Autoblog

• New details on Audi S1 emerge
  

  Filed under: Sports/GTs, Hatchbacks, Audi, Rendered Speculation

  Auto Express got the inside dope on the upcoming Audi S1, and the the compact hatch has its sights set on the MINI Cooper JCW, Fiat 500 Abarth SS, Alfa Romeo MiTo GTA and Volvo C30. Based on the new Audi A1, the S1 will feature a cranked up version of VW/Audi's Twincharger 1.4L TSI four tweaked to produce 200 hp and 221 ft-lb of torque. Power might be down compared to the S1's competitors, but expect the three-door to hold its own with a rear-biased quattro setup, a seven-speed S-Tronic twin-clutch gearbox...
  



• Audi R8 V10 will be all LED, all the time
  

  Filed under: Sports/GTs, Green, Safety, Tech, Supercars, Audi

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi R8 V10
  
  
  The Audi R8 claimed a number of world firsts - that is, walking away with magazine awards and journalists' hearts the world over. The Audi R8 V10 is about to claim a world first in technology: it will be the first car to offer high and low beam LED headlights as standard equipment. (Note: The 2009 Cadillac Escalade Platinum was the first vehicle in the world to offer all-LED headlamps.) You can buy the...
  



• Third-gen Audi A8 to be "stronger, sharper, more precise"
  

  Filed under: Sedans/Saloons, Audi

  
  
  From the first lozenge-shaped A8 that hit American shores in 1997, Audi's flagship sedan has slowly been asserting itself more and more. The current A8 W12 is almost always given credit for its beautiful-yet-subtle design and a glorious interior. American buyers, however, haven't thrown money at it like they do the BMW 7 Series and Mercedes-Benz S Class. Audi is out to change that with the 2011 A8.
  
  Among the changes, Audi is trumpeting improvements to the car's handling, the area in which it has traditionally lost ground to its European luxo-sedan brethren. The rear-biased quattro system will also be enhanced with Audi's "sport differential"...
  



• REPORT: Audi to unveil A7 in Detroit
  

  Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Trends, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Euro, Audi

  
  
  
  We can debate whether the "four-door coupe" is a genuine segment or merely a bit of marketing piffle, but that isn't stopping the genre from swelling at an impressive rate. The next chapter in the burgeoning niche looks to be written by Audi, as the German automaker has just confirmed that a conceptual version of their new A7 will debut next month at the Detroit Auto Show. As its nomenclature would suggest, it is expected that the A7 will slot in between the A6 and the...
  



• Spy Shots: 2010 Audi A4 Allroad
  

  Filed under: Spy Photos, Wagons/Estates, Crossovers/CUVs, Audi

  A lot of American consumers were disappointed when the Audi Allroad was sent to the guillotine in 2005. Based on the A6 Avant, the Allroad's positioning as a more-than-a-wagon, less-than-an-SUV made it a versatile performer, but middling sales meant that U.S. consumers never got a crack at the second-generation model available overseas since 2006.
  
  Judging by this newest prototype and a similar one spied back in February, it appears that the current Allroad will get an A4 Avant-based kid brother. Spy shots show a such a car testing in the kind of latitude that is home to...
  



• Audi Prices A6/S6 starting at $45,100/$75,900
  

  Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Audi

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Audi A6
  
  
  Audi's upgraded A6 and S6 are scheduled to hit US dealerships in January, and the four-ringed midsize sedan has new pricing to match its upgraded powertrains. The A6 3.2 premium stars at $45,100, a price bump of over $2,000 over the 2008 model. The newest member of the A6 family, which comes with a 300 hp supercharged 3.0L V6 and standard quattro AWD, starts at $53,310. That's $3,000 less than the starting price of the previous generation 4.2L V8, which packed more punch at 350 hp, but the 3.0T fights...
  



• Audi expands A4 lineup with new FrontTrak model, six-speed manual on quattro
  

  Filed under: Car Buying, Sedans/Saloons, Audi

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Audi A4
  
  
  Audi is expanding its A4 line-up to include two new option levels on its entry-level sedan; one equipped with FrontTrak (read: front-wheel-drive) and another that finally offers a six-speed manual on the base quattro-equipped A4.
  
  The 2009 Audi A4 2.0T FrontTrak mates a CVT to the 2.0T inline four, returning an EPA rating of 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. The six-speed manual quattro A4 achieves the same highway rating, but loses one mpg around town. Pricing for the FrontTrak model starts at $31,000,...
  



• GM strikes out with Yankees, Toyota and Audi trot in from the 'pen
  

  Filed under: Marketing/Advertising, Audi, GM, Toyota

  When the Yankees move from the House That Ruth Built to the House The Boss Built next April, General Motors won't be part of the migration. In a move that's not particularly surprising, GM has announced that it will not be re-upping with the Yanks as a sponsor for the 2009 season. The Bronx Bombers aren't the only team that GM is severing ties with - the Pittsburgh Pirates' sponsorship also wasn't renewed, and the Associated Press is reporting that another six expiring Major League Baseball team contracts are "under review." We'd expect those to go "poof" as...
  



• Audi kills plans for Q5 hybrid
  

  Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, Green, Crossovers/CUVs, Audi

  
  
  Click above for a high-res gallery of the Audi Q5
  
  
  A few short months after announcing that it would be killing off the Q7 hybrid SUV, Audi has decided that its smaller brother, the Q5, doesn't really need the fuel-saving option either. The German automaker cites the safety of its nickel metal hydride battery packs, but we're not completely sold on that being the real concern, especially considering the hundreds of thousands of Toyota Prius hybrids (among others, of course) already roaming the world's busiest highways with nary a problem. If not safety, then why cancel the project? Pricing is...
  



• Audi A7 concept coming to Detroit Auto Show
  

  Filed under: Concept Cars, Detroit Auto Show, Coupes, Sedans/Saloons, Supercars, Audi

  
  
  Click above for gallery of the Audi's future concepts
  
  
  While other automakers are fleeing Detroit's Cobo Hall, Audi has plans to make up for their absences. We already knew the V10-powered version of the R8 would be making its world debut at the North American International Auto Show next month and it looks like several more vehicles will be appearing as well. According the Detroit Free Press, a concept version of the upcoming A7 will make be on hand, along with a second US market diesel model. The A7...