russia.

With a spectacular comeback drive Audi campaigner Mattias Ekström (Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline) has recaptured the lead in the DTM. Following the turbulent first race of the second half of the season, three Audi drivers are now ranking in the top four spots of the overall classification.

A rookie has sensationally become the DTM’s “mid-point champion.” With a lights-to-flag victory Audi driver René Rast recaptured the lead of the standings in the first of the two DTM races at Moscow Raceway in Russia. In spite of a broken foot, Mike Rockenfeller perfected an Audi one-two win.

Creative Audi employees developed practical software prototypes for tomorrow’s business models during the third Audi IT Hackathon from July 19–21. Untethered from their daily routines, more than 100 employees from every AUDI AG division worked to fine-tune their ideas in innovation fields like big data, deep learning, virtual reality and wearable computing. The programming competition supports Audi on its way to becoming the premium digital car company.

Audi is offering its customers in Europe and other markets* a retrofit program for cars with EU5 and EU6 diesel engines. A total of up to 850,000 cars worldwide with six-cylinder and eight-cylinder diesel engines (V6/V8 TDI, EU5/EU6) will get new software. This will further improve their emissions in real driving conditions beyond the current legal requirements. The action will take place in close consultation with Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority (KBA). In this way, Audi intends to reduce overall emissions, especially in urban areas. The service also applies to the Porsche and Volkswagen models that are fitted with the same types of engines and will be carried out free of charge for all customers.

Piloted driving on the autobahn – Audi is already providing the public with an insight into the mobility of the future. With demonstration drives on board an Audi A7 piloted driving concept, selected brand customers and fans will get their first experience of piloted driving on the A9 north of Munich.

In its first year, the Audi RS 3 LMS has already been a commercial success for Audi Sport customer racing. At the first Audi Summit hosted in Barcelona, the customer racing department presented the 100th touring car from its production line.

Audi is currently ranking at the top of the standings in all three DTM classifications. In the rounds at Moscow Raceway this weekend, the brand is primarily aiming to extend this advantage. Audi, BMW and Mercedes have each decided the previous six DTM races near the Russian capital in their favor on two occasions.

What is a premium experience like in a self-driving car? Audi is researching this in collaboration with the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering IAO. In the futuristic driving simulator, the experts on human-machine interaction investigated, for example, how the car interior can become a perfect workplace. The findings help the car maker to provide every user with a personally optimized automobile interior in the future. This research cooperation is part of the Audi project “25th Hour.”

Audi driver Lucas di Grassi scored 22 points in both races during the Formula E premiere in New York. After two difficult qualifying sessions, the Brazilian fought back to take fourth and fifth place with some spectacular overtaking maneuvers. Team mate Daniel Abt was slowed by technical defects.

Audi and Airbnb are going to transform the Allianz Arena into a special home for football fans for the 2017 Audi Cup in early August. A family will have the chance to win an overnight stay directly on the sidelines via Airbnb and be able to watch the games on both match days from their temporary home, with national player and world champion Jérôme Boateng acting as their host.

Today is where the future begins in the luxury class: The new Audi A8 makes its world debut at the Audi Summit in Barcelona. In its fourth generation, the flagship model again provides the benchmark for Vorsprung durch Technik – with a new design language, an innovative touchscreen operating concept and a systematically electrified drive. The Audi A8 is also the first production automobile in the world to have been developed for highly automated driving. From 2018, Audi will gradually be taking piloted driving functions such as parking pilot, garage pilot and traffic jam pilot into production.

At the first Audi Summit this Tuesday, the premium brand is presenting innovations along its path to becoming the premium digital car company. Barcelona is the venue for an exclusive brand event at which 2,000 guests from all over the world will experience the premiere of the new Audi A8 and other technological milestones from the brand with the Four Rings. The brand’s exhibition showcases new concepts for individual mobility in the digital age, with topics of the future such as sustainable manufacturing, lightweight construction, connectivity, piloted driving and digital services.

Even more distinctive, sportier and faster: The new Audi Sport Performance Parts take dynamic handling to a wholly new level for the Audi R8 sports car and the Audi TT. The retrofit range will be available in dealers in late summer 2017 and features numerous components.

