AUDI HAS RELEASED
details of its all-new A4, a larger and lighter follow up to its
compact executive car. It enters a market crowded with strong offerings.
Design-wise, the new model seems to play it safe with an overall look that is more evolutionary than revolutionary.
But under the skin are major
changes, including new engines, a new transmission, redesigned
suspension, and a bigger cabin with a posher dashboard.
Some
versions are as much as 120kg lighter than the existing A4, and as a
result the new model offers better performance with reduced fuel
consumption.But even as the new A4 gears up to meet the motoring public at September’s Frankfurt auto show (expect a local debut at next year’s Singapore Motor Show, buy our reckoning), it faces stiffer competition than ever.
Below are five upcoming threats to the new Audi A4. It’s a short list that doesn’t even include the strong-selling Mercedes C-Class. But whether this key new model from the four-ring brand triumphs over its rivals, it’s clear that the real winners are its target customers. Executive car buyers have never been this spoilt for choice.
Alfa Romeo Giulia
Although a minor player now in danger of vanishing, Alfa Romeo is pinning its future on this make-or-break new model. The Giulia was created by a hand-picked team of engineers who were led by two ex-Ferrari men, and is part of a 5 billion Euro comeback plan for the storied Italian brand.
Alfa
says the Giulia will offer Italian styling flair with cutting edge tech
and a superior power-to-weight ratio to its competitors, to ensure that
it delivers plenty of driving pleasure. It arrives in Singapore next
year.
BMW 3 Series LCI
The new 3 Series also gets a mildly refreshed cabin and 4G connectivity for its ConnectedDrive suite of online services (including a human concierge service from a call centre in the Philippines).
That might not sound like much, but the 3 Series has the best handling in its class and a formidable track record — in its 40-year history, on a global level it has never been outsold by any rival, ever. It should go on sale in Singapore around October.
Jaguar XE
In that way, Jaguar is taking an innovation that Audi itself is renowned for and taking it a step further — the German brand builds its flagship A8 out of aluminium.
Lexus IS 200t
Beyond that, the IS would be a prime candidate for the new engine; a fine handling car, it currently has a smooth but lazy V6 engine. We would put money on Lexus replacing the sluggish IS 250 with a sportier IS 200t in 2016. That car would fare much better in the segment.
Volkswagen Passat
Ironically, some of the stiffest
competition for Audi could come from within (or above, given that
Volkswagen is Audi’s parent). VW’s new Passat should offer a similar
level of technology for less money, with key features that will be found
in the new A4. It has an all-digital, virtual instrument cluster, for example, and its 1.4-litre turbo engine and seven-speed transmission are shared with the Audi.
We’ve driven the new Passat, as well, and found it to be a refined car that handles sharply and feels expensive inside. We hear it will be launched in Singapore within a month from now, too, so potential buyers won’t have to wait long to find out for themselves.
