The Germans' odd fascination with minor American celebrities continued today with the introduction of the Audi Cross Cabriolet Concept. None other than Peter Greenberg, the travel reporter for The Today Show
(we did say minor), hosted today's press conference and it was about as exciting as you might expect. He started out by shelling Rupert Stadler, chairman of Audi AG, with questions about the shock of having to pay $3 for a gallon of gas in the U.S. Apparently Mr...
Greenberg forgot that Rupert pays about seven bucks a gallon in Germany, but Stadler played along anyway. He said Audi's engineers have increased the fuel efficiency of its engines 30 percent over the last several decades and he is pushing them for another 20 percent improvement as soon as possible.
When Greenberg finally asked a real question like how Audi intends to get Americans to buy diesels, Stadler responded enthusiastically. "We are keen to make diesel successful in the U.S.," Rupert told him. "Customers will eventually recognize the performance and technology of diesel engines. The power of diesels will conquer the market."
And with that bold statement, the two moved on to the reveal of the Cross Cabriolet Concept. It's a California-designed off-roader that attempts to blend "California dreamings" with SUV utility according to Stadler. As pointless as it looks, however, the Cross Cabriolet is actually a cleverly disguised hint at the upcoming Audi Q5 SUV. All the guts are there underneath, so all it really needs is two more doors and a real roof. Expect to see the final production version of the Q5 early next year. -- Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor , Inside Line
When Greenberg finally asked a real question like how Audi intends to get Americans to buy diesels, Stadler responded enthusiastically. "We are keen to make diesel successful in the U.S.," Rupert told him. "Customers will eventually recognize the performance and technology of diesel engines. The power of diesels will conquer the market."
And with that bold statement, the two moved on to the reveal of the Cross Cabriolet Concept. It's a California-designed off-roader that attempts to blend "California dreamings" with SUV utility according to Stadler. As pointless as it looks, however, the Cross Cabriolet is actually a cleverly disguised hint at the upcoming Audi Q5 SUV. All the guts are there underneath, so all it really needs is two more doors and a real roof. Expect to see the final production version of the Q5 early next year. -- Ed Hellwig, Lead Senior Editor , Inside Line
estreka says:
03:14 PM, 11/14/07
Hasselhoff was booked solid this month. Something about a KIT car...
That's a reasonably attractive vehicle, although huge for what it would be intended for. As a Q, it should be quite stately.
skierx420 says:
03:19 PM, 11/14/07
It looks like a PT Cruiser Convertable to me. The lines say Cruiser Convertable to my eyes. I don't know why either.
ateixeira says:
10:24 AM, 11/16/07
Odd proportions. That looks like a convertible Allroad.
Diesels - bad timing, they just announced a delay for the TDI models here in the US.