The new 2019 Audi A7 Sportback is an evolution, representing the automaker's latest design language and the dramatic design elements of the Prologue concept car studies. The four-door coupe raises the bar in the luxury class when it comes to the new styling, digitalization, driving experience, and interior space. It's a competitive segment, but Audi is confident the new A7 has what it takes.
"Well," I said, filling for time as I racked my brain for a negative, "sometimes the little arm that holds out your seatbelt doesn't grab it properly. Then you have to reach back." If that sounds like the sort of First World Problem that First World Problems themselves complain about then you're not wrong. Welcome to the world of the 2018 Audi S5.
"Vorsprung durch Technik" doesn't translate to "know your place, human," but in the case of the 2019 Audi A8 it probably should. Fourth generation of the luxury sedan, it's the most technologically advanced, gadget-packed iteration to-date, paving the way for Audi's autonomous driving future among a host of other "firsts". While the new A8 won't find its way to US shores until fall 2018, Audi invited us to get an early preview - I just didn't expect to have a crisis of identity while I was there.
For many car fans the only interesting thing that Kia has rolled out in recent memory has been the Stinger sedan. That car can be had in base four-door Stinger flavor packing in a 255hp turbo four cylinder engine or in Stinger GT form. The Stinger GT is the version interesting to enthusiasts as it packs in a 3.3L twin-turbo V6 engine making 365hp.
Automotive fans like to see images of unannounced vehicles clad in camo because it gives us a glimpse at what future vehicles will look like. The vehicle in these spy shots is said to be the Audi Q8, the flagship of the Q line for Audi. The Q8 is said to be in near production form in this image.
You've probably heard the automotive press expound exponentially on the concept of 'range anxiety' as it applies to electric cars, but what of the 'supercar sweats?' You know, that feeling that descends on almost every exotic owner when called upon to park, navigate traffic, or go on a drive that lasts longer than a quick jaunt to the local show 'n shine? After all, asphalt-scraping, bone-jarring suspension setups, blind spots the size of a refrigerator, and the constant danger of reckless drivers zooming from two lanes over to snap a photo while hanging inches off the bumper are hazards anyone who elects to daily drive their six-figure sports car regularly face.
Audi and quattro all-wheel drive usually go together like peas in an automotive pod, so nobody expected this: a rear-wheel drive Audi R8. The limited-edition supercar is making its debut today at the Frankfurt Motor Show 2017 in Germany, based on the R8 LMS racing car, but bringing that to public streets. The result is this, the new Audi R8 V10 RWS.
Autonomous driving is huge right now, and Audi is accelerating into the age of self-driving vehicles across a wide range of abilities. First off was the recent Audi AI traffic jam pilot techday, where I got to experience Level 3 autonomy in real-world traffic jams and then hop into the driver seat to experience for myself what happens during the crucial 10 second hand-off period as the tech disengages. Now, at this year’s Internationale Automobil-Ausstellung (IAA) motor show in Frankfurt, Audi is taking the wraps off its new Level 4 and 5 concept cars, Elaine and Aicon respectively, that illustrate its vision of future autonomous mobility.
Most of the time I'll do my absolute best to avoid a traffic jam, but the 2019 Audi A8 makes them oddly appealing. Forget "Artificial Intelligence": the AI we're talking about today is Audi Intelligence. What exactly does this mean, and why should we care? We as a collective of road-users are going to need to be much more sensitive to the fact that there are cars on the road not being driven by human beings. Instead, we're increasingly going to see advanced driving assistance software taking the wheel, like the new Audi AI traffic jam pilot, the world’s first Level 3 automated driving system in a production vehicle.
When it comes to luxury and technology, Audi crams it all into the A8, its most luxurious car. Audi has announced that it will be integrating a new Bang & Olufsen 3D Advanced Sound System into the car. The high-end audio system gives the Audi 23 loudspeakers that have ultra-light and low distortion neodymium magnets. All those speakers promise to product what Audi says is an "airy, high-resolution sound pattern."
Prepare for some Audi badge confusion when you're next at the dealership, with the German automaker preparing to make a huge change to how its cars are named. The current model names - like A4 and A5, as well as Q5 and Q7 - are staying, but Audi plans to do away with engine displacement as an indicator of power. Instead, it says it has come up with a system that puts all vehicles - no matter the drivetrain type - on an level, and easily compared, footing.
Audi wants to integrated solar panels into the panoramic glass roofs on its cars, aiming to increase EV range courtesy of free solar energy. The German automaker has collaborated with Alta Devices, a subsidiary of Chinese thin-film solar cell maker Hanergy, on the project. Although not the first time solar panels have been baked into EVs, the claim is that this new system will be significantly more efficient.