Audi

Audi is expected to unveil its new A3 at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show next month, but when it does, we’ll already have a pretty good idea of what to expect. And not just because the German automaker’s entire range pretty much boils down (for better or worse) to a single design applied to a variety of shapes, but because it apparently has more leaks than a kid who wets his bed.

First, the overall shape of the car was leaked from every angle when Audi presented its new Connect infotainment system at CES, and now – following hot on the heels of the unexpected early reveal of the RS4 Avant – this solitary image has found its way onto the interwebs.

It shows what appears to be the production-ready A3 three-door hatch we’re expecting to see in just a couple of weeks on the floor of the Geneva Palexpo, and while it could be a rendering, you can count us among the fooled if it is.

Is this the 2012 Audi A3? originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Details are scarce, but what you’re looking at is the 2012 Audi RS4 Avant, the ultimate V8-powered Euro-only wagon that Audi refuses to offer the good people in the U.S. of A.

Powered by the same 4.2-liter V8 fitted to the RS5, output is up around 450 horsepower with 320 pound-feet of torque, allowing the all-wheel-drive super sled to hit 60 mph in around 4.5 seconds and top out at 175 mph.

A seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox is likely standard as is the Dynamic Ride Control suspension and a ride height that’s been dropped around two inches.

We’re hoping to know more before the Avant’s official unveiling in Geneva, but in the meantime, check out the factory fresh batch of images in the gallery above.

UPDATE: Official release after the jump and new pics added to the gallery.

Continue reading 2012 Audi RS4 Avant leaks out [UPDATED with official info]

2012 Audi RS4 Avant leaks out [UPDATED with official info] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 14 Feb 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

A few months ago, we heard word Audi was hard at work on an even sharper version of its TT RS, and as it turns out, those rumors were true. Well, sort of. The German automaker has unveiled the Audi TT RS ‘plus’ in the EU, though the vehicle produces the same 360 horsepower as the fire-breather we sampled last year. The 0-60 mph dash takes the same 4.1 seconds, though buyers in the old country will have the option of outfitting their purchase with a seven-speed dual-clutch S-tronic gearbox. Likewise, the TT RS plus is available in both hardtop and convertible configurations, whereas buyers in the U.S. can only have theirs as a fixed-roof coupe with a manual gearbox.

Interestingly enough, Audi lists the vehicle’s curb weight at 3,196.7 pounds, which is just over 100 pounds lighter than what the company quoted us for the U.S.-spec model back in October. Given the weight reduction, we would expect slightly improved performance over the American TT RS, but the 0-60 mph figures are nearly identical.

It wasn’t long after we drove the TT RS that whispers of an even brawnier TT RS ‘plus’ surfaced. The vehicle was rumored to have 385 horsepower and weigh in at 130 pounds less than the standard model. You know what they say: One out of two ain’t bad… or something. Hit the jump for the press release.

Continue reading Audi introduces 360-hp TT RS ‘plus’

Audi introduces 360-hp TT RS ‘plus’ originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Kia has taken home the first ever Kelley Blue Book award for Total Cost of Ownership among consumer brands. As you might expect, the award goes to brands and vehicles with the lowest projected ownership costs. KBB examines depreciation, fuel costs, fees associated with finance and insurance, maintenance costs and state fees. Both the Optima sedan and Sportage CUV helped Kia cinch the win this award’s inaugural year.

Kelley Blue Book also examined the cost of ownership among luxury brands, and Audi took the top nod in this category. KBB specifically pointed to the German automaker’s low depreciation and good average fuel economy as reasons for the brand’s win. The A3, A4 and Q5 all helped the automaker in the total cost of ownership evaluation.

The award is also broken up by individual vehicle categories, and there were some surprises among the winners. The Honda Insight took the Hybrid Car award while the Chevrolet Volt nabbed the Electric Car win. We would have expected to see the Toyota Prius and Nissan Leaf take those categories, respectively. Follow the jump for the full press release that reveals individual winners in each model category.

Continue reading KBB hands out inaugural Total Cost of Ownership awards to Kia, Audi

KBB hands out inaugural Total Cost of Ownership awards to Kia, Audi originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 11:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

News on the next-generation 2015 Audi R8 has been spilling forth for a bit now, but a report in Autocar has begun to put them into a single package. We knew that next R8 wouldn’t offer a manual option, only a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, and that the monocoque would be a lighter, aluminum and carbon affair. Audi has apparently pegged a target weight of under 1,500 kilograms (3,300 pounds), meaning it will shed more than 135 kg (305 lbs.) versus today’s 4.2-liter V8 manual.

