Audi global have recently announced the new updated 2011 Audi TT. The main upgrades from the current TT are as follows:

• LED daytime running lights now standard for S line versions, new interior trim elements
• Engine efficiency improved by up to 14 per cent thanks in part to newly adopted energy recuperation technology – new 2.0 TFSI engine with 211PS featuring Audi valvelift technology offers significant economy gains
• TT Enhanced exterior design, new colours inside and out, xenon headlamps with Coupe 2.0 TFSI 211PS with manual transmission – 0-62mph 6.1 seconds (TT Coupe 2.0 TFSI 200PS 6.6 seconds), top speed 152mph (149mph), combined MPG 42.8 (36.7) , CO2 154g/km (183g/km)
• New sport button first seen in TT RS available as an option across the range – alters throttle response, steering servo assistance and engine note
• S tronic transmission option for TT RS due in 2010

The new range will be available in South Africa in the coming months. For more details or to book a test drive, call us on 021 409 2900. Click on the images to see larger versions.  

Last week Audi Centre Cape Town welcomed members of the Western Cape branch of the Audi Club. After breakfast guests were given a tour of the workshop and some insight to the process flow of a top class Audi workshop. A lucky draw landed 2 excited Club members a spin in the R8 while 2 other lucky winners each received an advanced driving course worth R3000.   Email Johann Bosman at johann@audiclubsa.org.za to become a member of the Audi Club or visit www.audiclubsa.org.za

The below article was written by Lili Radloff from 24.com (South Africa’s largest internet portal). Lili was part of our most recent Audi MVP days, and a new member to the club. 4 Audis, 4 hours… Lili Radloff is well impressed. Article: Lili Radloff So, last week I got invited to the Audi MVP day. Why, you ask? Well, because I’m fabulous and important, obviously. Okay, and because Sam couldn’t go. Just so you know, MVP stands for Most Valued Player because VIP is just so last year, dahling. Anyway, 7 other very fabulous and important people and I met at the Audi Centre at the Waterfront and started admiring the cars over coffee and biscuits. I had tea, because I had the tiniest of hangovers, and that’s how I roll then. We had to split into pairs and I put dibs on Chris Rawlinson from Huddlemind as a partner because I’d heard he’d done about a 100 advanced driving courses. Also, he’s from London so he has the cutest English accent. First up was the Audi TT. Now I have to admit, I have anissue with sports cars. Usually I think people who drive them are total tossers. Well, I am eating my words. The TT is a FABULOUS car. And I’ve driven lots of cars. Picture this… If a sleek, sexy jungle cat and a cheetah – the animal, not the rugby player – had a secret Transformer love-child, this would be it. This baby positively purrs. And, holy hell, it fucks off. Hello baby… grrr Also, ahem, the breaks are really good. (There was a moment when I forgot it was an automatic car and I had a small touch of clutch confusion.)  Chris still has all his teeth, by the way. And he’s a true gentleman as he didn’t even raise his voice once. Even though I must’ve raised his heartbeat considerably. Next we swopped cars with Charl and Brad from Blueworld and it was time for me to drive the Q7*. I felt like a very rich German soccer mom on SPEED. This monster is luxurious to the max and immediately I imagined myself to be superior to all the other drivers on the road. Superior and … safe. We stopped at one of the beautiful lookout points along Chapman’s Peak and in full-on test-the-mommy-car-mode I lifted and shifted all the seats, creating seating space, then packing space, then seating space, then packing space and so on. All done with one hand. Smooth, I tell you. *As Women24’s Sex Editor, I feel honour-bound to tell you that you won’t be having sex on this car’s bonnet any time soon. It’s simply too high off the ground (unless you’re a tall, sexy freak of nature like that Eric dude from True Blood). But seeing that the car is big enough to have a 6 person orgy INSIDE the car, who cares?         Check the view, ladies. Next was the Q5 we got from Matt and Justin. Dudes, what a car! I think it’s by far the coolest, prettiest, zippiest and most powerful small SUV on the market. Chris and I nearly had a fistfight when it came to handing over the keys to Joe and Sue. And finally it was time to drive the A5. It is BEAUTIFUL. It’s the type of car to inspire poetry. With sleek, feminine curves she is sexy as hell, without being girly in the least. The A5 we drove had one of those automatic gearboxes which has 3 different gear systems so you never feel the car changing gears. Or something like that – I wasn’t really listening, I was too busy admiring it. I navigated crazy lunch time Cape Town traffic with it, and got more than a few salivating/admiring/jealous-as-hell stares. Then, Wernich, our charming host, treated us to a lovely lunch and some Jagermeister at the Cape Grace. I admit I cried a little when I had to say goodbye to the TT, but then, I am a girl after all. Which one of these cars would you buy? If you could, that is… Hey, follow me on Twitter @liliradloff and while you’re at it, follow @Women24 too.

