AUDI is to introduce the 150bhp 2.5-litre V6 TDI engine, which debuted in the A6, to its A4 line-up from September. It has also announced a series of model changes, specification enhancements and price increases across its entire range.

This year Audi expects to sell around 40,000 cars in Britain with the majority being bought by fleets. Next year sales will reach around 42,000 units buoyed by niche products such as the S4 quattro and TT Coupe. From September 1 prices of the A3 and A6 saloon and Avant increase by an average 2.5% with the entry-level A3 1.6 now costing £15,226 on the road and the range-topping 1.9 TDI SE costing £20,532 on the road.

The entry-level A6 1.9 TDI 110 now costs £23,145 with the range extending to £31,387 for the 2.8 V6 quattro. With the price rise on the A3 1999 model year, cars now come with an improved security locking system, first seen on the A6 saloon as well as some subtle detail enhancements including the adoption of the remote control central locking system reserved for SE models. SE models now also include an automatic dipping rear view mirror.

The central locking system in the Audi cabriolet and the A6 have also been upgraded. The A4 range is boosted by the V6 turbodiesel costing £23,345 on the road and £24,944 in SE guise and joining it in the 1999 model line-up is an A4 powered by the 2.7-litre bi-turbo V6 which produces 193bhp and appears in the S4 quattro which costs £28,900. Powering the S4 from 0-62 mph in 5.6 seconds the engine already appears in the S6. Prices for the A4 saloon and Avant, the cabriolet and A8 remain unchanged.