The exhaust is part of the Audi drive select driving dynamics system, which comes as standard on the RS 4 Avant.

It is capable of altering the sound produced by the vehicle’s exhaust, opting for a double-declutching approach to changing down through the gears when dynamic mode is selected.

Elsewhere in the vehicle, thermal insulation is an area of focus, with high-performance disc brakes whose steel friction rings are perforated.

These perforations help to reduce tension in the rings, avoid heat transmission during peak temperatures, and dissipate the produced heat more quickly.

An associated impact that sports drivers are likely to welcome is the 3kg weight reduction that has been achieved through the use of the new friction ring design.

Autins’ lightweight acoustic and thermal insulation materials can deliver high performance without adding unwanted weight to your vehicle.

Take a look at our full range of automotive insulations and determine which is best suited to your needs – each material is available in a range of thicknesses and weights, giving you a good level of control over the final weight of your vehicle.

The EU Tyre Label will include a variety of information – including external rolling noise, wet grip and fuel efficiency.

Continental Tyres says safety is a big issue as tyres rated ‘A’ can stop in 18m less than those rated ‘F’ from a speed of 50mph.

But environmental issues are also being addressed – such as the impact of tyres on fuel efficiency, due to their rolling resistance.

“Another environmental factor, noise level, will also be highlighted on the label, showing the actual noise rating in decibels and one, two or three black bars, with three being the loudest category,” Continental adds.

The labelling becomes mandatory for tyres supplied to the public in the EU from November 1st, but manufacturers must begin to label their tyres from July 1st onwards in preparation for the public deadline.

At Autins we can help to provide automotive insulations that can cut down on noise levels from elsewhere in the vehicle.

Regardless of the tyres fitted, our acoustic insulation foams and felts can add extra noise protection to wheel arches and side doors, keeping the sounds of the road outside.

However, caring for the environment does not mean sacrificing ride quality, with several measures taken to ensure the driver and passengers alike can travel in comfort.

Among these measures is the near-silent operation of the vehicle during some stages of the drive, as noted by Mercedes-Benz.

“Hybridisation represents an increase in ride comfort: starting up and moving off are practically silent, and the hybrid module also dampens any vibrations from the combustion engine.”

At speeds below 160kmph – around 100mph – the combustion engine can be switched off completely, as the electric motor can maintain the vehicle’s speed.

Other systems – including the air conditioning and, importantly, the steering and brakes – are electrical, meaning they do not suffer degradation of performance once the combustion engine deactivates.

Autins’ acoustic insulations for the engine bay can help to further reduce combustion engine noise and heat transference into the interior cabin.

We have foams and felts to choose from, depending on whether a three-dimensional, moulded component of insulation is needed, or whether a two-dimensional layer is considered sufficient.

Either way, our modern performance materials make it likely that we have an automotive insulation to meet your needs.

Various automotive insulations – including an acoustic windscreen and thicker side windows at the front – help to cut out unwanted noise from the surroundings.

The electric drive obviously helps to reduce engine noise, but an exhaust system designed newly for the Jetta Hybrid further enhances this quieting effect.

Other than these measures, the manufacturer says that “the interior of the Hybrid is very much like that of any other Jetta”.

At Autins, we understand the importance of keeping things quiet during a long journey – and we can provide the automotive insulations required to shut unwanted sounds out of the interior cabin of a vehicle.

Our interior cabin acoustic and thermal insulations include solutions for door trims and instruments panels, along with transmission tunnels.

Parcel shelves and speaker housings can be insulated to prevent any rattling of components, cutting out annoying buzzing noises and vibrations.

Meanwhile, acoustic insulations for modern vehicles can also quieten down the operation of electric motors – typically those used in moving the seats and windows, rather than those used to power the car itself.

The manufacturer has outlined the specifications of the new model, including the ways in which it aims to deliver a noise-free driving experience for owners.

“Extensive noise-reduction measures ensure minimal transmission of engine and road sound,” Kia says of its new model.

Meanwhile, “the low coefficient of drag – down to 0.29 from the 0.32 of Kia’s previous D-segment saloon – not only helps fuel economy, but also minimises wind turbulence”.

This should also help to reduce any unwanted vibrations or buffeting of the vehicle at high speeds, or during unsettled exterior weather conditions.

Eliminating vibrations from the road is a matter of adding automotive insulation to the underbody of most vehicles, with felts and foams suitable for different components, depending on their location and exposure to heat.

Autins’ range of underbody and exterior acoustic and thermal insulations includes materials suitable for longitudinal elements and exterior tunnels.

Side door absorbers, wheel arch liners, suspension compressor housings and covers for rear- and side-view cameras can also help to enhance the acoustic insulation properties of a car, creating an all-round approach to eliminating unwanted noise.

