Audi Sports Twin Bluetec Diesels

Audi confirmed that the Q7 will be the first Bluetec-badged diesel it will offer in theUnited States – and threw in a guest appearance by pop star Seal singing his hit Crazy as a bonus for media showgoers.

At the November Los Angeles auto show, Audi and Volkswagen confirmed that they would adopt Bluetec technology, pioneered by Mercedes-Benz, to ensure their future diesel models would be able to meet new, stringent U.S. emissions standards. The Bluetec system sprays emissions with urea to remove nitrogen oxides, the bane of diesel engines.

The Q7 will get a 3.0-liter, Bluetec equipped turbodiesel when it goes on sale in the U.S. in 2008. But Audi also showed a V-12 Bluetec turbodiesel concept at the Detroit show that could enter production soon. Modern diesels are also about great performance, Audi execs said – and underscored it with the V-12’s power stats. The massive engine in the Q7 puts out a purported 500 horsepower and 738 pound feet of torque, enough to push the Q7 to 62 mph in 5.5 seconds.

Audi has great hopes for the Bluetec diesels in the U.S. Diesels account for 50 percent of Audi sales globally; diesels “could have 10 percent or even 15 percent of the U.S. market,” says Rupert Stadler, the new head of Audi AG.

As for Seal, a Q7 owner, an Audi diesel sounds like a good prospect – “it’s pretty much my everyday vehicle,” the singer said of the Q7.

Audi says its sales rose 9.2 percent in 2006 to a record of more than 905,000 units worldwide.

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