Paris Preshow: Audi Unveils 185HP A1 1.4 TFSI but doesn't Call it the S1

Last week, we told you that the Paris motor show organizers confirmed the Audi S1 and that sources made word of a slightly more powerful variant of the new VW Polo GTI's dual-charged 1.4-liter four-cylinder engine producing a little over 180 ponies.

Well, get this; today, Audi presented a new flagship version of the A1 powered by a tweaked dual-charged 1.4 TFSI delivering 185HP and 250 Nm (184.39 lb-ft) - but, the Germans aren't calling it the S1. Instead, the most powerful variant of the A1 series to date is plainly named the 'A1 1.4 TFSI'.

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Audi to Begin Fleet Trials of A1 e-tron Electric Supermini

Just six months after the presentation of the A1 e-tron concept car at the Geneva Salon this past March, and Audi has announced plans to begin fleet testing of it extended range electric premium hatchback.

The Ingolstadt-based automaker said that by the middle of next year, 20 examples of the A1 e-tron will take to the streets of Munich as part of a pilot project undertaken by Audi AG in partnership with E.ON, the Munich municipal utility company Stadtwerke München (SWM) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM).

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Audi to Unveil S1 Hot Hatch at Paris Show

It's (semi) official; the Paris Motor Show organizers have confirmed the presentation of the Audi S1. While Ingolstadt has not yet confirmed any technical details on the go-fast version of the A1 premium supermini (keep in mind, the car pictured here is not the S1 but one of the Wörthersee show concepts), sources state that it will be powered by the same 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged engine found under the hood of the Polo GTi. It is possible that Audi may tweak the four-cylinder unit to produce a few more ponies than the 180HP it returns on the VW model.

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Senner Tuning launches first round of upgrades for Audi A1

German firm Senner Tuning has released a new line of styling and performance enhancements for the freshly introduced Audi A1 supermini with the 1.6 TDI diesel engine. The tuner starts by massaging the 1.6-liter diesel with a recalibrated ECU, boosting output from 105HP to 140HP. Peak torque also climbs from 250Nm to 310Nm.

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Worldwide demand spurs Audi to expand A1's sales market everywhere except the US and China [for now]

Come 2011, Audi will offer the A1 outside of Europe due to a significant amount of worldwide demand. To be precise, the A1's dedicated website attracted more than 150,000 interested customers from all four corners of the world. The German company had previously expected average production volumes of 100,000 A1 units per year, primarily for the European market at first.

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ABT Rolls Out Performance and Design Packages for Audi A1

The largest tuner of vehicles from the VW group has set its eyes on Audi's smallest model, the all-new A1 supermini, with the release of performance and styling packages. ABT's design proposal for the A1 comes in three flavors "KLECKS" (translates to 'splash'), "ALOHA" and "HIGH-VOLTAGE".

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Pink Audi A1 Art Car by Hirst Fetches Over Half a Million Dollars

The special auction item of Elton John's White Tie & Tiara Ball on Thursday night (June 24), a brand-new Audi A1 art car painted by Britain's Damien Hirst, surpassed all expectations by fetching a whopping £350,000 or about US$522,500 / €425,000.

All proceeds from the auction will benefit The Elton John AIDS Foundation, which is said to be one of the 10 largest AIDS grant making organizations in the world, managing over £14 million in programmes across 15 countries.

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Audi A1 Art Car Donated to Elton John's Charity Ball

This year's edition of the White Tie and Tiara charity ball that raises money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation will feature a special version of Audi's A1 premium supermini designed by British contemporary artist, Damien Hirst.

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Audi to Show Seven Customized A1 Models at Wörthersee

This year's edition of the Wörthersee GTI Tour that takes place in Reifnitz, Austria, on May 12 will see Audi showcasing seven custom versions of its new A1 premium supermini, including a model sporting an "FC Bayern" look, taxi and police variants.

The other four custom A1s are a "Hot Rod" version with a matt-finish look, steel wheels with white-wall tires and extremely low ride height thanks to the air suspension, one fitted with a "competition kit" that pays homage to Audi rally vehicles from the 1980s, the "Wasserwacht" model that's dedicated to the local water rescue service and a "Fashion" edition.

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Audi Confirms 2011 TT Coupe and Roadster Facelift for Leipzig

As anticipated, Audi came out with an official press release on its AMI motor show offerings that include the world premiere of the redesigned 2011 TT Coupe and Roadster. The German automaker did not reveal any specific details about the facelift models.

Other highlights at the show, which runs from from April 9-18, include the German premieres of the new A1 premium supermini, the A8 limo and the RS5 Coupé, the e-tron concept and the car that won the 2009 DTM (German Touring Car Masters).

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Audi Planning the Return of the A2 with an All-Electric Model

It really all comes down to simple arithmetic. Audi wants to add another subcompact model to its range. It already has the A1 supermini and the A3 compact hatch, so if you subtract 1 from 3, you get 2. Add an 'A' up front and voila; you have the return of the A2 nameplate.

"There's clearly room for another product and another concept between the A3 and A1," Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told journalists on the sidelines of the 2010 Geneva Motor Show.

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Audi Reveals A1 S-Line Sport Package [with 67 Photos]

Just like the BMW Group did with its MINI-branded cars, Audi is planning to offer an amazing amount of customization options and packages for its new entry-level A1 model including the S-Line sport kit which is expected to be one of the most popular options amongst buyers.

