Audi A3 sedan concept

Audi will unveil an A3 sedan concept at Geneva next week that's based on the successor the current A3 hatchback and previews where the A3 line may be expanding in the near future.
Audi is in the process of redesigning its A3, and it will use the launch of the next-generation car as springboard to finally add the long-rumored sedan variant to the lineup. The new Audi A3 concept sedan will come into the light for the first time at the rapidly approaching 2011 Geneva auto show.
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.

Next-Gen Audi A2

It was never sold in the United States, but the Audi A2 was once a very lightweight small car sold overseas. Available from late 1999 through 2005, the A2 employed an aluminum spaceframe and managed to keep the curb weight below 2000 pounds (for certain models anyway). Now, and after much speculation, it’s coming back in 2015, and Automobile has the scoop on the upcoming car.

If the A2 is coming to the United States, it’ll do so primarily to help with CAFÉ requirements. Now scheduled to ride on Volkswagen’s MQB chassis (shared with the next Golf), the 2015 A2 will have an aluminum five-door body and keep to the lightweight mission. This time around, it won’t have the aluminum spaceframe.
Sans aluminum frame, Audi hopes they’ll sell more A2s compared to the last model. Just 175,000 total were sold in the first run, a small figure considering the European market favors small cars. Automobile says the new car will weigh less than 2400 pounds and is ready to meet the mark by using composite materials for the body panels and thinner glass. The battery, alternator, and air-conditioning compressor will be downsized to keep the weight down.
While the first A2 scored around 80 mpg on the European test cycle over 10 years ago, the new car will be under pressure to produce a similar number despite slight bodily growth. Unlike its predecessor, the impending A2 will get five seats versus four, and is planned to be wider with more interior space for the occupants. The gas and diesel engines will be small, and electric and plug-in hybrid variants are in the planner too. According to development boss Michael Dick, the A2 EV should surpass 150 miles on a charge. The plug-in version is expecting to travel 40 to 60 miles on battery alone.

New Audi A2 Launch Date

Audi has finally decided on a launch date and features for the much-expected comeback of its A2 model.
Now slated for an early 2015 release, a couple of years later than Audi’s original schedule, the A2 hatchback will use a lot of aluminium and will offer electric and plug-in hybrid variants as well. Basing the chassis on the relatively cheaper Modular Querbaukaste (MQB) material being under process for the MkVII Volkswagen Golf, the automaker hopes to address its general high cost issues this time around.
Audi is going for a range more than 150 miles for the electric version using a single-speed transmission, pushing out 75 hp to 110 hp. The plug-in hybrid will be seen with three-cylinder engines offering a choice between gasoline and diesel and paired with a dual-clutch automatic transmission. It is expected to maintain an electric range of 40 to 60 miles.

To bring things closer to the original A2 that boasted of a light 1900 pound curb weight, thanks to the advanced aluminium frame-which also skyrocketed its price value- Audi has turned to composite panels, thinner glass and some cutting down on the size of various parts like the batteries and AC compressor. Plus, the hatch will be more spacious this time around and add extra room for one more passenger to the existing capacity for four.

Audi A6 review

The all-new Audi A6 is packed with technology, but it's the executive car's refinement and build quality that really impress.

2012 Audi A6 Interior

When it snows here in the UK we're told to pack sleeping bags, shovels and flasks full of tea. Audi man, faced with crossing powdered white mountains needs nothing more than his crisply pressed suit and designer stubble.

His journey is long but immensely enjoyable. We know this because it warrants a montage in Audi's promotional video for the all-new A6, the seventh generation of the German firm's executive saloon that started life in 1968 as the 100. Exactly where the Colin Farrell look-alike is going is anyone's guess but it involves travelling up a lot of hills and through weather that has deteriorated from sun to rain and now lots of snow.

Audi A6

There's trouble ahead for our hero though as just up ahead a recently fallen tree is blocking the road. Outside in the bitter cold people struggle to clear the obstacle, battling with their bare hands to lift, push, pull or roll the huge object - anything so that the road can be reopened. Exhausted and cold they must be relieved to see Audi man arrive, looking young, strong and dressed in completely inappropriate clothes for the conditions. He's clearly a hardy chap; if anyone can help, he can. They wave at Audi man, waiting in hope for their sharp-suited hero to emerge from his remarkably still very clean new car.

He, however, is engrossed in switching on his seat massage function to relieve the boredom of waiting for these peasants to clear the road before giving up and asking his Google Earth enabled satnav to find an alternative route. In a flash Audi man spins his A6 around and, safely cocooned in his bubble of technology, gets on with his clearly very important journey.

We never do find out where he was going, only that he never would have been able to get there without all of the A6's groundbreaking technology. So many systems do Audi's range toppers get these days that the UK operation is considering laying on tutorials for customers in the style of Apple's iStore sessions so that they may start to get to grips with at least some of the following: night vision assistant, head-up display, park assist (both parallel and perpendicular), side assist, active lane assist, wireless internet hub, active cruise control, active lighting, pre-sense safety system and the fingertip sensitive touch pad.

