The sporty SUV combines the space and comfort of a typical luxury class automobile with a range suitable for everyday use, catapulting the driver into a new era with the electrical all-wheel drive.
Read moreON February 9, Audi unveiled its future in the form of an all-new full-electric high-performance four-door sports coupé, the e-tron GT quattro. The new vehicle sparkles with the shine of the company’s now famous tagline Vorsprung Durch Technik, or as translated into English, ‘Progress through technology’.
There is plenty of significant technology on display in the e-tron GT staring with its ultimate nod to the future, the transition to battery electric propulsion. Quattro means all-wheel drive for Audi and the system has also evolved for electrification. Rather than the traditional methods of routing engine power to all four wheels via mechanical transfer cases and differentials, the e-tron GT quattro drives all its wheels with electric all-wheel drive. Two electric motors sit at each axle, one in front, the other in rear. They combine to give the vehicle 476 horsepower and 464.7 lb/ft of torque. In boost mode torque rises to 472 lb/ft and horsepower to 530 for a maximum of 2.5 seconds. This sends the e-tron GT Quattro to 100 km/h in 4.1 seconds and on to a top speed of 245 km/h.
Read moreEver since brands like BMW experimented with the X6 at the dawn of the 21st century, luxury automakers are making a vehicle for every niche market. Audi, a brand that has thrived on the rally circuit, with its Quattro engine, is also making a name for itself in a slightly new area. Being one of the first high-end brands to enter the luxury subcompact market, the Q3 is now in its second generation, with a bigger body and better proportions than the previous model.
Audi steadfastly sticks to its tried and true design language, starting with its octagonal grille, borrowed from the Q8, and two trapezoidal intakes. From a front view, it’s impossible to mistake it for any other brand, and this time, it’s on the aggressive side. There is also a strong character line which runs below the bonnet, and through to the trunk.
One tree planted for every car sold. This is the promise of the Drive Green campaign, a partnership between ATL Automotive Limited and the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT).
ATL Automotive and the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT) has committed to planting a tree for each car it sells and help to reduce the effects of Carbon Dioxide and other greenhouse gasses emitted by motor vehicles.
While ATL Automotive has offered low-emission vehicles, continuously educating consumers on fuel efficiency and providing excellent motor vehicle care and servicing increasing performance and in turn lowering emissions for some time, the ‘Drive Green’ campaign takes the company’s commitment one step further.
The JCDT, a non-government organisation established to promote environmental conservation and sustainable development, has identified a 1.2 acre plot of land in the Holywell Forest located over 900 metres (3,000 feet) above sea-level in the cool Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park where the trees will be planted.
ATL Automotive customers have the option to visit the site and plant the tree themselves or the JCDT will facilitate planting. Interested consumers will also have the option of purchasing additional trees at a cost of just JMD$133 each.
Motor vehicles typically emit varying amounts of greenhouse gages including nitrogen oxide, carbon monoxide and most commonly, carbon dioxide (CO2) which is believed to contribute to global warming. Planting trees remains one of the cheapest, most effective means of drawing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and through this partnership, ATL Automotive and the JCDT are offering individuals the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprint by offsetting carbon dioxide produced from their day to day activities.
Bruce Duquesnay, Operations Manager from ATL Automotive said the company was excited about the initiative and its potential benefit to the environment. “At ATL Automotive, we have always encouraged responsible motor vehicle use and maintenance as well as fuel saving tips. This initiative gives the company, as well as our customers, the opportunity to reduce our carbon footprint and actively contribute to the protection and preservation of our beautiful country. We’re happy to partner with the JCDT and we look forward to making a difference.”
Trees have played a critical role in maintaining safe levels of oxygen and CO2 in the atmosphere for millions of years as they remove and store CO2 from the atmosphere as they grow and through the process of photosynthesis.
At present, 4-5 million hectares of forest are cleared every year in Latin America and the Caribbean, resulting in as much as 47% of global carbon emissions from deforestation. Significant reduction in forest cover results in reduced humidity and a generally hotter climate, lower rainfall, less productive or dry wells, reduced flow and the drying up of rivers, as well as the erosion of top soil.