While the Stevenson Motorsports team won in Mosport with an Audi R8 LMS, the Racing One team with Niels Langeveld took the first victory for an Audi customer team in the ADAC TCR Germany.

AUDI AG increased sales in June in all its three largest sales markets. In China (+1.7%), the company returned to growth. In the tightening U.S. market, the Four Rings saw business continue to grow substantially, up 5.3 percent. Sales also increased year-on-year in Western Europe (+2.6%). Audi delivered around 170,650 automobiles to customers worldwide in the past month, thus exceeding the high level of June 2016 (+1.0%). Cumulative sales since January total around 908,950 units. The impact in the first few months of the year of extraordinary effects associated with the strategic alignment of Audi’s China business meant sales by midyear were down 4.7 percent on the 2016 figure.

Marc Lichte has been Head of Audi Design since 2014. On July 11, 2017 the fourth generation of the Audi A8 will be presented at the Audi Summit in Barcelona. The luxury sedan emphasizes a new design language.

Audi will be the first German automobile manufacturer to race in Formula E. The brand with the four rings is taking over ABT Sportsline’s place on the grid. The Allgäu-based team has been successfully present in Formula E since the electric racing series’ inception and in the future will be taking care of the Audi race cars as the fielding team. Audi Sport ABT Schaeffler will start to the fourth Formula E season in Hong Kong at the beginning of December.

Next Tuesday, Barcelona will be the setting for a world premiere. At the first Audi Summit, the premium brand will present some innovations along its path to becoming the premium digital car company. Attended by 2,000 opinion leaders from all over the world, the Ingolstadt-based company will also present its new flagship, the Audi A8. Friends and fans of the brand worldwide will follow the event live on July 11 from 09:30 a.m. (CEST) onwards on www.audimedia.tv.

Mattias Ekström will be traveling to the next two races in Moscow on July 22/23 as the leader of the DTM standings. The Audi driver in a brief interview.

The Car Collection Motorsport team took its first overall victory with the Audi R8 LMS in Italy.

Audi continues to be a preferred employer for many young academics in Germany. This is demonstrated by the current employer surveys carried out by the consulting companies Universum* and trendence*. In particular, students of engineering and economics place the company in top positions and want to turn their visions into Vorsprung at Audi. Amongst IT experts, the automobile manufacturer with innovative topics is once again ranked in the top-ten most popular employers.

The spectators in Nuremberg witnessed a spectacular Norisring weekend. Audi defended its lead in all three DTM classifications, Mattias Ekström being the new DTM leader of the driver’s standings. Sunday’s race was overshadowed by a severe accident in which Mike Rockenfeller sustained an injury on his left foot. Quotes from the Audi camp.

Following a third place on Saturday and a fourth place on Sunday, Audi driver Mattias Ekström from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline is leaving the Norisring as the leader of the DTM’s overall standings.

Round seven of the 2017 FIA World Rallycross Championship in Höljes was a weekend to forget for Audi and EKS. At EKS’ home round in Sweden of all events, all three drivers missed the semi-finals. Rallycross world champion Mattias Ekström, who was racing in the DTM at the Norisring this weekend, is ranked in position three of the overall standings with five races to go.

The third round of the Audi Sport TT Cup has shaken up the competition. Mikel Azcona from Spain ended Philip Ellis’ winning streak and in doing so improved from seventh to second on the table.

Mattias Ekström is the new DTM leader. The Swede from Audi Sport Team Abt Sportsline secured the top spot in the standings on finishing Saturday’s race at the Norisring in third place.

Wednesday night the new Audi A8* could be seen in Los Angeles alongside many Hollywood stars at the world premiere of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming.’ Tom Holland, who stars as Peter Parker / Spider-Man, was chauffeured down the red carpet at the TCL Chinese Theatre. Meanwhile, Robert Downey Jr. and Jon Favreau arrived together in a black Audi R8 Spyder*.

