Audi wins European Inventor of the Year 2008

Every year the European Patent Office joins up with the European Commission’s DG Enterprise and Industry to honour some of the continent’s brightest minds as the European Inventors of the Year.  This year in the industry sector Audi Won.  

Audi’s Norbert Enning, Ulrich Klages, Heinrich Timm, Gundolf Kreis, Alois Feldschmid, Christian Dornberg and Karl Reiter (Germany) for revolutionising automotive manufacturing by making car frames lighter and safer through the use of aluminium - the invention of Audi Space Frame technology (ASF).

Norbert Enning, 51, is one of Audi’s most inventive employees. Enning and his team developed ASF technology under the leadership of Heinrich Timm in the early 80s. He comments on the development of the Audi Space frame

“The body of the Audi A8 utilizing the ASF principle is one of the lightest in the luxury class,”

Since joining Audi in 1982, Norbert has made inventions in the areas of pedestrian protection and interior appointments in addition to his numerous inventions relating to the ASF design. He is currently engaged in the predevelopment of vehicle concepts.

New TT receives prized What Car? Best Coupé award – a first step towards matching its predecessor’s five consecutive wins.
The completely new Audi TT 2.0 TFSI is the best coupé in its class according to What Car?, which has just formally confirmed that opinion by honouring the car with its Best Coupé trophy at the magazine’s 2007 Car of the Year Awards.

This latest accolade is further evidence of the title’s long-standing admiration for the TT, the original version of which was a winner in this category on five consecutive occasions, and comes soon after journalists at the BBC’s Top Gear Magazine reached the same conclusion in the annual Top Gear Awards.

Explaining the reasons behind their decision in the March 2007 edition of What Car?, the judges said: “This one’s a proper sports car – lighter, more agile, quicker over any route you care to throw in its path, and a whole lot more fun to drive. From being a car that sold on style, it’s become a thing with real driving talent. The good news is that you still get the Bauhaus looks and tremendous quality as well.”

Director of Audi UK Jeremy Hicks was understandably delighted with the result: “The original TT raised the bar in the coupe class back in 1999, and as a result gave rise to some very impressive competitors, so I’m particularly delighted that the team at What Car? feels this completely new car has thrown down the gauntlet yet again,” he said.

The subtly updated skin of the new Audi TT conceals a highly advanced superstructure benefiting from 69% lightweight aluminium content, giving a freer rein to the 200PS, 2.0-litre Turbo engine with FSI direct petrol injection, and a brand new sports chassis incorporating the leading edge Audi magnetic ride adaptive damping system for optimum balance and composure. The TT 2.0 TFSI is priced from £24,625 OTR.