That will make the two engines in the next car – refined versions of the current naturally aspirated V8 and V10 – even more potent. Autocar didn’t mention an increase in displacement, but horsepower bumps were rated at 20 hp for the V8, to 450 hp, and 25 hp for the V10, to 550 hp. The GT will also benefit from 20 additional horses, getting 580 hp. More interestingly, neither mill will benefit from forced induction as Audi wants to maintain “the throttle response, the soaring nature of the delivery and the inherent sound.”

The evolution or disappearance of the sideblades on the “clean-sheet design” also wasn’t broached, but the trademark signifiers don’t appear in Autocar‘s rendering. The report states that it will take cues from the R8 e-tron (pictured), but they see intakes at the door shut-line, which feature very MP4-12C-like dual strakes. It’s only a rendering, but if sideblades are what you’re after then the future doesn’t look bright. We’ll see the sibling Lamborghini Gallardo replacement next year, a year before the R8 is shown in 2014.

Details on 2015 Audi R8 leak out originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 07 Feb 2012 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Audi is going to great lengths to steal territory away from arch-rival BMW and its Mini marque. But as you’d expect from any German automaker, the initial A1 three-door premium hatchback appears to be just the beginning. Since its launch, the A1 has bred the five-door A1 Sportback, there’s a Q1 crossover based on the same platform reportedly in the works, and the A1 Quattro demonstrates the extent of the architecture’s performance capabilities. But Ingolstadt is not about to stop there as reports come in of a convertible version as well.

Well, sort of. According to reports coming in from Germany, Audi is preparing to launch a version of the A1 with a rolling cloth roof panel. If the intel proves accurate, the open-air version would stop one step short of the pseudo-convertible Fiat 500C, in that the aperture would essentially be a giant fabric sunroof, but not roll down the back.

The measure would undoubtedly save Audi significant development costs, but also keep chassis rigidity in check without the need for significant additional structural bracing. Either way, we’re not looking at getting any version of the A1 on this side of the Atlantic any time soon, so as far as American buyers are concerned, this is all rather academic.

Audi to raise the roof on A1 with rolling cloth panel? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 06 Feb 2012 07:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The next GTI will be an order of magnitude better, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch.

Lighter, faster, stronger, better. That’s what we can expect from the seventh-generation Volkswagen Golf, due to be unveiled at the 2012 Paris Motor Show before it hits dealerships across Europe this fall and eventually lands on U.S. shores as a 2013 model.

So what makes it special? A combination of new manufacturing processes, an all-new platform, a range of upgraded engines and what will go down as one of the greatest democratizations of active safety and in-car technology in automotive history.

What’s more, the next GTI will be an order of magnitude better because of it, bringing it back in line with the original hot hatch while packed with even more standard features.

It all starts with Volkswagen’s new Modular Transverse Matrix (MQB) platform, which is set to underpin every front-wheel-drive VW product from the Polo to the Passat, along with the 2013 Audi A3. To hear VW tell it, it will redefine the automaker’s manufacturing processes while curing world hunger and eradicating leprosy.

Read on to find out what’s got Volkswagen so excited.

Continue reading What we know about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, next-gen GTI

What we know about the 2013 Volkswagen Golf, next-gen GTI originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Of all the car shows around the calendar year, the Boca Raton Concours d’Elegance doesn’t typically fall on our radar screen. But maybe it should, because the annual event in Florida – young as it is – has a history of offering firsts. Maybe not the first time a vehicle is seen in North America, mind you, but a first just the same.

Last year the event included the sale of the first examples of the Ferrari FF, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster and Audi R8 GT to be delivered in America. The year before that, it was the Audi R8 5.2 FSI (yeah, that’s the one with the V10) and Ferrari California. And before that, the event’s auctioneers sold off the first Audi R8 Spyder, Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.

Noticing a pattern here? Organizers have no intention of dropping the ball this year, when they’ll be auctioning off the first U.S. deliveries of the new Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG. Now if you’re thinking that we haven’t even seen the new SL63 AMG yet, you’re absolutely right. The new SL itself has been shown, but not the AMG version, which is expected to pack Affalterbach’s 5.5-liter twin-turbo V8 with 571 horsepower on tap. Once the car has been unveiled and deliveries commence, the winner of the auction is guaranteed to be the first to get one in the United States.

As if that’s not enough, there will also be an Audi R8 GT Spyder – one of only 50 slated for production and the only one in red to be made available in the U.S. – as well as a Lamborghini Aventador and a whole mess of special-edition Shelby muscle cars, with proceeds going to the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Follow the link for more info, or head down on February 25th to see the bidding frenzy at the Boca Raton Resort & Club.

