Audi is looking to boost the fuel consumption savings of its range of cars, by introducing wider availability of stop start technology. The German car-maker aims to boost average fuel economy by 20% by 2012. Audi says the start-stop system lowers fuel consumption by about 0.2 litres per 100 km, and therefore also reduces CO2 emissions by around 5 g/km.

The stop start Audi system will first appear on the Audi A3 1.4 TFSI followed later by the A4 and A5 all with manual transmissions. Audi also plans to help drivers make savings by using a computerised efficiency program as part of its Audi Driver Information System. This will recommend methods of fuel-efficient driving, building on the fact that up to 30% of consumption is based on driving style. This will include information on optimum gear changes for fuel efficiency.

The system will also highlight the extra consumption caused by unnecessary use of features, such as air conditioning and heated seats. This is added to the energy recovery system already in place on various Audi models.