Audi A7 Sportback - Click above to watch video after the jump
It will still be awhile before you can get an up close and personal look at the new Audi A7 Sportback. Since Audi recently flooded the interwebs with an array of images, you've likely already made up your mind as to whether you loathe or love the BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo competitor, but there's nothing like being able to walk around a vehicle for yourself without the cumbersome medium of a photographer's lens between you and the sheet metal. Fortunately, Audi has been so kind as to share a lengthy studio walk-around video of the new quad-ring creation.
The flick lingers over just about every inch of the A7 Sportback, including the interior and exterior. We get a quick peep at the car's mechanized rear spoiler, as well as the cavernous amounts of room under the lengthy hatch. It may not be quite the same as getting your finger prints all over the paint, but it's dang close. Hit the jump to take a look.
MTM Audi RS5 - Click above for high-res image gallery
The clever wrenches at the German tuning powerhouse MTM have gotten a hold of the Audi RS5. Always ones to turn fast faster, the group claims to have squeezed the car's top speed to 188 mph. But instead of focusing on pulling even more horsepower from the already staggering 4.2-liter V8, the company simply upped the factory speed limiter to allow for a more potent v-max. MTM will politely ask for a check for $1,429 (at current conversion rates) for the upgrade, which isn't exactly pocket change. According to MTM, the car still produces 450 horsepower, though the company will be happy to supply you with a new free-breathing exhaust system that just might turn an extra pony or two loose.
In addition to the lofty top speed, MTM has rolled out a hefty selection of wheels just for the RS5. We're guessing a new set of tires will probably be in order if you plan on bumping up against that new 188 mph top end, too. Eventually, the company plans to roll out a complete suspension for the car. And here's hoping they come up with some equally competent brakes in the process.
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Chris Shunk, Alex Nunez and Dan Roth are joined this week by Mike Spinelli, editor-in-chief of 0-60 magazine. Topics for Episode #188 of the Autoblog Podcast are the 2011 Ford Explorer, Audi's A7 Sportback, the announcement of the Hyundai Equus coming to the U.S. market, hybrid/electric Porsches and zombie-like rumors of a new Ford Ranger for North American showrooms. We also pepper poor Mike with our impressions of his fine publication. It's an hour-and-ten of stellar repartee this week, thanks for listening, see you next time!
Autoblog Podcast #188 - with Mike Spinelli from 0-60 magazine
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2011 Audi A7 Sportback - Click above for high-res image gallery
There's a new automotive segment being born as we speak. Previewed by the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and BMW 5-Series Gran Turismo, modern four-door sportback sedans combine the functionality of a hatchback with seating for four or five, all wrapped in a shapely, sleek package. Audi previewed its own offering at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show by way of the Sportback concept, and now the production model has officially been unveiled in Munich.
From a design standpoint, it's obvious that the A7 Sportback was penned alongside the all-new flagship A8 sedan. Audi's signature LED running lamps are intact up front, in a more angular shape than what you'd see on the A4 or R8, and the chopped rear deck is not only a throwback to fastback sedans from many decades ago, but its design mimics that of the larger A8, as well. The most striking view, however, is the side profile, which looks to be one part shooting brake and one part coupe, though if we're honest, we wish the A7's front overhang were reduced just a bit. Interestingly, at one point, Audi refers to the A7 has having a boattail, which initially made us cringe, but staring at it a bit more, this notion makes a degree of sense.
Powertrain details are slim as of this writing, but Audi says that the A7 Sportback will debut with four different V6 offerings, two petrol and two diesel. Expect the 3.0-liter supercharged V6 from the S4, S5 and A6 to be on hand, as well as the 3.0-liter TDI V6 found in the Q7 SUV. Audi will offer the A7 in both front- and all-wheel-drive configurations, with the Multitronic CVT and seven-speed S-tronic transmissions being used, respectively. Interestingly, unlike the A8, the A7 will make use of electric power steering, so we hope Audi's boffins have done their homework on dialing in feel and linearity.