First Mercedes-Benz SL63 AMG in America to be auctioned off at Boca concours originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some may beg to differ, but from where we sit, the acquisition Audi made of Lamborghini back in 1998 was a good thing, and remains as such. The resulting supercars to roll out of Sant’Agata Bolognese have been better than those made under prior owners by leaps and bounds. But who would have thought the relationship would benefit Audi as much as it has?

Not only did the partnership give Ingolstadt the sweet-revving V10 engine that powered the RS6 and S8 (until recent pressures necessitated a switch to a twin-turbo V8 instead), but it also gave Audi the underpinnings for the R8 … and a page or two out of the Lamborghini playbook.

The R8 has since grown to include two different engine specs, a convertible version and the hard-core R8 GT. But as if all that weren’t enough, it led to the crme-de-la-crme R8 GT Spyder. The limited-edition roadster packs the 5.2-liter V10 engine tuned up to 560 horsepower and unburdened of 187 pounds of excess weight, all without a roof to get between driver and the wind rushing rapidly by.

The hard-core, tire-burning attitude, however, is not all the R8 GT Spyder got from its Italian cousins. It also picked up a Lamborghini’s price tag, as Audi USA has just announced the sticker on the exclusive roadster: $210,000. That doesn’t include the $1,200 destination charge, taxes or optional equipment like carbon-ceramic brakes or Bang & Olufsen sound system.

That may seem mighty steep, but if you’ve got the cash to burn, don’t hesitate for too long, because with only 333 units to be built in total and just 50 earmarked for the United States, they’re bound to go fast. Like, Lamborghini fast. Follow the jump for the full press release, and seeing as how Audi has released a whole mess of new photos since the car’s initial launch, we’ve put those together for you in a fresh high-res image gallery.

Continue reading Audi prices R8 GT Spyder at a top-dropping $210,000*

Audi prices R8 GT Spyder at a top-dropping $210,000* originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 02 Feb 2012 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

If you’re in the market for a new car and diesel’s among the options you’d consider, your local Audi showroom should be among your first destinations. The German automaker has made burning oil a cause clbre right up there with Quattro all-wheel drive, but it’s not about to sit on its proverbial laurels and let the competition catch up. To that end, Audi has just announced its most powerful V6 TDI yet.

Called the BiTDI, the 3.0-liter, six-cylinder twin-turbo-diesel packs 313 metric horsepower (309hp on our scale) and a whopping 480 pound-feet of torque. It’s being rolled out initially in the UK on the A6 (sedan, Avant wagon and Allroad high-rider) and A7 Sportback, but we’re told to expect its arrival soon as an option on the Q7 crossover.

In the A6 sedan, the BiTDI is said to be good for a 5.1-second dash to 62 mph, with top speed (as per usual) limited to 155 mph while returning a 44.1 mph rating on the combined UK cycle. But if that’s not full enough a package for you, Audi has also fitted a sound actuator to give its throaty new diesel the exhaust note you’d expect from a hi-po gasoline engine. But you don’t have to take our word for it – just click through the jump to listen to a sound file of the new engine, as well as read the official press release.

Continue reading Audi pumps out new twin-turbo TDI 3.0L V6 [w/audio]

Audi pumps out new twin-turbo TDI 3.0L V6 [w/audio] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Downsizing? What downsizing? While rivals may be replacing cylinders with turbochargers – heck, even Audi itself has done that with the twin-turbo V8 succeeding the V10 in the S8 and such – the new RS4 is reportedly on its way in full-fat 4.2-liter V8 FSI trim.

The report comes courtesy of AMAG, the importer for Audi in Switzerland, which has confirmed that the RS4 Avant (oft spied in prototype guise) is scheduled to debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show this coming March. Along with it, we’re told to expect a series of new TSFI engines and an upgraded TT-RS with 360 horses.

As for the RS4 Avant, we’re looking at 450 horsepower with all-wheel drive and enough cargo capacity to make any luxury crossover buyer reconsider (much like the S4 Avant pictured above, only more so). That is, buyers in Europe, anyway, as we’re not expecting the RS4 to make the trek across the Atlantic.

