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

AUTO SHOWS: First Look: Audi A3 Concept Sedan

With its Audi 3 concept for the 2011 Geneva auto show, the German automaker is not only showcasing the future of the A3, but it is also revealing that the long-awaited A3 sedan will eventually become a part of the car's lineup. And if it looks anything like these drawings, we can't wait to see more.

At roughly 175 inches long, 72.5 inches wide and 54.7 inches high, it's more than 6-inches longer, some 3-inches wider and more than an inch lower than the present A3 five-door. According to Audi, the concept's 'proportions emphasize the dynamism of the car's appearance.' Among the concept's top design features are what Audi refers to as a 'flowing roof dome and a coupe-like, low C-pillar' (heaven knows it wouldn't be a sedan these days without a coupe-like greenhouse), a new take on the brand's single-frame grille, and updated LED lightbanks.

Even more dynamism can be found under the hood, where the A3 Concept will feature a version of Audi's inline 2.5-liter five-cylinder boosted to as much as 408 horsepower, mated to Audi's seven-speed S tronic gearbox. Of course, quattro will drive all four wheels.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/geneva/2011/1102_audi_a3_concept_sedan/index.html

The Audi R8 Spyder: Breathtaking

The Audi R8 Spyder couples exceptional dynamism with the intense joy of open-top driving

Audi Dealers

Due To Record Sales, BMW and Audi to Expand Factories This Year

According to Bloomberg, BMW, Mercedes and Audi AG, the world’s three largest luxury-car makers, will expand factories this year to ease capacity constraints driven by record demand for their vehicles.

Volkswagen AG’s Audi is aiming to overthrown BMW as the world’s bigger maker of premium vehicles by 2015, and plans to increase production for cars and SUV to more than the 1.15 million produced in 2010.
BMW and Mercedes have similar plants with increased production at the Leipzig and respectively Stuttgart plant.

“The top three are poised for further growth,” said Juergen Pieper, a Frankfurt-based analyst with Bankhaus Metzler who recommends buying VW, Daimler and BMW shares. “The momentum in luxury markets will continue this year and also in 2012. It’s a necessity for manufacturers to take steps to address this.”

The increase in automobiles sales is a direct link to the expanding Chinese market which became one of the two largest auto markets in the world. United States continues to remain the largest one. Audi plans to spend 11.6 billion euros ($15.7 billion) through 2015 on plants and new models. BMW has spent 1.5 billion euros alone on its German plants since 2009, while Daimler is building an 800 million-euro small-car plant in Hungary.

While BMW plans over 20 new models in the next five years, Audi said will roll out a total of 13 new models and upgraded vehicles this year.

The VW unit will spend more than 5 billion euros at two German factories in Ingolstadt and Neckarsulm, where the A6 will be built. Audi also said it will begin work this year to expand a factory in Gyor, Hungary, to increase capacity to 125,000 cars.

Read More: http://www.bmwblog.com/2011/01/21/due-to-record-sales-bmw-and-audi-to-expand-factories-this-year/

2011 Detroit Auto Show: 2012 Audi A6 Hybrid

Audi loves clean diesels, but the German automaker certainly hasn't stacked its entire deck with them. In addition to the upcoming 2012 Audi Q5 Hybrid and the brand's e-Tron electric sports cars in the pipeline, it's now taking hybrids and electric cars seriously, too.

And one of Audi's best options for green-conscious U.S. luxury shoppers might end up being the 2012 A6 Hybrid. The front-wheel-drive, not quattro, sedan will combine the brand's ubiquitous—but efficient and responsive—direct-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder engine with a strong electric motor (45 hp, 155 pound-feet of torque) mounted ahead of the eight-speed automatic transmission.

The trunk-mounted lithium-ion battery pack allows a peak 39 kW but despite a small 1.3 kWh the A6 Hybrid can go for up to two miles on electric power alone and can run at up to 62 mph without the gasoline engine on.

Like the rest of the 2012 Audi A6 line, the new Hybrid has an all-new structure combining aluminum and high-strength steel, with extensive hydraulic damping to keep the interior experience especially smooth.

And just as in the mainstream A6 models, Audi looks to its all-new infotainment systems, incorporating the latest-generation MMI interface, with Bang & Olufsen sound and Google Maps–based displays, as a centerpiece of the A6 interior. Audi also shows off its knack for beautiful interiors with a hand-crafted interior look that includes real wood veneers, ambient lighting, and a look that takes after that of the larger A8.

Read More: http://www.greencarreports.com/blog/1053488_2011-detroit-auto-show-2012-audi-a6-hybrid

Chicago Used Audi

REVIEWS: 2011 Audi S5 Cabriolet 3.0T

We're now well into the season in Michigan where no one fights for the keys to a convertible. This S5 Cabriolet, however, is a soft-top I wouldn't mind driving through the chilly months. Beyond the obvious advantage of all-wheel drive, the Audi has one of the quietest top-up rides I've ever experienced. Climb in, flip on the seat heaters (not so easy to do with Audi's frustratingly complex HVAC controls) and you'll soon forget the roof isn't made of steel.

That also applies to the way it drives. Mash the pedal, and the all-wheel-drive system and 7-speed dual clutch automatic take care of the rest, hurtling you to 60 mph and beyond with a pleasant blat accompanying each upshift. The only fly in Audi's dynamic punchbowl is the variable-effort steering, which reminds me how terrible it is every time I drive through our parking garage and experience the disconcerting and slightly dangerous build up in effort half way through a turn.

Read More: http://www.automobilemag.com/reviews/editors_notebook/1012_2011_audi_s5_cabriolet_3_0t/index.html

Chicago Audi Dealers