When it comes to tuning an Audi, most would think of ABT Sportline. The performance tuner has been tuning Audis since the 1980s and is pretty well regarded amongst Audi/VW enthusiasts. ABT Sportline has had one of its cars, an Audi 200 Wagon driven by James Bond around Bratislavia in The Living Daylights. The Audi 100/200 evolved into the A6, and now, years later we have ABT Sportline tuning the latest C7 Audi A6. Not one of my best opening statements but it does tell you that ABT have been tuning Audis for a few decades.

As with most European tuners these days, ABT Sportline has started with tuning the C7 Audi A6 diesel. The A6 3.0 TDI gets 282bhp instead of the standard 245bhp. The ABT Power S package adds another 18bhp with a different turbocharger as well as a whopping 610Nm compared to the already fantastic 510Nm. With diesel tuning, its more about torque than horsepower, more about mid-range pull than outright maximum power.

ABT also states that it also coming out with a tuning package for the petrol powered cars. The 2011 Audi A6 3.0 FSI supercharged V6 engine will get its ECU tweaked making it develop 410bhp instead of 300bhp. No torque figures are revealed as yet but the FSI supercharged engine is similar to the one powering the Audi S4. This means ABT has a base figure of around 440Nm. Already a nice figure for a mid-sized sedan.

ABT Sportline adds a subtle bodykit for the Audi A6 too. Discreet spoilers, slightly more aggressive bumpers front and rear and bigger wheels. The tuning firm proposes rims that range from a 'sensible' 19 inch to steam roller sized 21 inches. There are three types of designs to choose from and all look huge in the press photos.

No performance figures are revealed as yet but the details given above are good enough for coffee shop/forum discussion amongst enthusiasts. IF they have gotten over their discussion on why the C7 A6 looks so similar to the B8 A4.