2013 Audi RS4 Avant headed to Geneva originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

BMW M goes Diesel, Ford Focus fleet sales numbers, California 2025 green car mandate

Episode #267 of the Autoblog Podcast is here with Chris, Dan, Zach and Chris Paukert this week. Topics include the addition of diesel-powered BMW M models overseas, the surprisingly high fleet sales figure for the Ford Focus, and a new green car mandate coming out of California. Your questions and comments power the end of the ‘cast, and for those of you who hung with us live on our UStream channel, thanks for taking the time. We’ve embedded our Q&A module after the jump for you to scroll through and follow along, too. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #267:

• BMW M goes diesel
• Ford Focus loads up on fleet sales
• California pushing for more green cars by 2025

In the Autoblog Garage
2012 Mazda3 Skyactiv
2012 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 Crew Cab
2012 Audi A4
2012 Dodge Durango Citadel

Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Chris Paukert, Zach Bowman

Feedback
Email: Podcast at Autoblog dot com
Voicemail: 734-288-8POD (734-288-8763)

Review the show in iTunes and take our survey

Continue reading Autoblog Podcast #267

Autoblog Podcast #267 originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

The world would be considerably less entertaining if we could all predict the future. Even so, the classic car gurus at Hagerty Insurance have cast a few chicken bones in an attempt to figure out which vehicles produced today might eventually turn collectible.

The company restricted entrants to hardware with a price tag of less than $100,000, so the list isn’t populated with too many wild exotics. While vehicles like the Nissan GT-R Black Edition, Ford Mustang Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and Porsche 911 are low-hanging fruit, the list also featured a few surprises.

For starters, it begins with none other than the mighty Buick Regal GS. Hagerty says the vehicle is a win because it’s the first Buick with a manual transmission since the fall of the Holy Roman Empire. The Fiat 500 Abarth also makes an appearance alongside an even hotter hatch, the Volkswagen Golf R. Of course, we’re simply thrilled to see the sinister Audi TT RS make a showing. Hit the jump for the full list or view each vehicle in our gallery above.

Continue reading Hagerty predicts this year’s future classics

Hagerty predicts this year’s future classics originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 18:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Audi apparently couldn’t wait until the Super Bowl to show off the ad it will run during the Big Game. The German automaker has released its spot, and sure enough, the quick clip has cashed in on the current vampire craze. The commercial features a clutch of gen x/y/millennial 20-something vamps out for an impromptu fireside party. When their hero arrives in an Audi S7 with an extra cooler of O Negative, disaster ensues. At least the company chose an excellent soundtrack. The whole drama plays out under the silky tones of Echo & The Bunnymen’s “Killing Moon.”

Audi unveiled the spot mere days after teasing its Super Bowl ad after Facebook fans beat the company’s Race The Light game on the social network.

We have to say, we’re a little underwhelmed by the spot. Audi is on an undeniable roll right now with products like the TT-RS and A7 littering showrooms across the country, so it’s a bit sad that this was the best feature they could muster to highlight in a Super Bowl commercial. Hit the jump to see the spot for yourself.

Continue reading Audi lights up vampire-laden S7 commercial ahead of Super Bowl

Audi lights up vampire-laden S7 commercial ahead of Super Bowl originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 13:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

We’ve entered a new age of advertising, friends. One where manufacturers gleefully shill for their own ads instead of actual products. We’ve seen it with the teaser as for the Volkswagen Super Bowl spot, and now Audi has jumped into the game. It’s Inception gone marketing – an ad within an ad. In order to get us all fired up for the commercial to come, Audi has unveiled a teaser that features some of the best moments from the company’s Super Bowl marketing past as well as a quick glimpse of what we can expect from this year’s high-budget number.

From the looks of things, the commercial will feature everyone’s favorite creature of the night: vampires. We’re not sure how we can possibly contain our anticipation. Or something. Hit the jump to check out the commercial for a commercial for yourself.

Continue reading Audi teases next Super Bowl spot

Audi teases next Super Bowl spot originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Do We Really Want Audi To Think This Small In America? Perhaps…

It is perhaps with all the speed of a mighty iceberg, but increasingly, more and more North American buyers appear willing to think smaller when pondering their next auto purchase. The other shoe, which still has largely yet to drop, is for automakers to convince consumers of the merits of a luxury subcompact, paying a price premium for a longer list of creature comforts, options and badge appeal. However small, this trend in the States is best represented by BMW and its Mini range, followed (with a few stumbles out of the gate) by the Fiat 500.

In Europe, however, there is already a well-defined tradition of premium minicars on which buyers happily lavish extra dollars, and there is no model quite so indulgent for the masses as the Audi A1. Through its first complete year of sales in 2011, the Bavarians built at their factory in Brussels, Belgium – and sold – nearly 120,000 A1 three-doors.