Local Car Journalist Scott Hayes took the new Audi R8 V10 for a spin around the Cape. Here is what he had to say (Originally found here) If you’re following us on Twitter, you would have seen that last Friday we spent some time in the beautiful new Audi R8 5.2 FSI Quattro – otherwise known as the Audi R8 V10. What you are reading therefore, is an exclusive first impression of Audi’s range topping supercar in SA. The V10’s 386 kW and 530 N.m of torque are enough to rocket the R8 V10 towards the horizon at, well, any speed you wish really. You can do zero to 100 km/h in 3.9 seconds, 200 km/h in 12 seconds or simply hang-on for dear life before reaching the R8’s claimed top speed of 316 km/h. However, making our way out of town and filtering through early morning traffic, we weren’t about to test any of the above figures – just yet. Instead we had time to ‘aclimatise’ to the new R8 V10, taking in the quality interior trim and finish thereof, now synonymous throughout the Audi range. Inside, there is not much to distinguish the V10 R8 from its smaller V8 sibling, apart from a ‘V10′ logo, red rings around the dials and another on top of the gear lever. Early morning rush hour traffic is typically no place for a supercar, but for us it highlighted the genuine all-round capability of the R8. With full leather trim, climate control, electronically adjustable heated sports seats, cruise control and a host of other features, the R8 sports an interior familiar to ‘lesser’ Audi’s in the current line-up. But Audi have some of the best interiors in the business and the R8 is a supercar which we would happily strap ourselves into for a long haul journey or use as a daily drive if desired. Exterior changes to the new R8 V10 are subtle. Flared side-blades, extended sills, a larger rear diffuser, standard LED headlamps (an industry first), 10-spoke 19-inch wheels exclusive to the V10, polished black front and rear air vents, more chrome for the front grille, and oval exhaust tips, help to distinguish the bigger V10 from its smaller V8 sibling. As we began to leave the city behind and traffic started to clear, we had our first chance to ’step on the gas’. Beginning with a mechanical whine, quickly drowned out by a rising cacophony from the 90-degree 10-cylinder engine, we found ourselves at autobahn speeds without so much as a down shift from the R-tronic gearbox. Somewhat uneventful really, apart from the impressive rate of speed – that is until we pressed the ’sport’ button. Immediately we were greeted by super-quick shifts from the 6-speed auto, which gave the feeling of a more aggressive throttle response when compared to the normal mode that responds somewhat jerkily and reluctantly to impatient throttle orders. As a result, we would stay in sport mode for the remainder of our journey, rewarded by blips of the throttle on every down shift, which we imagine can only be likened to the automotive equivalent of heroin. Climbing up into the hills for our first sampling of the Audi R8 V10’s handling, nothing but smooth tarmac, sunshine and glorious sweeps lay ahead. Dropping a gear in the R-tronic box let out an  intoxicating bark from the engine before we were rocketed towards the first corner. The steering responds as if wired to our brain as we turn into the first bend, the 235/35/R19 tyres wrapped around the front wheels seem to be connected to an invisible scalectrix track and the 295/30 section rear tyres wait for our command to dig in and deliver the 530 N.m of available torque. Thanks to Audi Magnetic Ride, the electromagnetic dampers can be stiffened within milliseconds at the press of a button to provide sharper handling. From our initial impressions, the car seemed to handle the uneven public roads better with the more compliant ride of the standard suspension setting, with the sportier setting better left for trackday use. The R8’s mid-engined layout means the V10 power plant sits behind the rear seats but in front of the rear axle, keeping the major masses near the centre of the Audi Space Frame chassis and providing near-perfect weight distribution for agile handling – which is partly why racing cars use the same configuration. When accelerating hard from mid-corner, we detected a slight tendency toward under-steer but this is a characteristic best explored on the racetrack to discover the extent to which it does, or doesn’t, play a role in the V10 R8’s handling. Flooring the accelerator teleported us to the next corner where the 380 mm front and 356 mm rear discs scrubbed off our speed at a reassuring rate, initially a bit snatchy but the steel discs warmed to the task with each successive corner. Optional on the new Audi R8 5.2 FSI are ceramic brake discs. The discs are made of a composite material containing high-strength carbon fibres and abrasion-resistant silicon carbide. These are especially light: their combined weight is nine kilograms less than their steel equivalent – meaning quicker steering response as less inertia is at play on the wheels. The ceramic brakes can easily cope with the harsher requirements of racing, won’t corrode, and have a typical service life of 300 000 kilometers. The ceramic discs are distinguishable from the standard steel discs by their charcoal gray calipers, emblazoned with the inscription “Audi ceramic”. Once over the mountain we had a chance to discover the full extent of the 5,2-litre engine’s power. Burying the accelerator pedal releases a wave of power, which doesn’t seem to end as the revs climb unabated in every successive gear. Put another way, we can now relate to the phrase “Beam me up Scotty!”. Even at high-speed, however, the R8 feels planted on the road with the suspension and steering never feeling anything other than responsive and confidence-inspiring. In fact, the R8 has achieved a synergy that other supercar makers will find hard to beat for the price (starting at R1.95 million). Yes, it may not be the fastest, the most powerful, or the lightest in its league. But with a luxurious interior, agile handling, more than enough proverbial bite to match its bark and at half the price of its bigger Lamborghini cousin, the Audi R8 5.2 FSI quattro is attractive in more ways than one and a more than capable gentleman’s supercar. Thanks to Audi Centre Cape Town for the use of their R8 V10. If you’re in Cape Town, why not visit them and take a look at the car for yourself.