Inside, we expect the standard raft of Audi amenities, including the automaker's new MMI Touch infotainment interface. From there, the latest in Audi technology will be on hand, including wireless internet connectivity. The interior is very much akin to that in the new A8, and we fully expect that it will offer premium creature comforts while still being driver-focused.
No official confirmation for North American consumers just yet, but we expect an all-wheel drive model to make it to these shores - presumably with a gasoline and S-tronic gearbox only configuration.
Hit the jump to read the full details in Audi's press release, and click through the attached gallery for high-res shots. We fully anticipate that Audi will open the floodgates on further information and images in the near future, so stay tuned.
2011 Audi A7 Sportback - Click above for image gallery
Tomorrow afternoon, Audi will formally unveil the new A7 Sportback at a museum in Munich. While that fanfare will go on as scheduled, as is so often the case nowadays, the big reveal has been undercut somewhat as leaked official images have made their way onto the web a day early. Carscoop.com has posted four shots of the A7 Sportback, giving us the first solid looks at the production car's bodywork and interior. As you can see, the five-door A7 remains true to the concept car that made its debut at the 2009 Detroit Auto Show.
Carscoop further reports that the Audi A7 Sportback is a four-seater only, and will be offered with a selection of gas and diesel V6 engines (in European guise, we assume). We'll have full details and more images tomorrow once the car gets unveiled at 2:30 PM Eastern. In the meantime, have a gander at the leaked shots below to whet your appetite. Top tip, Rally!
2011 Audi RS5 - Click above for high-res image gallery
The on-again/off-again rumors about whether or not Americans will get to sample the hotter-than-hot Audi RS5 Coupe end now - the automaker has officially stated that the coupe will hit the States sometime in 2012. Yes, that's a bit later than what had originally been speculated, but we're still stoked that Audi has decided to include us on the RS5 goodness. No mechanical changes will be made to the coupe before it launches in the U.S., so the high-revving 450-horsepower V8 will still be intact. Awesome.
But in the meantime, we have lots of other Audi hotness hitting the streets, including the sexy R8 Spyder, which goes on sale next month. Audi has officially priced the topless R8 from $161,000 (not including the $1,250 destination charge) for six-speed manual models. If you want the six-speed R-tronic manu-matic (and you don't), be prepared to shell out an additional ... wait for it ... $9,000. Just stick with the manual - trust us on this one.
The full details are available in Audi's press release after the jump, and be sure to scroll through the galleries below to gaze upon the RS5 and R8 Spyder in all their glory.
In the grand scale of automotive existence, Audi hasn't been selling vehicles in the U.S. for that long. The company first landed on our shores in 1970 with the introduction of cars like the Super 90 and 100, which means that chances are some of you out there have socks older than Audi USA. Flash forward 40 years to present day, and the company is celebrating its 2 millionth vehicle sold in the United States. The lucky car just happened to be a new A3 TDI - a fine choice if we do say so ourselves - and was sold through Keyes Audi in Van Nuys, California.
Audi is predicting that it will take considerably less time to hit the 3 millionth vehicle sold mark, and we're inclined to agree with them. The company says that since 2000, it has doubled its model count here in the land of freedom fries - a trick that's helped to make Audi a legitimate alternative to the likes of BMW and Mercedes-Benz in the hearts and minds of American buyers. Hit the jump for the press release.
2009 Audi Sportback concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
The long-awaited production version of the Audi A7 will finally debut on Monday, July 26 at 8:30pm CET - that's 2:30pm Eastern - and you'll be able to watch live on the interwebs at Audi TV. interestingly, Audi has chosen to head over to the hometown of one of its primary rivals for the unveiling. The A7 will be unwrapped at the Pinakothek der Moderne art museum in Munich, just a couple of miles from the world headquarters of BMW.
The A7 is expected to take the form of a large, five-door fastback built on the modular platform shared with the A8 sedan. The styling is expected to be very close to the Sportback concept that we saw at last year's Detroit Auto Show. Unlike BMW's 5 Series Gran Turismo, the A7 doesn't have the elevated roofline that adds passenger volume, so it's likely to be tighter inside, but it's also likely to avoid the 5GT's ungainly appearance.
