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Audi enjoyed a significant increase in sales in all regions during May. Worldwide the premium manufacturer sold more than 87,000 vehicles last month – a record figure, and an increase of more than 10 percent compared with the same month of the previous year (79,114). Sales also rose in Germany, where 24,416 units were sold, up 3.5 percent on May 2006. Sales in Europe grew by some 6.5 percent (more than 63,900 vehicles compared with 60,012). Major drivers were Great Britain with a growth of 26.5 percent (8,476 compared with 6,703) and Russia, where Audi sold 1,357 units, 80.5 percent more than in the same month of last year (752).

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A legend of the automotive world is celebrating its centenary this year: DKW. The company from Zschopau in Saxony originally planned to build steam-driven vehicles, yet ultimately rose to fame courtesy of its two-stroke engine. DKW had already become the world’s largest motorcycle manufacturer in the late 1920s, and then in the 1930s was the first company to mass-produce vehicles with front-wheel drive. DKW produced the pre-war period’s answer to Volkswagen, the F-series small cars, in astonishing numbers. Audi Tradition is marking the anniversary of its predecessor brand by entering DKW classic cars in a whole host of events, including the Mille Miglia and the Gran Premio Nuvolari in Italy, the Concours d’Elegance in Bergerac, France, the Silvretta Classic and Ennstal Classic in Austria, and of course the “100 Years of Rasmussen” festival in the town of Zschopau on 26 August.

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It might have needed a bit of a warm-up but then everything ran like clockwork. Two Audi A5 models steer a stunt kite in the new “Kite” advert, which will be broadcast on free TV from 25 May. “This is not a trick, all the images are real,” says Jagoda Becic, Head of Advertising at Audi. “Authenticity,” she says, “was the essential requirement. If it hadn’t been possible to navigate the kite by car in reality, then we wouldn’t have implemented the idea.” It was indeed possible – and led to spectacular images. They were filmed in the Namibian desert which showcases the Audi A5’s highly accurate driving characteristics in a striking manner. The message of the film, which will be aired in a 30- and 40-second version, is “Driving Redesigned”. The Swiss group “Yello” provided a new type of music for the A5 advert.

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Shortly before the crucial final spurt in the Spanish Football Championship the stars from Real Madrid enjoyed a special type of diversion from their daily practice routines: Even before the launch of the new Audi models on the Spanish market, the footballers had a close personal encounter with the new Audi A5, the S5 as well as the Audi R8 and the opportunity to perfect their driving skills for greater sporting pleasure and safety during a driving safety training session on the circuit of Jarama.

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The Audi TT clubsport quattro study reduces the TT Roadster to a pure driving machine. A powerful engine, state-of-the-art technology and numerous traits borrowed from the world of motorsport are the dominant features of the TT clubsport quattro. The goal that the development engineers set themselves for this vehicle study was to achieve purism at a premium level. No hood, no A-post – instead, a wraparound windscreen kept extremely low which deliberately evokes images of a speedster. The flat, slightly tinted window strip surrounds the cockpit. The panoramic windscreen and the two humps located behind the interior in place of the hood compartment are reminiscent of a racing car. The rollover bars familiar from the TT Roadster are kept flatter and are the same height as the sports bucket seats.

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Audi has started its own internet TV channel. With immediate effect, Audi tv is on the air in English and German at www.audi.com/tv and www.audi.de/tv. But the carmaker from Ingolstadt, Germany, goes far beyond what other brand channels have broadcast to date. „Audi tv provides viewers with exciting, original programming that offers new levels of access to the multi-faceted world of the brand with the four rings,“ commented Ralph Weyler, AUDI AG Board Member for Marketing and Sales.

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The heart of the acclaimed S3 and TT, and a host of other Audi models, has beaten category rivals to a best-in-class win for the third successive year in the 2007 Engine of the Year awards. A jury of more than 60 recognised trade journalists from 30 countries voted the 2.0-litre, four-cylinder Turbo FSI engine best in the 1.8-litre to 2.0-litre category, describing it as ‘not only incredibly versatile and clever, but also remarkably powerful’.

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How do you photograph a car that has already been portrayed from every angle, stationary and at 301 km/h? Creativity, visions and associations are called for. Karl Lagerfeld has interpreted the Audi R8 in a highly idiosyncratic manner. Enthralled by the sports car’s visual appearance, the designer developed a kaleidoscopic abstraction somewhere between man and metal object. Lagerfeld worked with reflections and the most sought-after male model of the moment, American Brad Kroenig. To the onlooker, viewing many of the photos is like looking into a kaleidoscope.

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Celebrities from the world of film and television are crewing the Audi Tradition models taking part in the 25th Mille Miglia in Italy (17 to 19 May). During the world’s fastest classic car rally, TV show host Thomas Gottschalk will be sitting alongside Audi Board Member for Sales Ralph Weyler in a Wanderer W 25 K. In another model of the same type, actor Thomas Heinze and Volkswagen’s Head of Communications Stephan Grühsem will make an assault on the race’s 1,000 miles. Finally, Karl-Friedrich Scheufele, founder and managing director of Chopard, Mille Miglia’s chief sponsor, together with Le Mans legend Jacky Ickx, will be driving the third Wanderer, which is taking part in the rally for the first time. Audi Tradition will have a total of five cars on the grid. Making its first present-day appearance is the DKW Sonderklasse F 91, which wrote its own history at the Mille Miglia.

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Audi has received the “Engine of the Year” crown for the third year in succession. A jury of more than 60 recognised trade journalists from 30 countries named the 2.0 TFSI engine the winner of the prestigious award. The jury opined that this impressive four-cylinder unit is the dominant engine in its class, giving the verdict that it is “not only incredibly versatile and clever, but also remarkably powerful”. The 2.0 TFSI combines vigorous pulling power with particularly high everyday suitability. The jury also observed that Audi has demonstrated the best engine development in the 1.8-litre to 2.0-litre segment this year, too.

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