2011 Audi A8 Gets Wireless Internet Hotspot

Audi AG is touting the fact that the 2011 Audi A8 will be the first car in the world to offer an optional factory-installed Internet hotspot. But Audi of America cannot confirm at this point whether U.S. customers will be able to get the option.

"U.S.-specific applications and adaptation are still under way," wrote Audi of America spokesman Christian Bokich in response to an e-mailed query from Inside Line on Monday. "So it's too early to speak on pricing, timing or confirmation of this for the U.S.A."

Audi AG introduced the high-tech option on Friday, noting that passengers in the front and rear of the A8 can simultaneously access the Internet using up to eight terminal devices such as laptops, Apple iPads or netbooks.

The driver inserts a data-capable SIM card into the Bluetooth online car phone to activate Internet access.

Audi A1 Marketing Stunt Fail

This Audi A1 flipped over while climbing a halfpipe during a public marketing stunt at Cinqunantenaire Park in Brussels last week. Audi attempted to suppress photos of the incident, but here's the hilarious aftermath.

Audi's been giving test rides up-and-down a halfpipe in Brussels in order to demonstrate the skateboard-like maneuverability of the new Audi A1, but on the fourth day of testing a stunt driver nosed into the wall and flipped over on its side. The car was pushed over by Audi employees and the driver and passenger were quickly freed. The smoking car was then covered up and rolled away out of view of the public.

Audi Pumps Up the R8

The Audi R8 GT.

Just in time for swimsuit season, Audi has trimmed excess pounds and added extra muscle to its midengine R8 sports car. The 2011 Audi R8 GT is now 210 pounds lighter than the current R8 5.2 TSI. The GT also has 35 additional horsepower, for an even 560, that came from fine-tuning the naturally aspirated V-10 engine mounted behind the passenger compartment.

Officially revealed earlier this week in Monte Carlo (where else?), the R8 GT is meant to appeal to well-heeled owners who enjoying exercising their high performance road car on a racetrack. Audi has not revealed the sticker price for the American-spec R8 GT, though Edmunds Inside Line estimated that the price could surpass $300,000 in some European markets. In the United States, a base R8 coupe starts at $114,200.

So what do you get for the wildest version of the R8? For starters, rarity. Audi plans on building only 333 examples at its Quattro GmbH facility, the German automaker’s über-performance center in Neckarsulm, Germany.

Diesel-Powered Audi R4 'Looks Good' For Production

Audi e-tron Detroit Concept

Our British friends at Autocar are citing unknown "high-ranking Audi insiders in Ingolstadt" as saying that there is a strong likelihood that a new Audi R4, Volkswagen BlueSport and possibly an unnamed entry-level model from Porsche are in the offing.

Assuming there is a degree of truth to the report from the British mag, the R4 would get a pair of turbocharged gasoline engines (displacing just 1.4-liters and 1.6-liters, respectively) along with the intriguing option of a 2.0-liter turbodiesel mill. Previously, Audi has shown off a small sportscar concept, seen above in the image gallery from Luxist's sister-site, Autoblog, powered by an all-electric powertrain.

Iron Man 2 drives an Audi R8 Spyder

Robert Downey Jr. has returned to his role as the ingenious engineer and superhero Iron Man ... which is motoring to the top of the box office charts.

2010 audi r8 spyder

2011 audi r8 spyder

Audi R8 5.2 V10 Spyder Spied

audi r8 spyder

Audi R8 Spyder

Robert Downey Jr. arrived for the premiere at the El Capitan Theatre in Los Angeles in an Audi R8 Spyder. It was a scene straight out of the Marvel Studios movie, in which main character Tony Stark drives the open-top two-seater.

The supercar matches the Super Hero's indestructible suit with its own carbon fiber composite materials in parts of its exterior skin, along with a high-strength aluminum frame known as the Audi Space Frame. And, they both have their hearts in the right place: a glowing artificial one in Iron Man's chest, and an impressive mid-engine design in the R8, which is visible externally.

With its jet propulsion, the Iron Man suit worn by Robert Downey Jr. is unrivalled - and the R8 Spyder, with its 525 hp engine, needn't fear its rivals either.

The 5.2 litre FSI engine of the R8 powers the two-seater convertible to a top speed of 313 kilometres an hour.

Only flying could be better - and in this case, Iron Man clearly comes out on top.

But Robert Downey Jr. hardly needs to concern himself. In the movie, he has the best of both worlds.

"Just like the first movie, Iron Man 2 is the perfect environment for the Audi R8. Like us, the technologically ingenious Super Hero Tony Stark represents Vorsprung durch Technik. And just as the R8 Spyder was developed from the Audi R8, the Super Hero Tony Stark surprises us with new innovations," said Lothar Korn, head of marketing Communications at Audi.

Audi RS6 by Reifen Koch

Fire breathing uber Audi wagon...

The current generation Audi RS6 is not offered in the States. This one is even more rare...

Tuned by Reifen Koch it features more power, more looks, and did we say more power?

With a software upgrade, sport exhaust and a meaty tires to take on that increased performance this car features a staggering 700 horsepower.

Think twice next time when you are going to race a wagon: it could be one of these uber wagons.

Before one can dream about a tuned Audi such as this in the States, Audi must first bring the car here.

Audi R8 V10 revised

Audi R8 V10
We love our supercars to death. We obsess over their top speeds and great power. But what is it like to actually use one? Over 500 miles of European motorway, we discover an inconvenient truth.
Full Disclosure: Audi flew us from Budapest to Munich and provided us with a rental car to get from Munich to Ingolstadt. They also gave us €300 in an unmarked envelope to cover the cost of gasoline and Red Bull. I drank a lot of Red Bull. After all, most of our going was in Austria. And when in Austria, you do as the Austrians do: drive slow, get hopped up on Red Bull, and never, ever urinate in a private lake.

Seven Custom Audi A1 At 29th Wörthersee Tour

Audi’s marketing plan for the new A1 seems a bit too complicated! As Justin Timberlake is busy filming with this car in America, In Europe they have prepared not one, not two, but seven custom A1 for the upcoming Wörthersee Tour 2010 in Austria. Every car is painted in a distinctive way and represents, as Audi says, a motto. Pointless they might be, but they’re nice eye candy for the show!

Audi A1 Miniseries Stars Justin Timberlake

All-purpose heartthrob Justin Timberlake is co-starring with Audi's A1 in a new miniseries that has just debuted on Audi's Web site and YouTube.

The Next Big Thing, as the series is called, has all the usual accoutrements of the thriller genre: a beautiful woman (Dania Ramirez), a gun battle and a narrow escape, all packed into a two-minute, high-energy clip. The A1 plays the role of the getaway car, and the series is planned to be interactive.