(Android fans should just turn around now; you're not going to like this one.)
Audi's first installment of Truth in 24 -- a documentary about the company's racing efforts at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans -- was an instant favorite for anyone who liked cars or racing. It was a personal look at one of the most challenging, competitive and technologically advanced races in the world. And now Audi has followed up on that with a documentary about their 2011 season titled "Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts."
It first premiered on Speed but now, like the original, you can download the sequel on iTunes for free. Racing is a marketing effort, right? Load up on these for the long weekend.
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Categories: Audi,Motorsports
Another day, another video celebrating a certain number of fans on a social media platform. T'other day it was Mercedes celebrating 2,000,000 views. Today it's Audi celebrating 500,000 fans on Facebook by letting Rinaldo Capello do donuts in the most German way possible behind the wheel of an Audi R8 V10.
He will probably be fined for that oval that is the fourth ring.
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Categories: Audi,Videos
One factor that's influential in determining whether a model is one that dealers won't be able to keep in stock on the lot is, of course, demand. If buyers are lining up 'round the block to get their hands on a certain model, this frenzied enthusiasm will likely have an impact on inventory levels.
The other factor concerns supply. Brand-new models frequently make the list of quickest-selling vehicles because with these models, manufacturers often choose a cautious approach when it comes to supply; production is grown slowly and carefully with the intention of making sure that the products aren't plagued with glitches.
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Honda,Hyundai,Kia,Land Rover,Lexus,Mazda,Subaru,Toyota,Volkswagen
You saw Truth in 24, right? That was Audi's feature-length documentary about its efforts at the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans. Inside Line Editor Ed Hellwig is a fan, writing at the time of its release that "it's the best portrayal of racing on film since Steve McQueen's Le Mans (1971). It gives the annual sports car race a human face, yet respects the speed and technology that make the spectacle so compelling. It's a movie about cars, not just racing."
If you didn't see it, no problem -- you can still download it for free from iTunes. I'm starting my download now.
Soon, Audi will release the sequel to that movie -- Truth in 24 II: Every Second Counts. It's about the 2011 Le Mans campaign, which saw only one Audi R18 survive to fend off Peugeot and win the race. (Peugeot pulled out of Le Mans a couple months ago, threatening to make this year's race less interesting.)
Late yesterday, Audi posted the first trailer for Truth in 24 II. Undoubtedly, there will be at least one more before the movie's release.
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Categories: Audi,Motorsports,Trends
Updated info on 3.0 TDI engine for U.S.-spec 2014 Q5
It's time for a mid-cycle refresh for the Audi Q5, and today Audi announced a round of updates for its compact(ish) crossover SUV. These include the potent 3.0 TFSI supercharged V6, which will replace the current, naturally-aspirated 3.2-liter V6 -- in the Q5, it's rated at 268 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, up from the 3.2's 270 hp and 243 lb-ft.
The 2.0 TFSI engine also gets various revisions, and should be rated around 221 hp (up from 211 in MY2012) and 258 lb-ft of torque. The latest version of this workhorse four-cylinder turbo will be used in the Q5 Hybrid, which draws from its gasoline and electric power sources to top out at 241 hp and 354 lb-ft. All models use the eight-speed automatic transmission; although, the hybrid gets a version of it without a torque converter -- the 40kW electric motor occupies this space instead.
The updated Q5 goes on sale in Europe this summer, and Audi's Mark Dahncke tells us it will be a phased rollout in the United States: "the 2.0T and the 3.0T gas engines in the fall, hybrid by end of the year, TDI next year."
By the way, that diesel is probably not going to be the 2.0 TDI you were expecting. Audi hasn't made a final decision, but Dahncke tells us the 3.0 TDI, a turbodiesel V6 that in European specification makes about 241 hp and 428 lb-ft of torque is most likely at this point. Suddenly, we're a lot more interested in owning a crossover SUV.
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Categories: Audi,Crossovers,Diesels,Future Vehicles,Hybrids,SUVs
VW has now, officially, added an 11th brand to its portfolio now that Audi has officially purchased Italian motorcycle maker Ducati from Invesindustrial SpA for $1.1 billion.
"Ducati is known worldwide as a premium brand among motorcycle manufacturers and has a long tradition of building sport motorcycles. It has great expertise in high-performance engines and lightweight construction, and is one of the world's most profitable motorcycle manufacturers," said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler in a statement trying to make a business case for the trophy purchase. Stadler went on to say that "The progressive control systems and special combustion chamber process of Ducati engines, their resulting sporty character, and Ducati's extensive know-how in lightweight construction thus offer great potential for Audi AG and the Volkswagen Group."
