The Audi TT flatters the eye with with even more pronounced exterior and interior design.

Being a guest in the Audi Lounge means having a DTM experience that cannot be topped.

Filed under: SUV, Crossover, Audi, First Drive, Luxury

If there’s to be a singular automotive theme guiding us into this second decade of the 21st century, it’s downsizing. If not in dimensions, then in displacement. Automakers, forced to adhere to higher government-mandated fuel economy standards and lower CO2 emissions, are beginning to collectively reduce engine size while attempting to maintain the thrust consumers demand.

The newest posterchild for this movement comes in an unlikely wrapper: the 2011 Audi Q7. Packing the same supercharged 3.0-liter V6 found in the S4 sports sedan, Audi bids adieu (or is that Auf Wiedersehen?) to the 3.6-liter V6 and 4.2-liter V8 for the 2011 model year and brings with it the 2011 A8′s eight-speed automatic transmission. We tackled the congested highways and byways in and around Ingolstadt to see if the revised Q7 has the goods to placate both bureaucrats and buyers, while taking a deeper look into Audi’s new powertrain strategy. Click through to the jump to see if we can make sense of it all.

Photos by Damon Lavrinc / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading First Drive: 2011 Audi Q7 downsizes with an upside

First Drive: 2011 Audi Q7 downsizes with an upside originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 27 May 2010 14:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Videos, Audi, Luxury

There’s a difference between being rich and being downright wealthy. And while the 2011 Audi A8L W12 can only be afforded by anyone who falls into the very top tax bracket, the style, refinement and technology built into Audi‘s newest flagship will make anyone feel like they’re worth a (couple) million bucks.

You thought your S Class made you a high roller? Think again.

Put on your best Italian suit and hand-made cuff links, and follow the jump to watch what the latest twelve-cylinder luxury barge has to offer.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: 2011 Audi A8L W12 reminds us that we aren’t rich enough

Video: 2011 Audi A8L W12 reminds us that we aren’t rich enough originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 26 May 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Thrilling technology features and breathtaking special editions – Audi presents the motto cars 2010 at the popular tuning event in Austria.

In a unique effort Audi has created its signature sound: from music to voicemail.

All new Audi A8 2011 Production and Quality Plant

Filed under: Hatchback, Audi, Rumormill, Electric

The original, all-aluminum Audi A2 was a unique beast, which Heinrich Timm, Audi’s head of lightweight design, maintains was ahead of its time. However, the rumored 2012 A2 is likely to utilize a steel unibody platform, and the latest reports indicate that Audi’s mini-lux will have a new reason for being special.

Autocar quotes anonymous sources who say the next A2 could be Audi’s first electric-only vehicle. While the UK rag doesn’t go into detail, Audi has dropped hints that a variant of the A2 could utilize the extended-range EV hardware under the hood of the A1 e-tron concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show. The e-tron utilized a 60 horsepower electric motor paired to a 330-pound lithium ion battery pack. The “extended range” part of the A1 e-tron concept comes courtesy of a small, powerful rotary engine that would work as a generator whenever the battery pack was depleted. Audi quotes the EV range of the A1 e-tron concept at about 33 miles per charge.

Do we think the A2 will be electric-only? Our magic eight-ball says “ask again later,” so we’re thinking the earliest we’ll know anything is this September at the Paris Motor Show.

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: Audi A2 could be electric only, or not originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos, Audi, Luxury

What we dig about European plants that build high-zoot cars is that it always looks like each car gets everyone’s full attention, every step presided over by workers who want to make sure they’ve done everything they could. Its most telling examples were the lab-coated workmen assembling the Carrera GT or SLR McLaren and the one-engine-one-worker method of AMG, but the gents looking after the Audi R8 Spyder keep up the tradition.

This peek around the production plant making Iron Man’s car is a little light on drama, but there are plenty of other nuts-and-bolt’s reasons for the enthusiast to spare three minutes to watch it. Follow the jump for the clip, and don’t forget to put a few pennies away today for a deposit on one of your own. Hat tip to Steals

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: A look inside the Audi R8 Spyder production plant

Video: A look inside the Audi R8 Spyder production plant originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 16:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Sedan, Technology, Audi, Luxury

One day, we’ll be able to have wireless internet access from nearly every point on the globe. And while many cities and towns are making efforts to offer free wireless service across a broad range, automakers are now looking to bring WiFi connectivity to cars. Audi is on board, and it has just announced that the 2011 A8 will be available with factory-installed in-car wireless hotspot.

The WLAN hotspot is located within the rooftop antenna, and passengers can connect to the internet via any laptop, netbook or new-age tablet, like the Apple iPad. Audi says that the network is capable of speeds up to 7.2 Mbit/sec and that WAP2 encryption is on hand in order to securely transfer data. Audi claims that this is the first such factory-installed system, although other automakers offer WiFi connectivity with dealer installed accessories.

The new A8 is already packed to the brim with the latest and greatest in automotive technological achievements. Things like the automaker’s second-generation MMI control interface, the integration of Google Earth and an impressive LED lighting system up front set it apart from other vehicles in the class, and the addition of wireless internet will only strengthen the appeal to prospective buyers. The full details are available in Audi’s press release, after the jump.

[Source: Audi]

Continue reading 2011 Audi A8 available with factory-installed wireless internet hotspot

2011 Audi A8 available with factory-installed wireless internet hotspot originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 08:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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