Post Originally written on local Site: www.matthewbuckland.com
Big up to Joe Botha and Chris Rawlinson (aka I did an “advanced” driving course) for putting this fun shindig together. The idea was to drive a variety of Audis (a Q5, A4, A6, TT, R8 to be precise) across beautiful Cape Town, with a social media twist. It was to be tweeted, blogged, Facebooked, Flickred and whatevered. Swapping cars along the way, we started off at Audi Centre Cape Town in the city centre, then to Constantia Village, and then to Noordhoek where we met up with former Springbok Bob Skinstad at The Toad (his bar), back through Hout Bay, Llandudno, ending at Mouille point. I believe this may happen again. And I certainly recommend it!
The fact that there were fast, shiny cars had nothing to do with my participation: I was interested in being part of a social media junket using non-traditional methods to advertise and PR themselves. Ok, I lie — it was a bit of both. For me this is a great example of a company opening its doors to new methods of marketing, rather than just going the traditional advertising route. Will be interesting to gauge the return on investment.
Pics of the day below (excuse the quality, was on my iPhone):

Originally Posted on local site www.chrisrawlinson.com (This is one way we help get involved with our local customers)

Last Friday I had the pleasure of helping to organise the first of what I hope will become many Audi Centre Cape Town MVP days. The basic idea was to see if we could use some fun non-traditional media methods to help advertise and get some nice PR for Audi Centre Cape Town.

I chatted to Audi Cape Town and put forward the idea and thanks to the incredible Wernich Stipp we got the go ahead for a fun morning out. Audi Cape Town then kindly agreed to lend us 4 new cars for the day namely the Q5, A4, A5, TT (and an R8 for a surprise drive).

For a PDF copy of the days activities I came up with and gave to all the MVP’s click here.

I arranged for our half way drive stopping point to be at local rugby legend Bob Skinstad’s place in Noordhoek, namely the incredible Toad in the Village (A must visit for anyone staying in Cape Town). Bob even kindly was there to say hi before he left to cover the Tri-Nations (See pic above).

At the Toad we then pulled a name out of a hat for a drive in the Audi R8 and Gabrielle Rosario took the honours, getting to drive it back to town. Finally we ended the day up at Theo’s restaurant in Mouille point, where Audi kindly bought us all a late lunch and even gave us gift bags for coming !!

Audi Centre Cape Town are legends, I have been blown away. For all the pictures from the day click on the Album link below.

The group consisted of Joe Botha, Cath Lückhoff, Matt Buckland, Marilu Matthee, Scott Hayes, Elodie Kleynhans, Gabrielle Rosario and myself. Big Thanks to everyone for coming along and helping out and am looking forward to seeing how this evolves !

****Update: Joe Botha added more pictures on Facebook, Click here*****

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