Höljes will be hosting round seven of the FIA World Rallycross Championship this weekend. The event in the Swedish province of Värmland is both the home round for EKS and a big motorsport party. The organizers expect some 45,000 spectators to turn out for the “Magic Weekend” from June 30 to July 2. One of the protagonists, though, will be missing: Mattias Ekström. The Swedish Audi factory driver passes up his home round in favor of the DTM round at the Norisring. His compatriot P-G Andersson will stand in for him.

Once again, Audi customer teams were in action all over the world and lifted trophies in Germany, France, Japan, the Canary Islands, New Zealand and Portugal.

After “Generation Y,” “Generation Z” has now also arrived on the job market. Audi wants to better understand the professional desires and goals of this youngest employee generation and has carried out a wide-ranging survey of people born in or after 1995. The most important finding: “Generation Z” is loyal, flexible and career oriented – and is far less different from “Generation Y” than had been assumed.

Audi will be traveling to the DTM season’s pinnacle event as the front runners in all three classifications this weekend. Before the race at the Norisring in Nuremberg, three Audi drivers are ranking in the top four spots of the drivers’ classification. And all three of them love the city street circuit: René Rast, Jamie Green and Mattias Ekström are going into the race with great expectations.

Good news for all DTM fans: Mattias Ekström in his Red Bull Audi RS 5 DTM will be on the grid of the DTM season’s highlight at the Norisring on the first weekend of July and skip the World RX round in Höljes (Sweden).

The new Audi A8 proves itself a versatile performer on the road. Thanks to its active suspension, it provides comfort-oriented customers with a chauffeur-driven sedan offering a stylishly smooth ride. The enthusiastic owner-driver can relish the characteristics of a sports car. This flexibility is made possible thanks to the new active suspension based on the 48-volt electrical system, which is used for the first time as the main electrical system. The new Audi A8 makes its world debut at the Audi Summit in Barcelona on July 11.

Audi driver René Rast has already achieved some of his self-set targets: his first podium result and two fastest race laps at the Lausitzring; first pole position and first DTM victory in Budapest. Apart from his DNF in the Sunday race at Hockenheim, the rookie has finished in the points on every occasion. The pressure that comes with success, however, is not even an issue for the 30-year-old.

Audi is expanding its model portfolio with a new e-tron-model. Production of the Audi e-tron Sportback will start at Audi Brussels (Belgium) in 2019. That Audi plant will therefore be responsible for producing a second fully electric model. The Audi e-tron electric SUV will drive off the assembly line there as of 2018.

Another success for Audi at the “International Engine of the Year Awards”: The brand with the four rings received the prestigious award in the 2 to 2.5 liter category for its 2.5 TFSI engine. It is the thirteenth win overall for Audi.

Audi and the Johannes Kepler University of Linz (JKU) are to conduct joint research into the intelligent car of the future. For this purpose, the university and the brand with the Four Rings will now establish the “Audi.JKU deep learning center” in Linz. Through cooperation with the Institute for Bioinformatics headed by Prof. Sepp Hochreiter, Audi plans to promote the use of artificial intelligence in automobiles.

From international football, the Alpine and Nordic winter sports world and the Kieler Woche through to the world’s most popular tournament series for amateur golfers: Audi has been a close partner and sponsor of regional, national and international sports for decades.

At this year's Festival of Speed in Goodwood, which runs from 29 June to 2 July, Audi Tradition is sending three winning Le Mans cars to southern England. Tom Kristensen will be driving the Audi R8 LMP from the year 2000, with which he brought home Audi's first Le Mans victory. Audi will also be presenting a further two Le Mans cars as part of a special exhibition in honour of the Danish driver. For the first time ever, visitors to the festival will also get the chance to see the Audi Group S mid-engined rally prototype in action, with rally world champion Hannu Mikkola behind the wheel. Completing the vehicle line-up from the brand with the Four Rings will be an Audi RS 5 DTM 2017 as well as an Audi R8 LMS – the current winner of the 24-hour race on the Nürburgring will be driven by Connor De Phillippi.

While Audi’s customer teams took more winner’s medals and other trophies, two ski stars eagerly await their appearance in the Audi Sport TT Cup.

