In the enthusiast world engine swaps are nothing new. All sorts of cars end up with engines that were never meant to be crammed under their hoods, but that doesn’t stop performance fans. If you thought that the dawn of EVs would mean the end of engine swaps you would be wrong.
It’s just after 5:00 AM, and we’ve ascended past 14,100 feet as the sun was just starting to rise. A fitting moment, indeed, as the vehicle that I was about to meet represents a new chapter for an iconic brand. In front of us, a half dozen Audi e-tron prototypes dressed in camouflage with bright orange accents greet us. It was no mistake that Audi chose one of the most iconic mountains in its history to introduce us to its most important model in many years. The Audi e-tron represents not only the future of the brand but also the industry as a whole, the automaker's first attempt at going head-to-head with Tesla, not to mention other behemoths each sprinting to unveil their latest all-electric models.
Last month, Audi was forced to delay the reveal event for its new e-tron SUV after the company's CEO, Rupert Stadler, was arrested. At the time, Audi didn't give a new date for the event, leaving us the dark as to when the car would finally get a full reveal. Today, Audi fixed that little oversight, delivering a new event date and location and revealing when reservations for the car will open up.
Audi has unveiled the second generation of its Q3 SUV. The new Q3 is revised outside and in and offers new features and options that the outgoing model lacked. The Q3 uses a digital cockpit with large MMI touch response. On the outside, the style of the new Q3 was revised for a sportier look.
Audi has unveiled the third-generation of its iconic TT sports car. This third-generation model is to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the TT model that launched back in 1998. Audi says for the new TT it has enhanced performance and extended the standard equipment the car offers.
If you are a sucker for hot wagons of the sort you can’t get in the US, take a gander at this beast. This is the Abt Audi RS6-E and it's the first ever hybrid Audi RS car. It started life as an already sweet Audi RS6 Avant. This beast slips an electric motor directly into the transmission that adds in 284hp.
A thoroughly modern Audi EV deserves a thoroughly modern interior, and so the 2020 Audi e-tron SUV pushes the tech boat out. The automaker's all-electric rival to the Tesla Model X and Jaguar I-PACE isn't expected to roll into the US until early 2019, but Audi has given us a sneak peak of the cabin we can expect.
Audi wants a taste of the luxury SUV market that stablemates Porsche, Bentley, and Lamborghini have been enjoying, and the 2019 Q8 is how it plans to get it. Promising to combine cabin accommodations that rival a Cayenne, with levels of technology that could make a Bentayga blush, the Q8 also shoulders the responsibility of ushering in a dramatic new age of Q-series styling.
Audi has postponed the big debut of the e-tron Quattro all-electric SUV, after cancelling the event in the aftermath of CEO Super Stadler being arrested. The automaker had planned to make the e-tron Quattro - its Tesla Model X rival - the centerpiece of the Audi Summit on August 30. However, that event has now been wiped from the schedule.
The all-new 2019 Audi Q8 flagship SUV is not merely Ingolstadt's answer to the BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE, and the Range Rover Sport. Audi's push further into the upper echelons of luxury transportation, it will also serve as the foundation of the automaker's new design language for its future Q-product line up. And, though "four-door coupe" may still sound like an oxymoron to some, an unexpectedly extended drive in the new Q8 proved to me that this is more than just a new badge.
Audi has pulled the covers off the new A1 Sportback and the little compact car is very attractive. Audi says that the new A1 Sportback has grown significantly in length with an additional 2.2-inches making the car 13.2-feet. Width is almost the same at 5.7-feet and the new model is 4.7-feet high.
The Audi e-tron will be a weather forecaster as well as an electric SUV, the automaker has revealed, taking factors like upcoming conditions into account when intelligently charging. The new SUV goes on sale in Europe later this year, alongside a new smart home Audi connect charging system that promises more efficient, not to mention cheaper replenishment of the batteries.