Audi A1 Unveiled - First Official Pictures

Today marks the end of secrecy around the upcoming Audi A1. Set to rival the mini and with technology taken from the new A8, it will give the sector a premium shake-up.

The car is set to be officially launched at the Geneva motor show in March with the first customers taking delivery towards the end of the year. The misano red display car with it's silver roof 'contrast line' harks back to the metro concept car we first saw in 2007 and is just a hint of the many customisable elements of the new car.

Customisation is the key

With such a fun car, the aim is to make the car as individual as the owner. This is why Audi will give buyers more options than ever before to make every car truly unique. These include:

• Exterior paint - a large selection of exterior colours, solid, metallic and pearl effect paints on offer.


• Roof contrast line - the curve that runs along the roof line of the car can be changed to further add to the individuality of the car


• Black optics pack - both the interior and exterior of the car can be 'de-chromed' by adding the black styling package


• Alloy Wheels - with a range of alloy wheels from 15-17" and designs such as titanium effect, there is sure to be a wheel for every taste


• Upholstery - not satisfied with the usual Audi leather selection, there will also be options from the Exclusive line range allowing different colour stitching and centre sections.


• Air vents - even the air-vents inside the cabin can be customised with new colours such as wasabi green.

Economy class

In line with Audi's ongoing drive for lower CO2 emissions the range of engines for the A1 is even greener than the optional wasabi interior trim!

• 1.2 TFSI 86PS emitting only 119g/km
• 1.6 TDI 105PS emitting only 102g/km
• 1.4 TFSI 122PS emitting only 126g/km

Pricing is going to be confirmed with the cars official launch in March. However, it is likely that you will be able to get your hands on a new car (with a few toys) for around £14,000. Ordering opens in May and we are taking deposits now. To reserve your place, as one of the first to be driving the new 'must have' car, call 01202 775050 or email sales@poole.audi.co.uk

Audi A5 Cabriolet now below £30,000

We are delighted to see the announcement of a new model in the Audi A5 Cabriolet range, priced at £27,530 on the road.

This new model boasts the 1.8 litre turbo-charged engine with FSI technology developed in the race winning Le Mans cars. This smooth and tractable engine enables a top speed of 130 mph and acceleration to 62mph in just 9.5 seconds. It’s very efficient too, developing just 172 g/km CO2 and showing a combined fuel consumption of 38.2 mpg.

What’s more, this model has a truly luxurious specification, which includes climate control, 17 inch alloy wheels and a stereo with CD or MP3 compatibility. It also has a fully electric hood, which can be operated at speeds up to 31mph. This means you can take advantage of every ray of sunshine available.

You could also specify the SE pack, which adds milano leather seats, wind deflector and acoustic parking sensors, plus automatic lights and windscreen wipers and upgrades to the alloy wheels, climate control and stereo. Even then, the A5 Cabriolet 1.8 T FSI with SE pack is priced at just £29,420 on the road.

Our experience of this car is that it really does offer the best of both worlds. Roof up, it remains quiet and warm. Roof down, it looks stunning and enables you to enjoy another dimension of driving.

Audi will be accepting orders for this model in a week or so, with cars being built in April and available for delivery in May – just in time for summer! Talk to us now on 01202 775050

image for illustration purposes only

Scrappage – is time running out?

As an exercise in supporting a fragile market, the UK scrappage scheme is proving to be a fascinating exercise.

Customers buying a brand new car can obtain a £2000 allowance for their old car if it is over 10 years old and meets certain conditions. £1000 of this is funded by the government, the remainder by a combination of the manufacturer and dealer. Predictably, customers have been attracted to this in large numbers. Since 18th May, 134,400 new cars have been registered on the scrappage scheme. There will be plenty more orders in the system, waiting for cars to come through and be registered.

The scrappage scheme is capped at 300,000 cars, and it now becoming clear that this limit will be reached long before the planned expiry date of February 2010. Despite calls for the scheme to be extended, the government are insisting that when the 300,000th car is registered, the scheme will shut down.

It is for this reason that any customer considering whether to take advantage of the scrappage scheme needs to come to a decision quite quickly.

As for Poole Audi, we have been pleasantly surprised by the number of orders placed using the scrappage scheme. We have delivered 9 cars so far, and have another 10 on order and likely to be delivered on the new “59” registration plate which kicks in next month.

Predictably, our orders are mostly for the Audi A3 and A3 Sportback models. Bear in mind that you can buy a brand new Audi A3 for £15,265 even without scrappage support. Using the Audi scrappage deal, that same car could be sold for £13,265 – for a brand new Audi! However, the scheme applies across the entire Audi range, and we have sold A3 Cabriolet, A4 Cabriolet and even A5 3.0 TDI quattro models using scrappage support.

Still, this will not last long. Our guess is that our industry is now about two thirds of the way through the allocated support. There is still time to take advantage of this scheme, but do not delay – talk to our sales team now on 01202 775050.

The New Audi A5 Sportback Brochure Released

We now have the official brochures for the upcoming Audi A5 sportback. This car has already been called "the best car Audi make" so we are very excited. This innovative 5 door Hatchback Coupe is due for release in October and priced below the 2 door Coupe!

Click here to view the brochure: www.pooleaudi.com/pdf/a5sportback.pdf

For more information visit our website: www.audia5sportback.co.uk