At the Hungaroring, in front of 39,500 spectators (throughout the weekend), René Rast celebrated his first DTM victory. Mattias Ekström, in second place on Sunday, completed the strong performance of the new Audi RS 5 DTM in its first foreign round. Quotes from the Audi camp.

Audi driver René Rast is the man of the hour in the DTM. The newcomer celebrated his first DTM victory at the Hungaroring and on pulling off a mega weekend even snatched the lead of the drivers’ standings. In the manufacturers’ and teams’ classifications, Audi is in front as well before its home round at the Norisring on July 1/2.

Audi has taken the lead in the DTM manufacturers’ and teams’ standings at Budapest (Hungary). Following a strong performance in qualifying that put five Audi RS 5 DTM cars at the front of the grid, the race, however, ended in extreme disappointment for Audi.

The Audi Sport customer racing driver line-up for Spa has been confirmed: twelve international drivers compete with four factory-supported Audi R8 LMS cars at the next great endurance classic in the international GT calendar. In addition, six other privately entered Audi R8 LMS cars will race. The aim: to take the fourth victory after 2011, 2012 and 2014. The race takes place on July 29 and 30 on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in the Belgian-German border region.

The Audi Cup field is complete. In addition to Atlético de Madrid and Liverpool FC, host FC Bayern München is going to welcome SSC Napoli to the Allianz Arena on August 1 and 2. Advance ticket sales for the preparation tournament featuring top-flight teams have already begun.

The Audi R8 Spyder V10 plus (combined fuel consumption in l/100 km: 12.5 l/100 km [18.8 US mpg]; combined CO₂ emissions in g/km: 292 [469.9 g/mi]) from the workshop of Audi Sport GmbH is the fastest series-production convertible model from the brand with the four rings. Its unmistakable 610 hp V10 mid-engine offers intense driving performance and powers the quattro permanent all-wheel drive. The standard performance program, R8 bucket seats and many components made from carbon fiber-reinforced polymer distinguish this high-performance sports car, with its exclusive micrommata green paint finish giving it an even more cutting-edge look.

Audi brings the fascination of sailing from water to land: The premium brand accompanies Kieler Woche from June 17 to 25 with celebrity guests and a diverse supporting program. The brand from Ingolstadt presents itself at the largest sailing regatta in the world for the eighth time in a row.

Before the official world premiere, the new Audi A8* appears on the silver screen. The flagship of the premium brand makes a guest appearances in the Marvel blockbuster ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming,’ in theaters worldwide in July . Therefore, movie fans will be the first to catch a glance at the luxurious sedan at the film premiere which takes place in Los Angeles on June 28.

Audi Sport customer racing celebrated five international victories with its customers in competition with other brands, as well as many more trophies.

Following two strong performances in Germany, the Audi team is going to present itself on international tarmac with the new RS 5 DTM for the first time. This weekend (June 16 to 18) the DTM will be racing at the Hungaroring near Budapest.

One pole position, two podiums and 56 points in total: Team ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport inspired the fans with its strong outing at the home Formula E race on the former airport in Berlin-Tempelhof.

Mattias Ekström took fourth place at the sixth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship 2017 in Hell. In his tenth World Championship finale in a row, the defending rallycross World Champion missed yet another podium finish by 0.4 seconds. In the overall standings, the Swede still holds second behind compatriot Johan Kristoffersson. In the teams’ classification EKS is third at the half-way stage of the season.

Automobili Lamborghini has appointed Paolo Poma as Chief Financial Officer and Managing Director. He will join the team led by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Stefano Domenicali, effective immediately.

Audi has issued invitations to its own brand exhibition to take place on July 11, 2017. On a total area of more than 10,000 square meters, the first Audi Summit will showcase pioneering solutions for the urban mobility of tomorrow – from premium mobility services to piloted driving and parking. 2,000 guests from all over the world will also experience the premiere of the brand’s new flagship, the Audi A8.