There's a three-to-four month wait for a new 5 Series and BMW has raised its 2010 global forecast to 1.4 million units. Mercedes-Benz Q2 production exceeded 300,000 units and Daimler's operating profit for the period was €2.1 billion ($2.7B U.S.) Audi's percentage increase in sales in 2010 compared to last year has outdone both BMW and Benz. The reasons for all that, says Bloomberg, is new product, growing U.S. demand and Chinese-market growth "that's way beyond expectations."
While there's an undeniable story in the recovery of U.S. sales, this is even more so about China. The demand for luxury by that country's million or so millionaires and their underlings is a leather-lined sinkhole, and the three German manufacturers are doing everything they can to fill it. Their best is barely enough. Benz and Bimmer have added workers and shifts this summer to try and fill orders.
From the sounds of it, they might not be able to manage that this year - China's appetite is such that the demand "won't be easily derailed even if economic growth slows," according to one analyst. If nothing else, and assuming the analyst is correct, it should lay a decent foundation for 2011 and perhaps allay some concern about that double-dip recession talk.
[Source: Bloomberg via BusinessWeek | Image: Doug Kanter/AFP/Getty]
2010 Le Mans Classic - Click above for high-res image gallery, and help us caption some of the cars!
Every two years in July, hundreds of vintage race cars gather at the famed Le Mans race circuit in France to fire up their engines and relive the glory days in the historic corners and long straights of the nearly 8.5-mile Circuit de la Sarthe. But that's just part of it. In addition to the priceless machinery racing on the track, thousands of other classic cars trek to the grounds to fill nearly every open spot at the huge venue. Autoblog was invited by Porsche France to enjoy the 2010 Le Mans Classic in person, and needless to say, it was absolutely spectacular.
According to the organizers, this year's show welcomed 100,000 spectators, 8,000 display cars, 460 racing cars and 1,000 drivers. With sunny 95-degree temperatures over both days, the weather was unusually hot and the grounds chokingly dusty, but it didn't seem to keep anyone - or anything - from the event.
When not enjoying the racing, we strolled the show and stumbled over well-preserved classics from Jaguar, Aston Martin, Ferrari, Renault, Lamborghini, Audi, BMW and more. Porsche models were everywhere as the various European Porsche Car Clubs stormed the venue with more than 800 cars. Where else can you physically brush elbows with a race-ready BMW M1, a brand-new 2011 Ferrari 599 GTO and ride in the back of a historic war-era Willys Jeep all within the same 60 seconds? Le Mans Classic, baby. And these weren't sterile, stuck-behind-the-ropes museum stock, either - everything was meant to be driven and enjoyed.
We've put together a massive gallery offering just a taste of the caliber of vehicles on display, running hot laps and racing last weekend. While we've attempted to caption many of these, some still have us stumped. If you can identify a few of the nameless, give us a shout in the comments (with the photo number as seen in the URL) and we'll update the captions as quickly as our server's cache will let us.
Click above for gallery of the graphics from J.D. Power and Associates
Porsche once again grabs the top spot (for the sixth time in a row) in the J.D. Power and Associates 2010 Automotive Performance, Execution, and Layout (APEAL) Study. This year's study asked 76,000 owners 90 days after purchasing their 2010 model-year cars "how gratifying their new vehicle is to own and drive." The answer, for the first time since 1997, was that the domestic brands were more "appealing" as a whole than the imports (the domestics earned a score of 787 on a 1,000-point scale - 13 points greater than the imports).
2010 Audi A5 - click above for high-res image gallery
With the introduction of the A5 for 2008, Audi launched itself into a vehicle segment it had never competed in - one which has waned significantly over the past two decades. Not so long ago, the personal luxury coupe was one of the top selling segments in the U.S., but for a wide variety of reasons, the overall sales picture left it behind.