 

2012 Audi A6 3.0 TSFI Quattro Drive

2012 Audi A6

While the outgoing C6-generation Audi A6 made a significant splash at its start of sales in 2004, winning World Car Of The Year honors, the somewhat featureless exterior eventually blended into the woodwork. Worse, the car never really won any hardcore dynamics comparisons, not even in the limited-run RS6 treatments. All the same, that A6 was the best-selling car in that lucrative premium segment worldwide in 2007, 2008, and 2009.
What Audi obviously wants to do first with this C7-generation A6 is seize back its selling supremacy. But Ingolstadt has also been listening to us and to clients when we’ve repeated that we want a lighter car, a better-looking car, and a car with superior dynamics in the class. From our drives of various trims and engines recently in Sicily, the new A6 is, in fact, now the best in its very challenging class. We’ll need to wait and see if Audi can make a great S6 and RS6 to face down the hotter new M5 and E63 AMG top-of-the-range stars, but as for the civilian package, the new A6 beats the others.
Although the eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox that gets such wide use in North America (the only box available on the A6 when it arrives in the States by mid-July) was not available here to test, we still got a clearly good feeling for the car over 200 miles of challenging driving.
It’s amazing what happens when you take 120 pounds out of a 300-horsepower Audi A6 3.0 TFSI (make that 176 pounds less for the re-engineered 3.0 TDI that will probably be coming over to the States later on), give it a longer wheelbase by shoving the front axle forward almost three inches, and make the front axle itself half an inch wider. Then opt for the top-most version of the latest MMI onboard system with 3-D chip and seamless integration of Google Earth. It’s all so stylin’ as to not be believed. If you intend on snagging the S-line package with 1.3-inches lower sport suspension and better steering wheel et al., we recommend not getting the twenty-inch wheels because they freely tramline towards wherever the road imperfections are headed. With the bigger optional wheels, we often needed to nudge the steering wheel back to where we wanted it to go. The nineteen-inch wheels with Pirelli P Zeros solve all of that.
In addition, there is new electro-mechanical steering with optional Dynamic Steering available. Thusly equipped, the new-found precision on this A6 throughout the western mountain roads of Sicily was truly impressive. We dare say that the A6 beats both the heavier 5-Series or latest E-Class in overall feel. Working also with the new-generation of 40:60-split crown-gear Quattro system (introduced on the RS5), also works to the dynamic advantage. Same for the optional sport rear differential with torque vectoring that pays big dividends in all those curves.

2010 Audi Q5

2010 Audi Q5

 It's quite remarkable how, in the short span of a few years, the compact-crossover segment has blossomed from a handful of vehicles to a category nearly as dense as the mid-size-sedan field. But then, small utes are an entirely rational, left-brain purchase, because they offer both family-car practicality and trucklike utility. It's a solid formula for sales, if not excitement.

The Audi Q5 first caught our attention during an April 2009 comparison test against a Mercedes-Benz GLK and a Volvo XC60. Along with sharp looks and a competitive price, the Q5 exhibited a dynamic edge that made it stand out against its rivals. Shortly thereafter, we decided to add one to our Four Seasons test fleet and ordered an ibis white Q5 in Premium Plus trim, which added a panoramic sunroof, xenon headlights, heated front seats, Bluetooth, and a power tailgate. Our only other option was the $3000 MMI navigation system, which also adds front and rear parking sensors and a backup camera.

The Q5's dominant trait is its particularly potent 3.2-liter V-6. The 270-hp, direct-injected engine is fluid, responsive, and strong through the rev range. "At any speed, in any gear, full throttle or part throttle, the 3.2-liter V-6 provides an instant burst of acceleration and never seems to run out of breath," observed assistant editor David Zenlea. The six-speed automatic was similarly both well mannered and frisky. In typical driving, shifts are relaxed and gentle, but drive aggressively and the gearbox cleverly steps up its game.

2011 Audi Q5 2.0T

2011 Audi Q5 2.0T

Even though this car has a four-cylinder engine, the driving experience is not all that different than our recently departed V-6-powered Four Seasons Q5, in that it handles more like a sedan than like a tall crossover. It's missing the $3000 MMI Navigation package, but that's the price you pay for keeping the cost below $40,000, which is pretty darn good for an upscale crossover. One other thing you sacrifice when you forgo the nav package is the radio on/off switch located on the center console, a feature I really like. On the plus side, the transmission in this Q5 has two extra gears.

In cold weather like we've been experiencing, I was happy to see that this Q5 has heated seats, and I think, after a year with our Q5, that I'm finally attuned to the somewhat counterintuitive seat heater controls. I think the confusion stems from the fact that in most cars - make that, in every other car I've driven-- the seat heater and the climate control buttons are discrete units, but in this (and other Audis), they are controlled by the same dials.