In May, AUDI AG delivered around 159,600 cars to customers, 2.8 percent less than in the same month in 2016. Around 738,300 deliveries over the first five months of the year represent a decrease of 5.9 percent worldwide. Despite the downturn of the total U.S. market, Audi managed to further increase sales in the United States in May too, achieving substantial growth in North America overall since the start of the year (+6.6%). In China, the sales balance for the past month (-4.0%) was still influenced by the negotiations on future collaboration, which have now been brought to a successful conclusion. The intended comprehensive deal was sealed in the second half of the month. The Chinese Audi dealers reported 48,012 units delivered in May, the highest monthly sales figure in the year to date.

The new Audi A8 is advancing electrification on a broad front. In the next model generation, the flagship will for the first time feature an electrified powertrain as standard. To that end, the combustion engines will be equipped with mild hybrid technology. What this means for the customer is refined running and enhanced performance, coupled with greater efficiency. The basis is the 48-volt electrical system, which features for the first time in the new Audi A8 as the primary electrical system.

Audi CEO Prof. Rupert Stadler has spoken at a congress of the United Nations about the use of artificial intelligence for the benefit of humankind. In his keynote speech at the start of the “AI for Good Global Summit,” he stated that automated driving presents an opportunity to improve life significantly. He warned, however, against excessive expectations: “In situations where an accident is unavoidable, we expect a decision from the autonomous car. But a dilemma situation cannot be solved either by a human or by a machine.” Therefore, alongside legal issues, ethical questions about the use of the new technology also needed to be discussed, he added. With the beyond initiative, Stadler is now calling for such a discourse.

Hell, Norway, will be hosting round six of the FIA World Rallycross Championship next weekend. On the roller coaster track near Trondheim, 22 campaigners are going to battle for victory in the Supercar class from June 9 to 11. World RX Champion Mattias Ekström ranks in second place of the drivers’ standings after five of twelve rounds. EKS is in position three of the teams’ classification.

At Zolder, Belgium and Misano, Italy, Audi customer teams won seven trophies in total.

On May 28, Audi won the Nürburgring 24 Hours for the fourth time. The background and the facts on the victory in the Eifel.

Within the context of a proactive, comprehensive investigation of transmission software in various model versions, Audi has detected anomalies in the NOx emissions in certain driving conditions of approximately 24,000 cars of the A7 and A8 model series certified according to the EU5 emission standard. Their NOx emissions exceed the limit by a factor of up to two but will be corrected by new transmission software.

Anyone who masters algorithms and programming is exactly right for this event: From October 4 to 6, 2017 the Audi Production division in Ingolstadt is holding its second Smart Factory Hackathon. In this competition, talented young data scientists from all over the world have the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities. The goal is to work out practical solutions for production processes of the future within 25 hours. Interested students and young professionals can apply immediately.

The Audi Sport customer racing teams celebrated many podium places on the last weekend of May.

Mattias Ekström finished fifth in the fifth round of the FIA World Rallycross Championship 2017. At the birthplace of rallycross in Lydden Hill, the reigning World Champion missed a podium finish and was forced to surrender his overall championship lead to Volkswagen driver Johan Kristoffersson. EKS holds third place in the team classification.

Fourth victory in five calendar years: After 2012, 2014 and 2015, the overall victory in 2017 once again went to the Audi R8 LMS. This makes the race car from Audi Sport customer racing the most successful sports car since 2012, at which time the GT3 models first started battling it out for the overall race win in the Eifel.

The Audi Sport TT Cup entertains the spectators once again: at the Nürburgring, Philip Ellis extended his table lead after crossing the finish line 0.267 seconds in front of the Spaniard Mikel Azcona.

Audi has secured some good starting positions at the Nürburgring 24 Hours: the five fastest Audi R8 LMS clinched second, third, fifth, sixth and ninth on the grid in the decisive top 30 qualifying.

With an unusual strategy Mattias Ekström clinched his first podium result in the 2017 DTM at the Lausitzring last weekend. In the FIA World Rallycross Championship, the Audi driver is the leader of the standings before round five at Lydden Hill (GB) next weekend. Time for an initial in-season assessment.