Roon

Anna,

Thank you again for your prompt and thorough reply, sounds like the TT is going to be great fun to drive now all I've got to do is wait..........

Regards,

Cameron Graham

-----Original Message-----
From: Anna_Burgdorf@astre.com.au [mailto:Anna_Burgdorf@astre.com.au]
Sent: Friday, October 22, 1999 1:53 PM
To: Cameron Graham
Subject: RE: TT handling and ESP


Cameron

You will receive a letter from our Service Dept. very shortly which should
allay any concerns you may have about the car's stability. Until that time,
I am able to assure you that the TT is not unstable. A few customers in
Europe have criticised the vehicle's performance under certain conditions,
only at high speed, where the TT has not been as forgiving as they expected
- ie it behaved like a rear-wheel drive car once the limits of stability
had been reached.

Yes, we are aware of unlimited speed in the NT, however the situation here
is not one of safety - the car is perfectly safe however some drivers have
found it more difficult to control than they expect under a fairly narrow
set of criteria. Driving the car over speeds of 160 kmh is not unsafe - all
drivers should however, be aware that they should only drive the TT, or
indeed any vehicle, at speeds or in situations that they have complete
control over.

When we launched the vehicle in outback WA to the national motoring media,
we had the cars travelling in all situations from mud, to dirt and bitumen
- cornering and braking - at speeds between 230 - 243 kmh. The media had no
porblems or concerns whatsoever with the handling of the car - because they
are experts under harsh and fast driving conditions.

We anticipate that our TT owners will know their own limits and will not
experience problems, however we will of course offer the same modifications
here as in Europe in the event that customers want or need the
modifications made. We have your best interests at heart in this, and any
other respect.

Please find following an extract from a release sent to the national
motoring media which you may find useful.

Audi to make voluntary modifications to TT

AUDI AG has announced that it will make voluntary technical modifications
to its TT sportscar, with a view to altering the vehicle's road
behaviour. This voluntary action by the Ingolstadt-based company is in
response to recent criticism of the car's handling in certain situations
at high speed, close to the limits of stability.

These criticisms are not expected to apply to vehicles owned by
Australian customers as maximum legal speed limits on Australian roads
are significantly lower than those in Europe.

"We are maintaining a close watch on the situation in Europe, however do
not expect any concerns with the TT's handling in Australia because our
legal speed limits are much lower than in some areas of Europe. Customer
criticism relates to the vehicle's road behaviour close to the handling
limit and only at very high speeds," said Mr Matthias Seidl, managing
director of Audi in Australia.

"I would like to stress that this is a voluntary campaign undertaken by
Audi AG, not a safety issue or a recall. However if any of our customers
do want their vehicles modified, then we will of course offer this
option, as soon as the parts become available from the factory," Mr Seidl
added.

The scheduled measures affect both the car's suspension and its
aerodynamic performance. Modified stabilisers are to be fitted to the
front suspension of front-wheel-drive models, and quattro versions will
have these stabilisers fitted at both front and rear. A
correspondingly-modified wishbone will be fitted at the front, together
with firmer damper settings at the front and rear.

In addition to these suspension modifications, the TT will receive a rear
spoiler.

With the modified suspension settings and the rear spoiler, the TT will
retain its satisfying agility, while the limits of stability will be
spread over a broader range, with the result that drivers will find the
car more forgiving.

With the TT, Audi developed a sports car with an overall concept (short
wheelbase, weight distribution, aerodynamics, suspension settings) that
gives it extremely agile road behaviour.

In view of these settings, the TT proves to have a relatively narrow
handling limit zone if extreme manoeuvres are undertaken at high speeds.
When the physical handling limits are reached a rapid and reliable
reaction on the part of the driver is needed.

These characteristics have led to some customers objecting to the car
Anna,
Thank you for your reply.

A couple of concerns;

* The Northern Territory has no speed limit and I have driven there at
speeds of 190kmh+. Might want to take the TT for a "run"........

* Stability under braking. During my brief test drive of the FWD in
June I was unable to perform a hard braking stop from high speed. From
discussions, it appears that braking instability can/may occur at
relatively
modest speeds, say 100- 120 kmh which is easily achievable on any of the
freeways around Sydney or on the open road. I do not "intend" (yes officer)
to drive at more than 120kmh on the open road, however I am concerned that
even at these speeds stability may be questionable. Prior to acceptance of
vehicle I would need to ascertain for myself that stability is OK.


Thank You,

Cameron Graham


-----Original Message-----
From: Anna_Burgdorf@astre.com.au [mailto:Anna_Burgdorf@astre.com.au]
Sent: Thursday, October 21, 1999 11:02 AM
To: Cameron@i-t-s.net.au
Subject: TT handling and ESP


Dear Cameron

Thank you for your recent email to Audi regarding the TT Coupe.

In Germany, Audi is offering to retrofit modified stabilisers to TT Coupe
vehicles following a small amount of criticism about the vehicle's handling
in certain situations at high speeds, close to the limits of stability.
This is a voluntary action on behalf of Audi.

In Australia, we are not affected by this handling tendency due to the
maximum legal speed limits on our roads. The TT is tending to oversteer
when driven at the very limit of its stability, however this can only occur
at very high speeds which we cannot duplicate in this country. We are
however, closely monitoring the situation in Europe.

I understand that is it possible that ESP will become a standard feature on
all TT Coupes next year.

Yours sincerely
Anna Burgdorf
Public Relations Manager

Janet Lawrence

nt

John TT

Wow, looks like AoA Public Relations could learn a thing or two from their colleagues down under!! (nt)