For a while, it seemed as if the future of owning an automobile would be a subscription where you paid an ongoing monthly fee and had access to multiple car models from a single brand. Subscription programs were available from BMW, Audi, Mercedes-Benz, and others for a while. BMW recently announced that it was canceling its subscription service that began in 2018 in Nashville, Tennessee.
Samsung is working with four major automakers to turn its Galaxy S21 smartphones into digital car keys, as the company chases Apple and its already-launched iPhone as Key tech. The Android phone-maker announced the collaborations with Audi, BMW, Ford, and Genesis during its Galaxy Unpacked 2021 event today, where it unveiled three new smartphones.
The 2021 Audi Q5 Sportback and SQ5 Sportback are slopier-roof versions of the bestselling Q5 SUV. Indeed, Audi sold more than 50,000 units of the Q5 SUV last year. Adding a visually sportier version in the lineup is a definite push in cementing Q5’s dominance in the luxury SUV segment.
You can't please all the people, all the time, but Audi certainly comes closer than many with the 2020 S5 Sportback. The automaker may get some - not entirely undeserved - criticism, like its fellow Germans, for its "a car version for every tiny niche" approach over the past few years, but that doesn't mean the strategy can't come up with some gems.
The Audi Q5 may be a compact crossover, but in sales terms it's a juggernaut. Gaining in popularity every year since it first launched in 2009, it's not only Audi's best-seller but the centerpiece of the automaker's balance of technology, prestige, performance, and value. For the 2021 Q5 45 TFSI, then, there's a lot riding on its teutonic shoulders.
The Volkswagen Group owns a number of very well known brands, including Lamborghini, Ducati, and Bugatti. For a while, Volkswagen was considering spinning off some of those brands, but that won't happen for at least two. Italian motorcycle manufacturer Ducati and Italian supercar manufacturer Lamborghini have been confirmed to be staying within the Volkswagen Group.
Audi may not have shown off the production e-tron GT yet, but having flipped the design process it turns out we've already seen what the automaker has been up to with its electric Gran Turismo flagship. Back in 2018, Audi turned heads when it showed off the e-tron GT Concept, a deeply covetable four-door coupe that promised luxury and zero emissions. Little did we know, however, just exactly what we were seeing at the time.
There are only so many times you can tell someone they should buy a wagon, then see them park a new SUV on their driveway, before you start to question your sanity. America's wholehearted embrace of trucks, SUVs, and crossovers has done a shockingly efficient job of squeezing out the humble wagon from consideration. Audi's strategy with the 2020 A6 Allroad, then, is to make its wagon anything but humble.
The Audi A3 Sportback has yet to reach American shores. And yet, Europe is receiving a more potent version of Audi’s little hatchback. The 2022 A3 Sportback 45 TFSI e debuts with the same hybrid powertrain as the 40 TFSI. But it now packs a meaner punch along with a host of new standard equipment.
Audi of America has something in store for early reservists of the 2021 R8 RWD sports car. Unique to the North American market and limited to only 30 units, the R8 Panther edition will be the first rear-wheel-drive R8 models to arrive at dealerships this December.
Audi is quitting Formula E and will reveal a new Dakar Rally all-electric race car for the 2022 season, shaking up its motorsport efforts as it aims to prove EVs are the equals of their internal-combustion counterparts. The decision will see the Audi Formula E factory team shut down after the 2021 season - using the new e-tron FE07 only just revealed - though it won't mean the end of the automaker's involvement completely.
Audi is spicing up the TT coupe and roadster in Europe. The newest TTS with the ‘competition plus’ package not only adds standard Quattro all-wheel-drive, magnetic suspension, and a seven-speed S-Tronic automatic gearbox. The latest Audi TTS also receives a more powerful 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine.