At the risk of reinforcing old school stereotypes, when it comes to cars girls do tend to be a little more interested in colour, interior and accessories, than engine, emissions and handling – with that in mind here’s our specially designed Audi guide for girls, with information on model preferences to suit mood, colour scheme and style.

Soft furnishings – Detroit showcase Audi e-tron

Women excel in the subject of soft furnishings; we love curtains, we love scatter cushions and we love rugs, but we also love style and expect this to extend to our cars. 2010 saw the launch of the Detroit showcase Audi e-tron car – which offers the epitome of sleek interior sophistication, all clean leather lines with a flush gear shift that emerges from the tunnel when the vehicle is started.

Vintage Chic – Audi Quattro Spyder

Proof that true style is timeless; the Quattro Spyder still looks current ten years after its release. Launched at the Frankfurt Motor Show in 1991, the flat sports coupé Quattro Spyder created quite a stir on the auto scene, but despite massive consumer interest only two prototypes were constructed – which means it’ll be a bit hard to compare car insurance should you ever manage to get your hands on one.

Kid friendly – Q5 and Q7

If there’s two of you in a relationship, women are generally lumbered with the ‘family’ / ‘sensible’ car when you have kids, with the man opting for the ‘almost sports’ car in a bid to retain his sense of freedom and adventure. Fear not ladies, the Audi Q5 and Q7 offer all the space and strength to contain and withstand the battery of small children, without the loss of the leather sports interior, air-con and ten-speaker stereo system.

Cutting edge – R8 TDI Le Mans Concept

It’s a very basic, yet hotly denied, fact that we all judge on first looks – meaning you’ve got to make a good impression immediately or suffer at the hands of consequence forever more. As a woman I want my car to stand out not just because it’s bright pink, but also because it’s god damn handsome – and how much more handsome can you get than the R8 TDI Le Mans Concept which is described as having ‘muscular proportions, accentuated wheel arches and even larger air apertures’…?

Complete coordination – all models

I don’t want a sales man to tell me that a car only comes in one colour – if you’re buying an Audi straight from the factory you can pretty much have whatever colour you want, for a few extra pounds of course. Which means if you really want a pink car – you can, and if you always dreamed of a cool chrome car, dream no more.

Embarrassed you only have the measly 3.0 TDI Audi Q7 SUV? The tuner ENCO has your answer. They’ve taken the original front and back-end from a high-end Q7 V12 model and stuck it on the 3.0 TDI, making it look more aggressive and expensive. The ENCO press release for this SUV says “The giant radiator grill looks like a mouth ripped wide open from the inside mirror, which seems to want to ‘absorb’ small cars in front of it.” Nice.

The wheel arches have been widened, giving the SUV a wider stance. ENCO added their own GT bonnet (hood, for us Westerners,) made from lightweight carbon fiber and covered in a matte black finish. ENCO also added their own 23-inch wheels painted black chrome, and wrapped them in Dunlop SP Sport Maxx tires for higher performance. ENCO snagged the ceramic brakes from a Porsche Cayenne SUV and threw them on as well, ensuring the Q7 stops on a dime.

Inside, they’ve finished the Q7 in a bronze carbon look on the dashboard, center console, door trim, and steering wheel. I’ve never seen orange carbon fiber, and it actually looks pretty cool. ENCO’s Q7 also comes standard with a multimedia system including satellite TV, DVD player, video game console, and head rest LCD monitor.

Price? Don’t expect it to be cheap. For the whole shebang, ENCO will charge you €38000, or over $51,000 USD. Holy crap! Take a look at more pics below:

Abt AS7 Audi Q7 Facelift

After a couple years, it’s easy to get bored with a car you drive every day, especially if it’s not a particularly exciting car in the first place. Take the Audi Q7 for example. It’s not a bad vehicle in any way, but just like every other SUV on the road, it’s a bit…mundane. That doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new car every couple of years though. Bored with your Q7? Hand it over to ABT for an energizing facelift and overall upgrade. Not only will it make you love your SUV again, but you’ll stand out from all the other standard Q7s on the road.

Once you hand the keys over to German tuner ABT, they’ll make enough changes to convince you it’s a different vehicle altogether.

First on the list, ABT will tune the Q7’s engine for a beefier output. If your Q7 is equipped with the 240 hp 3.0 TDI, choose the upgrade for 282 hp or have them add a turbocharger for 310 hp. Owners of the 326 hp Q7 4.2 TDI can get an increase to 365 hp. Audi’s 3.0 TDI clean diesel also has an upgrade available taking the total power output from 240 hp to 278.

In addition to the increased power, ABT will add a complete aerodynamics kit for the AS7, including side skirts, rear skirt, end pipes, fender extension, and rear wing. Special ABT BR one-piece casted wheels round out the exterior changes and add some serious aggressiveness.