This purchase will put Audi into an even better market position to fight BMW on the world scale. BMW, of course, has BMW motorcycles and the way underrepresented in the U.S. Husqvarna brand. Last year Audi delivered 1,302,659 vehicles -- another 40,000 is a drop in that bucket.
Categories: Audi,Auto Industry,Motorcycles
Audi has just released a new concept they've worked up for the 2012 Beijing Auto Show and there's just one thing to say here: Want.
Based off of the Audi Q3, the RS Q3 is an inch lower and rides on 20-by-8.5 inch wheels wearing 255/30 tires. The bumper has been redesigned and the outer portions as well as the inner bits of the headlights and the mirror housings are made of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer. On the outside we've got a slick Ordos Blue paint -- matte blue with a yellow tint-- that we hope makes production at some level.
The RS Q3 Concept is powered by a 360-horsepower, 2.5-liter direct-injection five-cylinder driving all four wheels. Shifting duty is handled by a seven-speed S Tronic gearbox that helps the RS Q3 hatch hit 60 in 5.2 seconds on its way to a top speed of 165 mph.
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Categories: Audi,Beijing Auto Show
Re-read the title of this blog again and consider that earlier this month Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion. Instagram doesn't have any revenue and doesn't exactly build anything. In 2011 Ducati sold 42,000 motorcycles and had revenue of $629 million and profit of $42.6 million.
So a brand with products and revenue is worth exactly the same as one with a lot of users, but zero income. That's the bubble world we live in. Ducati's current owners had considered going public with Ducati, but have apparently changed course. They had previously hoped to get $1.3 billion for the Italian motorcycle maker.
Audi, of course, has refused to comment on an ongoing deal, but an analyst for Credit Suisse said to Reuters that the deal is "driven by VW's passion for nameplates rather than industrial or financial logic." And that "it's an unnecessary sideshow to VW's main challenges of integrating sports-car maker Porsche and merging truck operations at MAN and Scania." Expect the sideshow deal to be officially approved tomorrow.
Audi returned $5.9 billion in net profits off of $57 billion in revenue in 2011.
Categories: Audi,Auto Industry,Motorcycles
Ward's Auto -- famed for their 10 Best Engines list -- has, for the second year in a row, compiled a 10 Best Interiors list. Ward's staff decided the award by "applying the same proven model used to select Ward's 10 Best Engines."
The field consisted of 40 vehicles with "new or significantly improved interiors" and the winners are...
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Categories: Audi,Chevrolet,Chrysler,Dodge,Hyundai,Infiniti,Land Rover,Mazda,Volkswagen
So a couple of weeks ago, we took a look at the models with the highest proportion of male buyers. The list was pretty much a supercar orgy, packed with the kind of six-figure sports cars that make financial sense only if your name is Mark Cuban or Kobe Bryant.
It got us (and you) wondering what things look like on the humbler end of the spectrum, so we decided to put a price cap on that sucker and do another list focusing on those vehicles favored by guys who are regular Joes.
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Chevrolet,Ford,GMC
While people outside of the automotive enthusiast world often ignore/gloss over the finer points of supercars, one thing that everyone understands is the noise. A Ferrari barking its way down Rodeo is more impressive to most people as that same car turning a perfect lap on the Nurburgring. Engineers spend hours fine-tuning intakes and exhausts to get the right aural signature when developing a supercar.
But what to do when your car doesn't have an intake or an exhaust? The engineers at Audi had to cross this bridge recently during development of the R8 eTron. What should an electric supercar sound like? We've seen how Fisker handles this, see how Audi handles it in the video after the jump.
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Categories: Audi,Electric Vehicles,Videos
Take a look at the 10 cars with the highest proportion of male buyers and you'll find that many have certain things in common. We're talking phallic, fast and pricey -- these are the models that fuel the fantasies of car-obsessed 14-year old boys, and ease the mid-life crises of affluent 50-year-old men.
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Categories: Audi,BMW,Chevrolet,Ferrari,Ford,GMC,Mercedes-Benz,Porsche
This is our first look at the Fisker Nina electric sedan. It's scheduled for a debut at next week's New York auto show, but spies caught it being loaded onto a transport truck earlier today.