Now you might ask yourself, "How is an A5 in any way similar to the likes of a 1970s-era Chevrolet Monte Carlo or Ford Thunderbird?" At first glance, the A5 is something completely different, but when you dig below the surface, there are more similarities than one might think - particularly when considering the 2.0T model. Except for a few NASCAR-inspired specials, PLCs of the 1970s weren't typically performance machines anyway - they focused more on style and creature comforts. And it's here where the A5 delivers.
Audi is following BMW by introducing a mechanism to prevent misfueling of diesel vehicles with gasoline. It's generally not possible to put diesel into a gasoline-powered vehicle as the larger diesel nozzles won't fit in the filler neck. However, the smaller gas nozzles will fit in the diesel neck. Audi's system, similar to the one used by BMW, adds a flap in the neck to prevent fuel flow. The flap only opens if the nozzle presses on contact points just below the cap. The smaller gasoline nozzle won't be be able to hit all of the contacts at once and the flap will prevent fuel from getting into the tank. Apparently, the improved refinement of modern diesel engines has led to an increase in misfueling in recent years, prompting both BMW and Audi to add the new feature. BMW has had this mechanism in all of its diesel vehicles since early 2009 and Audi's system is set to appear next year.
Audi is letting the mighty e-tron out to play with the other kids, taking its EV concept to the Silvretta E-Auto Rally in Austria. The competition is designed to pit the latest and greatest of the electric vehicle world against each other over 10 special stages that cover a total of 104 miles. The company has picked Michael Dick, a member of its board for technical development, and Lukas Luhr, a factory race driver, to helm the machine throughout the event.
If you rack your brain a bit, you just might recall that the e-tron uses a total of four electric motors to put power to the ground. The company is still standing by its claim that the machine puts out a total of 3,319 pound-feet of torque, even though it was eventually settled that the figure came from torque at the wheels, not at the output shaft. Even so, it should be plenty quick with the joy of all-wheel drive and a little over 300 horsepower to scoot the car around.
Look for the car and its crew to show up at the race starting this weekend. Click the jump for the press release.
He may look like a harmless old man now, but according to The Sun, to suggest that Klaus Carel Faber has some skeletons in his closet would be a gross understatement. During the Second World War, Faber volunteer for the SS and acted as a Gestapo executioner in the same Dutch concentration camp that held diary author Anne Frank prior to her deportation to Auschwitz.
Following the war he was convicted on 22 counts of murder, and though the actual death toll was estimated much higher, his death sentence was commuted to life imprisonment. Five years later, he and six other war criminals escaped prison in Holland and made their way to Germany. Faber was given a hero's welcome and went on to work for Audi, driving a Volkswagen Golf and living out his life in peace in the seat of the company's headquarters in Ingolstadt.
The fifth most wanted Nazi war criminal, Faber apparently remains protected by the only law enacted by Adolf Hitler still on the books. Under the "Fuhrer's Law", he was naturalized a German citizen as a foreign volunteer for the SS, and subsequently remains immune to extradition under German law. Unbelievably, rather than prosecute him locally for his heinous crimes, German prosecutors classified Faber's genocide as manslaughter, for which the statute of limitations - unlike murder, for which there isn't one - has long since expired.
Audi Cam in action - Click above for high-res image gallery
Handing your pride and joy over to a service tech is a nerve fraying experience. While the vast majority of service personnel out there are well trained, courteous and quick about their work, there are bad apples in every bushel, and you never know exactly who's getting their hands on your keys. Audi is looking to put some of that worry aside with a new program that the company is calling - brace yourself - Audi Cam.
Think of it as lifecasting for your mechanic. When you bring your vehicle in to the shop for repairs, you're connected to a technician via a two-way radio and a headset video camera. If there's any sort of problem, the tech can contact you over the radio and vice-versa. Even better, owners get to sit in the comfy waiting room and watch the action from screens there. The company is hoping that the move will give owners some added peace of mind by giving them a peek into the inner workings of the dealership shop.
For now, it appears that Audi Cam will only be available in Europe. But who knows? It might just make the jump across The Pond and into a dealership near you soon.