A few interior changes are also available, including aluminum pedals and footrest, ABT floor mats, and an ABT trunk mat.

Audi Q7 Two-Door Concept

Despite the fact that this would (hopefully) never go into production, it’s an interesting thought. A two-door luxury SUV. Audi makes a lot of effort to give the Q7 options to make it sporty such as an S-line package, paddle-shifters, a body kit, big sporty wheels, and other stuff. While I do like the idea of personalizing your vehicle, I fail to see the point of giving your big SUV paddle shifters and sport modes and the like. The body kit…I get it, it’s an appearance package, and it looks cool. But no paddle shifting or sport mode is going to make me think I’m driving a sports car.

Same situation here. What would be the point of making a two-door luxury SUV? First of all the doors would be huge and heavy. I’m sure it would be popular to add all the S-line stuff onto it. Great, now you have a big SUV wrapped in sports car clothing. It’s still a big SUV, and will always handle like a big SUV.

Check out modtor.com for high-resolution wallpapers of the Audi Q7 two-door.

Updated 2010 Audi Q7

Audi just released details on the next generation Q7 set to be a 2010 model. The new Q7 will receive a big exterior update to include new front and rear LED lighting to include the daytime running lights, turn signals, and brake lights. A new optional headlight system includes zenon bulbs with low beam, high beam, and super highway beam, and is controlled with an adaptive front lighting system. Other exterior changes include chrome accents, two-tone exterior mirrors, new wheel designs, updated front and rear bumpers, four new paint colors (one of which you see here,) and a new shape for the rear liftgate to accommodate license plates from around the world.

In addition to the exterior updates, the 2010 Q7 will get new ventilated leather front seats, a redesigned instrument cluster, extra chrome and wood trim, new interior color choices, a new ambient door lighting, and the third generation MMI system, which includes cool new features like 3D navigation and voice activated controls that let you say things like “I’m hungry” to lead you to a restaurant, or “I need gas” for a gas station, instead of the roundabout way most systems require (i.e. “Navigation” > “Category” > “Restaurant” – etc.)

2010 Audi Q7 Updated Interior

The US version of the Q7 will be available in three different engine configs, all of which have increased fuel efficiency this year: a 3.6-liter, 280hp V6 which gets 14/20mpg, a 4.2-liter, 350hp V8 with 13/18mpg, and a diesel variant – the carried over Q7 TDI with a 3.0-liter, 225hp diesel V6 with 17/25mpg. Here’s hoping us Americans get the beastly 500hp V12 TDI engine option that the Europeans have.

The 2010 Q7’s main competitors will be the BMW X5 and Mercedes-Benz GL, with the Acura MDX, Porsche Cayenne, and VW Touareg stealing some thunder. The Q7 TDI will be available this month, but expect the redesigned 2010 Q7 to be on showroom floors beginning in Fall 2009. Prices will be announced closer to launch.

Photo Gallery below:

We just reported on the new Q7 TDI availability, but didn’t have any pricing information at the time. Well Audi just announced pricing on the 2009 Q7 TDI, which will start at $51,725 (including the $825 destination charge.) Fairly expensive, but about the same as its main rivals, the BMW X5 35d ($52,025) and Mercedes-Benz ML 320 Bluetec ($48,125.)

The Q7 TDI will also qualify for the $1,150 Alternative Motor Vehicle Tax Credit from the IRS.

Audi (and parent company VW) are launching their initiative to get diesel into the American mainstream again. With hybrid-level efficiency and plenty of power on tap, we Americans need to start learning from the Europeans and looking at getting a diesel-powered car on our next purchase.

So here we have a large Audi SUV that runs on a 225 horsepower 3.0-liter TDI V6 which pushes out an exceptional 406 lbft of torque available at a mere 1750 RPMs – a direct side effect from diesel-powered engines. The Q7 TDI will get a 6-speed Tiptronic transmission paired to a quattro AWD drivetrain.

For those who don’t know, TDI stands for “Turbocharged Direct Injection,” which is simply VW’s term for their modern turbocharged diesel engines. The benefits of driving a diesel are many, but it hasn’t really caught on in the States yet, but with our recent gas price spike, people might start thinking more about the future and buy diesel. The problem is that currently, diesel fuel is more expensive than standard petrol, which cancels out the advantage of better fuel efficiency.

But now, diesel prices are falling again (although very slowly,) and hopefully people will start seeing the upsides again. Modern diesel engines are significantly better than the black smoke-spitting engines of yore. Not only do they provide better fuel economy, but it burns cleaner and emits fewer emissions, and provides exceptional power and torque compared to their gasoline-burning siblings.

Here’s one man looking forward to seeing many “TDI” badges roaming our streets.

More pictures of the Audi Q7 TDI below: