2012 Audi S8 – Feature

What it is: The sportiest version of the Audi A8. While the previous S8 had a Lamborghini-based 5.2-liter V-10, the new S8 has a twin-turbo V-8.

Why it matters: Audi’s last S8 didn’t exactly wow us, and this one has a bunch of new competitors. But, based on our experience with the new A8, things look promising for the top Audi sedan.

Platform: The latest A8’s aluminum space frame and body.

Powertrain: A 520-hp, 4.0-liter turbocharged V-8.

Competition: Aston Martin Rapide, Maserati Quattroporte, Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG, Porsche Panamera.

What might go wrong: Very little. This will be the most fun-to-drive A8 by far, and big sales volumes are not what Audi is going for.

Estimated arrival and price: We expect it to hit dealerships in 2012, at a cost of more than $100,000.

Read More: http://www.caranddriver.com/features/11q1/2012_audi_s8-feature

Audi Powers Onward With Clean-Diesel Lineup For U.S. Buyers

While Volkswagen and Mercedes-Benz are the long-term diesel stalwarts in the States, relative newcomer Audi has ambitious plans.

During a lengthy teleconference yesterday, Audi confirmed that it would add TDI clean-diesel models to every car it offers in the U.S. market by 2015.

Audi has frequently touted the strong sales of its two current TDI models, the 2011 Audi Q7 TDI large sport utility vehicle and the compact (but aging) Audi A3 TDI hatchback.

The A3 TDI is by far the more affordable of Audi's first U.S. diesels, and the company scored a coup when it was named Green Car of the Year for 2010, its first year on sale.

But neither the A3 nor the Q7 is a high-volume model for Audi, so the high diesel sales percentage only adds up to small numbers. In 2009, for instance, Audi sold 5,200 clean diesels here, or just 6.3 percent of its total sales of 82,716. Last year, it sold roughly 3,480 A3 TDI models out of a total of 101,629 sales, and a like number of Q7 TDIs.

Audi's best-selling model in the States, the midsize A4 sports sedan, will get a TDI option when it's next redesigned. That model, which managed 53 mpg on the European test cycle, will likely be launched in 2014 or so.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1056518_audi-powers-onward-with-clean-diesel-lineup-for-u-s-buyers