The vario-roof option gives a top-down driving experience even with the top up, as the roof of the vehicle can tint to provide shade, or switch to near-transparency to let the light in.

However, when the roof is retracted into the boot, it doesn’t mean a noisy, windy experience, thanks to the aerodynamics of the vehicle.

Mercedes-Benz promise “the lowest wind noise, that is virtually on a par with a closed saloon” and “the best comfort for open-top motoring, so that you can still have the roof down – even at high speed”.

Whether driving with the roof up or down, acoustic performance is an important part of the design of the new Mercedes-Benz SL line-up.

For instance, spaces in the aluminium support structure of the front footwells have been designed to operate as resonating chambers for the in-car speaker system.

That means a concert-hall quality to music when played in the vehicle – with particularly powerful performance at bass frequencies.

If you want similarly strong sound performance for your car – whether it is open-top or a conventional saloon – consider Autins’ range of automotive insulations, which can eliminate road noise and unwanted engine vibrations.

Starting from £24,200, the Volkswagen CC includes 2Zone climate control as standard, but the GT specification, starting at £27,570, adds further thermal characteristics to the vehicle’s profile.

The leather-upholstered front seats become heated for GT drivers, and are coupled with thermally insulating window glass to help keep the heat in.

Front climate seats with massaging functionality are a further add-on, for motorists and passengers who demand extra comfort.

At Autins, we can supply thermal insulation fabrics and foams for a variety of different places in your vehicle.

The Autins K-Series of insulating foils is particularly notable for its performance as both a thermal and an acoustic insulation at high temperatures.

Often used in conjunction with other Autins materials to improve their thermal insulation capabilities, the foils can measure from 80 microns to 1mm in thickness, and are made from micro-perforated aluminium or thicker glass fibres.

Areas of use in the typical vehicle include anywhere that the normal operating temperature of the vehicle is at its highest; this can be the engine bay and engine cover, the exhaust or any turbo exhaust elements that may be fitted.

Charlie Turner, editor in chief of Top Gear magazine, says the decision was, unusually, unanimous among the voting parties, including show’s three presenters.

“Universal approval from the most opinionated minds in the industry is almost unheard of, which gives you some idea of just how good the Range Rover Evoque, Top Gear’s 2011 Car of the Year, really is.”

One element that may have helped the Range Rover Evoque to take the title is its quieter diesel engine, which the manufacturer says was “engineered to deliver quieter, more refined performance”.

Range Rover’s lightest diesel engine ever, the 2.2-litre 150hp eD4 still offers a maximum speed of 112mph, accelerates to 60mph in a little over ten seconds, and can cover over 60 miles to the gallon in ‘extra urban’ conditions.

Autins’ engine bay acoustic insulations can help the most powerful of systems to operate with less disruption to the driver and passengers.

We have two-dimensional fabrics where the thickness of the material is a concern, and three-dimensional moulded foams capable of operating at high temperatures, for full or partial bonnet-lining applications and insulation of beauty covers.

The two companies are to look into sustainable methods of powering vehicles, including solar cells and wind turbines.

Far from having a windmill on the roof of your car, this would be achieved through a new generation of lithium ion fuel cells that could be charged using renewable methods.

Biofuels are also on the agenda for the two firms, with BMW to supply 1.6 and 2.0-litre diesel engines to Toyota Motor Europe from 2014 – although it remains to be seen whether these will be powered by conventional diesel or by new biodiesel fuels.

With a firm focus on the environment, it seems likely that any engines developed will be low in pollutants – and electric battery-powered engines are likely to be especially low in noise pollution.

Autins’ engine bay automotive insulations can help to cut down on noise pollution by preventing unwanted sounds from leaving the engine bay.

They also have positive effects for the environment in terms of minimising the escape of engine heat, making the driving experience more comfortable for those inside the vehicle and reducing the passage of thermal energy to the surroundings of the car.

Peter Mertens, senior vice-president for research and development at Volvo, says this is the first time an automatic gearbox has been able to match a manual for fuel consumption.

“For the first time ever, we have managed to bring the fuel consumption in variants with an automatic gearbox down to the same level as in the manual versions – an impressive achievement by our powertrain experts.”

The changes made to the gearbox, which is available in the Volvo S60, V60, V70 and S80 DRIVe Automatic models, are likely to be welcomed by motorists who are enthusiastic about a quiet drive.

For instance, friction between different components in the gearbox has been reduced, helping to reduce the inefficiency caused by them grinding against one another.

An intelligent start-stop system that cuts the engine off altogether at less than 3mph has also been put in place.

Autins’ acoustic damping can be used to prevent unwanted transmission noise, such as D-Series Rubber Matting, which can also be used in interior wheelarches, engine bays and in the vehicle exterior.