Date: Thu, 17 Apr 2003 18:37:05 +0200 From: "Mark Gerritsma" <nl.autonopsamtmfweb.nld> Subject: Re: GM to increase SAAB lineup
B&D <NO_SPAMnopsamCOM> schreef: >>>> journalists who test drove the cars equipped with it (Audi TT 3.2 >>>> V6 and VW Golf R32) had very positive impressions. >>> >>> Heard about this shortly after the post - any idea when it will be >>> generally available? Seems to me that Audi is quite innovative >>> here. >> >> Over here it is already available in the two (and at this moment just >> those two) models mentioned. >> Audi isn't as innovative as it may seem. This concept was already >> used by Porsche over 20 years ago. They didn't bring it to the >> market , because the (affordable) electronics at the time were found >> to be inadequate. > > Cool! And isn't Porsche and Audi the same company? I seem to recall > the tiptronic in a Porsce 911 some years ago as an option (shudder). Porsche and Audi are two distinct companies, but in the US they have joined forces in the past. For the US market Audi has borrowed the tiptronic name, in Europe it was just called an automatic with manual shift option. In case you didn't know Audi and VW are the same company. But Porsche and VW (and therfore Audi) are historically linked though. VW wouldn't even have existed if Ferdinand Porsche hadn't designed the KdF-car. And that KdF-car is nowadays better known as the Beetle. VW's former CEO PiÎch is also related to the Porsche family. A few years they even expected Porsche CEO Wiedeking to be his succesor. In the end that didn't happen. Instead BMW's outcast Pischetsrieder got the job, but it is still a good example of both companies relation to one another. Mark
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