As you can see, it borrows several styling cues from the flagship Karma sedan, but the overall size is considerably smaller. The idea is to bring the price down and make electric cars a little more manageable for the average car buyer. We'll get plenty of additional details on how Fisker plans to market and sell the Nina next week.
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Categories: Audi,Electric Vehicles,Fisker,New York Auto Show,Sedans
Road Test Editor Mike Monticello gives you the pros and cons of the Audi A4 along with insight on pricing, safety ratings, and fuel economy plus a list of competitors of the Audi A4 to check out including the BMW 3 Series, Mercedes-Benz C-Class, and the Infiniti G.
For more info on the 2012 Audi A4 see the video after the jump and Edmunds.com.
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Categories: Audi,Videos
Believe it or not, the Audi R8 is five years old. It seems like only yesterday that we put a an R8 up against a Porsche 911 Turbo in a comparison test but really, that was in March of '07. The same year, in fact, that we ran a comparison with the R8 and a 2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. And that was about a year before we had a Long Term R8. But the R8's appeal hasn't worn off. Just this year we've done R8 vs Porsche 911 and R8 vs Acura NSX.
Audi's R8 has been around for five years now and has had 6 different models in that span. Now, for 2013, we're going to have something new and this is your first look.
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Categories: Audi,Future Vehicles,Sports Cars,Videos
At the 2012 Geneva Auto Show Audi debuted the the latest RS4 -- which will only be offered as an Avant wagon. Its 4.2-liter V8 generates 450 horsepower and runs through a seven-speed S tronic dual-clutch gearbox.
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Categories: Audi,Geneva Motor Show,Hatchbacks,Videos
So here it is, the new Audi RS4 Avant. Like so many great RS cars before it, the RS4 Avant won't make its way to the States unless it's stuffed into a crate and buried underneath a couple hundred TVs.
Audi says there won't be a sedan version of this RS4, and since not enough people in the U.S. buy wagons we get hosed. Too bad, as this 450-horsepower grocery getter will likely wipe the pavement with just about anything short of a CTS-V, and even then its smaller size probably makes it more entertaining to throw around.
Shortly after the press conference we asked Audi executives why the company hasn't pushed harder to get RS models into the U.S. market. They said it was a matter of proper timing. "We needed to establish a proper foundation with our standard cars before stretching the brand," said Johan de Nysschen, president of Audi of America. With that done we can expect to see more RS cars in the future, but it won't start with the RS4.
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Categories: Audi,Geneva Motor Show,Wagons
Back in the summer of 2011, Audi teased us with renderings of an al-new A5 DTM. Unsurprisingly, it looked like a DTM version of the A5 which is to say it looked completely badass. It is powered by a version of their 456-horsepower V8 and six-speed transmission from the current A4 DTM. Audi has a big job ahead of them this year as 2012 marks BMW's return to DTM after 20 years away from the sport.
The 2012 season starts in just under two months at the Hockenheimring.
Categories: Audi,Motorsports
Audi has finally taken the wraps off of the new RS4 Avant which is to make its official debut at the 2012 Geneva Motor Show.
Here are the quick specs: RS4 will be wagon only. 450 horsepower (at 8,250 rpm!) 4.2-liter V8. Seven-speed DSG. 0-60 in 4.7 seconds. Unlikely for the U.S. market.
Read the full story and see more pics: Audi Reveals New RS4 Avant.
Categories: Audi,Geneva Motor Show
Audi has just released official photos (lots in hi res after the jump) and information on the new, 'hot' TT RS Plus. The rumor mill had been grinding away at this one for some time and, as often happens, the final car is a bit more disappointing than we'd heard. It has the same 360 horsepower 2.5-liter I5 as the TT RS but is 108 pounds lighter and has these cool 19-inch 5-arm-rotor-design black wheels with red highlights. These wheels are a $400 option on the normal RS.
Visually this new car has matte aluminum accents on the front splitter, diffuser and the stalks holding up the wing ($950 option on the RS). The wing mirrors are carbon fiber ($1,900 on the RS) and there is no crossbar in the grille.
In other markets, like the normal RS, this will be available as a coupe and a hardtop with either a manual transmission or a DSG. In the US the RS is only available as a coupe with a manual transmission. We probably won't be getting this one and that's okay. Still, it's a looker. Big photos next.
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Categories: Audi,Coupes,Tuners and Modifications