Audi R8 5.2 FSI tears up an airforce base - Click above to watch video after the jump
We all like a good car video. Whether it's a high-dollar commercial worked up just for the Super Bowl or one of Will Roegge's pieces of cinematic glory, it's hard to find someone who doesn't mind watching a slick piece of sheetmetal get sideways. But it's easy to underestimate the amount of work that can go into even the shortest pieces of footage. Take, for instance, this latest spot worked up by the crew at WebRidesTV for the Audi R8 5.2 FSI. The guys shot from dawn till dusk, hired none other than Nathan Swartzbaugh of ALMS fame to pilot the mid-engined terror and even rolled out a slick camera car just for the action - all 30 seconds of it.
Now, if you're like us, you're probably wondering where the "Gymkhana" part comes from in the title. We honestly have no idea. As far as we can tell, there's no sort of predetermined course, active timing or even meandering Segways - just Swartzbaugh getting sideways in a car that's worth more than all of our worldly possessions. Still, not a bad way to blow five minutes of your day. Hit the jump to see the action.
Audi R8 Spyder - Click above for high-res image gallery
After running around the rumormill for several months, Audi has finally confirmed it will offer a 4.2-liter V8 powered version of the R8 Spyder, in addition to the V10 model. Thankfully, the R8 Spyder 4.2 is available with a six-speed manual in addition to the R-Tronic semi-automatic gearbox.
Like other R8s - with the exception of including the recently announced GT - the 4.2 Spyder is packing standard Quattro all-wheel drive and the top mechanism remains the same fully-powered fabric unit found in the V10 model. Those who opt for the lesser engine will have to make do with conventional dampers and 18-inch wheels, although the magnetic ride dampers and 19-inch rolling stock that are standard on the V10 are available at a "slight" increase in cost. The eight-piston (front) and four-piston (rear) calipers remain standard issue with the optional carbon ceramic rotors and pads still available as an option in Europe. Since Audi has not issued any new images of the Spyder 4.2 yet, there are probably no visual differences aside from the wheels and badging.
The V8 Spyder goes on sale in Europe in the third quarter, but no announcement has been made about U.S. availability... yet.
2007 Audi Cross Coupé concept - Click above for high-res image gallery
Apparently not content to let Mini hog the small premium crossover segment with its new Countryman, Audi is reportedly working on an Allroad version of the A1.
The A1 three-door hatchback goes on sale this year with a five-door coming in 2011. A higher-riding crossover variant could come by 2013 and follow in the path of previous Audi Allroad editions with arch extensions, bigger wheel and tires and possibly even all-wheel drive. A quattro variant hasn't yet been confirmed, although Volkswagen is reportedly working on an all-wheel drive variant of the Volkswagen CrossPolo which shares its platform with the little Audi. Given Audi's 30-year commitment to quattro, we'd bet on both variants for the A1 Allroad - but of course, we were surprised when the A1 hatch arrived with only its front wheels driven...
The global economy is currently doing its best impression of your uncle Larry's waterbed on a Friday night, and while that means you can get a swinging deal on a vacation to Greece right now, it also means the value of currencies around the planet are all over the map. Few manufacturers know that better than Audi. The company has just announced that it has suspended plans to build a U.S.-specific model here in the States. Originally, Audi had toyed with the idea of either building a car alongside Volkswagen at the new Chattanooga manufacturing facility or even building its own Tennessee plant, but as the value of the Euro has fallen off against the dollar, that option has become less attractive.
According to Automotive News, Audi still plans to double its sales here in the land of the free by 2018, with or without an American manufacturing facility. What's more, a the new U.S.-specific model hasn't been put on hold just because the four-ringers aren't interested in breaking ground on a new factory on this side of the pond. The company says that it can have an existing production line geared up and ready to go for a new vehicle in around three months, compared to the three years it would take to construct an entire factory from scratch.
[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.] Photo by Drew Phillips / Copyright (C)2009 Weblogs, Inc.