Seen here for the first time in official photos, the S-Line kit comprises of two separate packages. The S-Line Exterior package sweetens up the A1's looks with chiseled sill tops, a larger roof spoiler, a more concave front bumper with side air-vents and a new rear bumper with a diffuser and matte optics.

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Audi A1 E-Tron Pure Electric Concept Model at Geneva Show

In a move that suggests Audi is looking to create a new tag for its zero-emission electric vehicles, the German firm unveiled the third member of the 'e-tron' concept family after the Frankfurt Show high-performance AWD supercar and the Detroit Show compact RWD two-seater concept.

This time, the 'e-tron' treatment was applied on Audi's spanking-new A1 premium supermini that uses a front-mounted electric motor producing 102HP and 240Nm to drive the wheels with a 254cc single-rotor Wankel engine that runs at 5,000 rpm, kicking in to charge the lithium-ion batteries when they are depleted.

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Geneva Show: Audi's A1 e-tron Concept Extends Range By Wankel-ing

Soon to be on display in Geneva will be the third e-tron concept to come from Audi in less than a year: the A1 e-tron. Its purpose, according to Audi, is to show "that Audi's expertise in electric drive systems extends down into the compact car segment" (as if anyone would question them in that regard).

Marketed as a Mega City Vehicle (MCV), the new A1 e-tron is said to return an electricity-only range of 50 km / 31 miles by means of a 75 kW / 102 HP power train.

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VIDEO: DTM Pilot Takes Audi's A1 Mini for a Spin on the Track

Wondering what a professional driver has to say about the new 2011 Audi A1? Well, here's your chance to find out as Audi invited DTM (or German Touring Car Championship) pilot Markus Winkelhock to take the premium supermini for a quick spin around the firm's Neustadt test track.

"The car is very well sprung. It swallows up bumps of almost any size without any amplification of the motions," said Winkelhock when describing his impressions. "After driving the Audi A1 for the first time, my opinion is clear: It's the benchmark in the small compact class," Winkelhock concluded.

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Audi to Surprise us with New Concept Model at Geneva Show, Justin Timberlake to Unveil A1

Together with the world premiere of the RS5 Coupe 450HP V8, the A1 premium supermini and the near-production A8 Hybrid limo, the 80th Geneva Salon will also play host to a new Audi concept car, details of which are being safe-guarded until the show opens to the members of the press on March 2.

We'll avoid to play the guessing game about the type of vehicle that Audi is planning to surprise us in Geneva, but feel free to entertain us with your thoughts in the comment section after the jump.

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Audi Considering New A1 Mini for USA, Says no Plans for Quattro, Roadster or Convertible Models

Even though Audi will hold a press conference at the unveiling of the new A1 premium hatchback in Geneva next week, the Germans gave journalists the opportunity to ask a bevy of questions ahead of the car's presentation, answering the most popular ones through a voting process.

And while questions about the possible introduction of S1 and RS1 sporty variants didn't make the cut (for the record, we voted, but go figure...), a few interesting questions did.

First of all, Audi said that there are no plans to offer the A1 with the firm's all-wheel drive quattro system while the first generation of the car will be offered only as a three- and five door hatchback body styles.

Despite various reports supporting the opposite (chiefly from UK magazines), Audi made it clear that neither a Cabriolet nor a Roadster is currently being considered.

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Audi A1 with S-Line Sport Package Spotted in the Wild

A sharp-eyed reader over from Autogespot took this single photo of the brand-new Audi A1 in the city of Barcelona, Spain. If we're not mistaken, the specific model appears to be equipped with the S-Line package that adds several goodies such as 17- or 18-inch alloy wheels, sport suspension, a larger roof spoiler at the back and unique bumpers (notice the protruding insert on the rear bumper).

Audi's Mini Cooper chasing A1 hatch will have its first public outing at the Geneva Motor Show in March. At launch, it will be offered as a three door hatch with of four engines including two petrol units, the 86HP 1.2 TSI and 122HP 1.4 TSI plus two diesels, a 1.6 TDI with 90HP and 105HP.

European sales of the A1 will start this summer with prices beginning from around €16,000. No word yet if the Audi's new entry-level model will make it on this side of the Atlantic.

Via: Autogespot

Video Presentation of the 2011 Audi A1 Hatchback

Audi is entering MINI Cooper and Alfa Romeo MiTo territory with its new A1 premium supermini that was revealed on Tuesday ahead of its first public outing at next month's Geneva Motor Show. Along with the first batch of photos, Audi also released a trio of videos that include a walk around the car with design boss, Stefan Siellaf.

The A1 will be offered at launch with two gasoline and two diesel engines, all direct-injection four-cylinder turbos with stop-start technology. While European sales will start later this year, the German automaker hasn't committed to bringing the car over to the U.S. - or at least not yet.

2011 Audi A1 Officially Revealed: Photos, Details and All [Updated Gallery with 60 High-Res Images]

Only moments after our previous post on the new A1, and Audi formally introduced its new premium supermini that will take on the MINI Cooper and its like. Poised as a true, fully-fledged Audi, the A1 will be launched initially as a three-door hatchback with a more practical five-door Sportsback model set to follow shortly after.

The A1 supermini was first previewed over two years ago, when Audi showed the three-door Metro Project Concept at the 2007 Tokyo Motor Show, followed in 2008 by the five-door A1 Sportback study in Paris.

The production model has remained extremely close to the original Metro Project concept, as it even keeps the color-contrasted roof arches that will be optionally available in a variety of shades. The most significant change concerns the newer interpretation of Audi's single-frame, five-point grille.

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