Now we’ve finally gotten the chance to drive an Audi A1 Sportback with five doors, a model first shown publicly at last October’s Tokyo Motor Show. The five-door model carries on with the basic A1 recipe of offering big things in small packages, and rather unusually, we think the model with more doors might actually look better this time. That may not seem altogether based on reason at first glance, since both the three- and five-door A1 designs have a length of 155.7 inches and a wheelbase of 97.2 inches. (Only the Fiat 500, Jeep Wrangler, Scion iQ, Smart ForTwo and various two-door Mini models take up less parking space.)

Continue reading 2012 Audi A1 Sportback [w/video]

2012 Audi A1 Sportback [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Some vehicles are made to be stretched. Others, less so. A Lincoln Town Car, for example, is a good platform for a limo. A Mercedes-Benz S-Class, sure. A Rolls-Royce Phantom. We could even see the attraction behind a Cadillac Escalade limo, if we had to. But not an exotic supercar.

The folks over at Carbonyte would beg to differ, though. The British coachbuilder made its reputation, such as it is, by helping Mercedes-Benz and McLaren develop the chassis for the SLR. But after that, things took a drastic turn for the worse.

Following the SLR project, Carbonyte turned its attention to unusual stretch jobs that usually involve supercars we’d rather not see chopped up and lengthened. Among its first projects was a stretched Ferrari 360 Modena that did not please the people in Maranello. Then the firm turned a Smart ForTwo into a giant rolling Red Bull can, before setting its sights on the Bugatti Veyron and Koenigsegg CCX.

We’re glad we never saw those projects come to fruition, but the company is now reportedly preparing to do the same with an Audi R8. Whereas the Ferrari job incorporated two giant gullwing doors to give access to all the rear buckets at once, the R8 project – commissioned by the same company that owns the Ferrari limo – appears to feature individual gullwing doors for each of the passenger seats.

The vehicle is reportedly tipped to be completed by this coming summer, and will retain the donor car’s 5.2-liter V10 – but we’d guess not its all-wheel drive system, and none of its handling dynamics. Check out the renderings in the image gallery above and the ludicrously dramatic video after the jump.

Continue reading British limo company eager to show its chops with stretched Audi R8 [w/video]

British limo company eager to show its chops with stretched Audi R8 [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Good things come in small packages. Or smaller packages, anyway, as Audi has been discovering with its SUV range. What started with the mammoth Q7 has since grown – or shrank – to include the smaller Q5 and the even smaller Q3, which was just confirmed for the North American market. Keen to capitalize on a positive trend, Audi has been rumored to be considering adding a Q1 to its line-up, details of which are now emerging.

The last time we checked, Audi wasn’t sure if it would base a potential Q1 off the A1, upcoming A2 or next-generation A3 platform. According to reports, the decision has been made to use the A1′s platform, which itself was recently expanded to include a five-door variant and even all-wheel drive. Along the same tangent, though, we’re told not to expect an A1 convertible.

We’re not to expect the Q1 to arrive all that soon, either. While previous reports indicated that Audi could rush its tiniest crossover onto the market within a year or two from now, the latest word is that it could take considerably longer than that. One way or another, we wouldn’t expect this baby premium crossover to find its way across the Atlantic anytime soon.

Audi to spin new Q1 crossover off A1 platform originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 16:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Facebook has rapidly emerged as one of the most visited websites on the internet. So it only makes sense that automakers would launch their new cars there, right?

Audi evidently thinks so. And so it has launched a new special edition U.S. model of its sexy S5 coupe on the popular social media site. The model is characterized by a unique shade of dark silver, special five-spoke wheels, a two-tone white and black leather interior, and of course, special badging.

Only 125 examples will be offered, though specific pricing parameters have not been immediately revealed.

Audi releases special edition S5 on Facebook originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Among other things, Audi is known for the brash and bold styling elements of its front fascias. From the giant chiseled trapezoid grille to its highly stylized LED headlamps, there’s no mistaking the face of an Audi for anything else on the road.

Audi’s LED lighting will be on full display during the upcoming Super Bowl as the German automaker has purchased a 60-second plot of airtime during the first quarter, marking the fifth year in a row that Audi has advertised during the big game.

If those eyes truly are the windows to the soul, the 420-horsepower 4.0-liter TFSI V8 nestled behind the peepers of the 2013 Audi S7 is one soul we’re eagerly looking forward to seeing stirred during SB XLVI on February 5th. In the meantime, we’ll just have to live with the press release after the break and the image above, which you can enlarge with a click of the mouse.

Continue reading Audi Super Bowl ad will star S7 and LED lighting

Audi Super Bowl ad will star S7 and LED lighting originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 18 Jan 2012 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.