A lot can happen in nine seconds. It’s the time it took Bayern Munich’s Roy Makaay to score a goal against Real Madrid in the 2007 UEFA Champion’s League. It’s the time it took Usain Bolt to run 100m in New York in May. It’s the time it took Harris Chan to break the world record for doing the Rubik’s cube earlier this year. It’s also the time that a student named Rich took to unclasp the bra straps of seven women (thank you, YouTube) and, if you are a quick reader, it’s the time you have taken to read to this point.
More importantly, it’s the time it takes the fabric roof to fold neatly into the trunk of Audi’s sporty new compact cabriolet. That’s quite a jump in the record stakes. It takes the BMW 1 Series convertible, the A3’s only realistic competitor, a gasping and red-faced 22 seconds to convert — if that’s the right word. The Astra Twin Top limps in at 30 seconds, while the Ford Focus CC takes a semi-comatose 35. You could open and shut the roof of the A3 almost four times in the eon of finger-drumming boredom the Ford takes. The latter two are folding hard tops rather than cloth tops, which give you the flexibility of an all-weather saloon and a convertible, but I’ve always found the lack of trunk space, the swollen rear end, the cramped back seats and the complexity of the opening mechanisms give you all the flexibility of a sergeant major at a passing-out ceremony.
The A3 can also cleverly open and shut its roof at speeds of up to 29kph. Many convertibles can do it at a crawl; plenty can only do it at a standstill. It may seem an unnecessary perk, but it’s surprising how useful it is, especially in the city. On the basic model, the roof is only semi-automatic: you have to clamp and unclamp it yourself, which is only really a problem if you have just had a set of 8cm false nails stuck on. But the model I drove was fully automatic, so all you have to do is concentrate on not decapitating the kids. Or maybe that would be another bonus.
In the UK, Audi is on a mission to become the country’s biggest-selling premium brand. Last year it sold 30,936 models compared to BMW’s 33,326 and Mercedes-Benz’s 23,003. And this new A3 will only confirm Audi’s status. The build quality is outstanding. Week in, week out I am lucky enough to find myself behind the wheels of some very posh cars, but slipping into the A3, you immediately sense that the benchmark has been raised. From the lush interior’s tactile surfaces to the emotive, sophisticated design and the exhilarating drive, Audi ensures you feel you are in the poshest of company.
There are four engine options — two variants of the FSi gasoline and two direct-injection turbo diesels — and they all drive the front wheels. The Sport version with the 2-liter, 200bhp engine will do zero to 100kph in 7.3 seconds and has a top speed of 230kph.
So is the A3 cab for you? It is, Audi believes, if you are middle-aged, have children under 18, are more than likely a woman, and have a high level of education and income and other cars within the household.
May 18 to May 24 Pastor Yang Hsu’s (楊煦) congregation was shocked upon seeing the land he chose to build his orphanage. It was surrounded by mountains on three sides, and the only way to access it was to cross a river by foot. The soil was poor due to runoff, and large rocks strewn across the plot prevented much from growing. In addition, there was no running water or electricity. But it was all Yang could afford. He and his Indigenous Atayal wife Lin Feng-ying (林鳳英) had already been caring for 24 orphans in their home, and they were in
On May 2, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), at a meeting in support of Taipei city councilors at party headquarters, compared President William Lai (賴清德) to Hitler. Chu claimed that unlike any other democracy worldwide in history, no other leader was rooting out opposing parties like Lai and the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). That his statements are wildly inaccurate was not the point. It was a rallying cry, not a history lesson. This was intentional to provoke the international diplomatic community into a response, which was promptly provided. Both the German and Israeli offices issued statements on Facebook
Even by the standards of Ukraine’s International Legion, which comprises volunteers from over 55 countries, Han has an unusual backstory. Born in Taichung, he grew up in Costa Rica — then one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — where a relative worked for the embassy. After attending an American international high school in San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital, Han — who prefers to use only his given name for OPSEC (operations security) reasons — moved to the US in his teens. He attended Penn State University before returning to Taiwan to work in the semiconductor industry in Kaohsiung, where he
Australia’s ABC last week published a piece on the recall campaign. The article emphasized the divisions in Taiwanese society and blamed the recall for worsening them. It quotes a supporter of the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) as saying “I’m 43 years old, born and raised here, and I’ve never seen the country this divided in my entire life.” Apparently, as an adult, she slept through the post-election violence in 2000 and 2004 by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), the veiled coup threats by the military when Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) became president, the 2006 Red Shirt protests against him ginned up by
RSS