has confirmed at the that its will be available with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 in the United States. Delivering 333 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque through all four wheels, the A8 3.0T will be sold in both both short- and long-wheelbase formats and it will be one of a growing crop of vehicles sold in North America with start/stop technology. The move follows confirmation that Audi will also market its flagship luxury sedan with a 3.0-liter six-cylinder TDI diesel engine.
Both powertrain combinations have already been offered in the A8 in other markets, and both engines have already been featured in other Audi models sold here, but these powerplants will be the first six-cylinder A8s sold in North America. Audi has not released official fuel economy estimates for these new powertrains.
The editors from Autoweek have lined up their notes and named their 2011 Best of the Best. The and took the top honors, with editor Wes Raynal saying that the is a vehicle with “few peers” thanks its integration of sedan styling and hatchback functionality. The Evoque, meanwhile, won over the hearts and minds of those at Autoweek thanks to its roots and excellent ride refinement. The publication says the Evoque redefines the brand.
Autoweek isn’t alone in its picks. As you may recall, the editors at our sister site, , chose both the A7 and the Evoque for the website’s first-ever car of the year awards, Motor Trend named the Evoque its SUV of the Year, and we’re rather fond of them both, as well.
In order to qualify for the Autoweek Best of the Best list, a vehicle had to be completely or substantially new for 2011. Click for the full press release.
A7 and Land Rover Evoque ‘Best of the Best’ titles
has a hot seller on its hands. If we forced you to guess which model (and didn’t let you read the title of this post), you might assume that we’d be talking about the A6 or even the Q5. Nope. The four-ringed automaker is watching its all-new flagship sedan doing its best impression of hot cakes.
In fact, the stylish luxo-barge is selling so well that it’s required Audi to hire more plant workers. According to Automotive News, Audi is boosting production of the A8 by 57 percent, and it needs more hands on deck to help keep the lines moving at the automaker’s Neckarsulm, Germany assembly plant. The A8 still has a ways to go in matching its German luxury brethren for global volume, but the new model appears to be on the right track.
Emanuele Pirro has spent the last 17 years as an works driver, so it’s safe to say he knows his way around Quattro-equipped iron. Not only has Pirro had the pleasure of first crack at the latest gems from Audi in that time, he’s also had the pleasure of winning three LeMans victories behind the four rings.
During the course of over four videos produced last week for Audi’s social media outlets in the United States, Pirro details the limited-edition . Starting with the car’s 560-horsepower, V10-motivated 3.6 second 0-60 time, Pirro takes four episodes to explain why you wantneed an R8 GT, as if you didn’t already know. Included in that long list of reasons are the carbon fiber spoiler and front splitter. Did we mention this beast is 180 pounds lighter than the regular car?
For Pirro’s full impressions of the baddest R8 available, .
Not even supercars are safe from recalls. is recalling certain for a potential fuel leak, caused by the fuel supply line rubbing against the heat shield in the engine compartment. According to a report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, this effects droptop R8s built between May 18, 2010 and June 22, 2011.
We don’t need to tell you why a fuel leak is a potential disaster. Anyone who dropped the cash for an R8 Spyder surely will not want to see it go up in flames.
The official recall is expected to begin on August 22, and owners will be able to have their cars inspected and repaired free of charge. for NHTSA’s official release.
recalled for fuel leak
originally appeared on on Thu, 11 Aug 2011 17:31:00 EST. Please see our .
Life for us mammals is comparatively finite. Lacking the luxury of a mid-cycle refresh, the average human in the United States can expect to live about 80 years before their clock stops ticking. That isn’t too terrible in the grand scheme of things. After all, the typical mountain lion is lucky to get 20 years as a feared predator while most guinea pigs go quietly after just eight years in the household cage. Mammals don’t have many options when it comes to getting old.
Not so with the automobile. With few exceptions, the average lifecycle of a passenger vehicle is a short five to seven years. However, instead of sitting idle as its beloved machinery ages into senility, manufacturers treat passenger vehicles to mid-cycle makeovers with new fascias, upgraded electronics and more efficient engines. The intent is to breathe new life into models and make them more appealing lest they get lost amid a sea of younger designs.
The is in the middle of its fifth model year – pushing 60 in human years. And fresh off a facelift just last year, the full-size SUV receives a complete heart transplant for 2011. The new supercharged V6 is not only engineered to make the seven-passenger vehicle more competitive in a difficult market, but to carry first crossoffer towards its eventual retirement. Or behind the shed.
Q7 3.0T S line [w/video]
Q7 3.0T S line [w/video] originally appeared on on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 11:57:00 EST. Please see our .
The paint is still drying on the , but the Four-Ring automaker is already ready to roll out its 2012 lineup. A8 fans can now say hello a familiar variant of the flagship sedan which was missing upon launch of the launch of its redesign. The 2012 Audi A8 L will now be offered with a W12 engine under its hood and a $133,500 starting price on the window sticker. For that, you get a dozen cylinders giving 500 horsepower and 463 pound-feet of torque – enough to launch Audi’s Big Daddy to 60 mph in a scant 4.4 seconds.
Any other items of note for the 2012 model year? Yes, we’re glad you asked.
The sporty 2012 Audi TT-RS can be yours if you have $56,850 to spare. The redesigned 2012 A6 sedan starts at $41,700 for the front-wheel-drive 2.0T and $49,900 for the 3.0T with Quattro all-wheel-drive. Finally, the Audi R8 GT, if you , will run you $196,800. Still no word on when the Spyder derivative will arrive to add a $200,000 car to Audi’s lineup.
*Prices do not include taxes or destination and handling.
2011 Audi A8 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The Transporter film series is taking a detour from the silver-screen to arrive in TV land. Called – crazily enough – Transporter, the new Cinemax series stars a man who is not Jason Statham quite good at … transporting. Lead actor Chris Vance’s preferred method of transportation will reportedly be the redesigned , which we think should fit the bill quite nicely. After all, a 372-horsepower, 4.2-liter V8 paired with Quattro all-wheel-drive, excellent seats and a 1,400-watt B&O sound system should be enough to keep driver, passengers and cargo moving along quickly and comfortably.
Of course, were we the appropriately named Transporter in question, we might wait for to hand over the next . How about you – What would be your preferred tool for the Transporter gig? Have your say in Comments.
2011 Audi Q3 – Click above for high-res image gallery
The idea of a small premium crossover like the new , while certainly not lost on North Americans, does seem to face both corporate and public resistance Stateside. The frequent customer logic goes something like, “It’s small and expensive, so why wouldn’t I just buy the bigger or maybe an ?” Hence most of the reason why Audi North America hesitates on bringing the Q3 over to us.
This sporty, tall sort-of-A3 is considered an “A-SUV” in Europe, belonging to the smallest A-segment of the market there. Built at the underutilized yet state-of-the-art Seat factory in Martorell, Spain, on a spanking new production line, projects annual sales in a full year of 100,000 units. Chief stated competition for the Q3 includes the , and the forthcoming currently in prototype testing.
Just how would we swallow the entry-level coupe with the taste of the wondrous TT RS still fresh in our mouths? Rather well: Sometimes cars like this aren’t just the cheapest, they’re the best picks of the draft.
Take one Subaru WRX, place its engine in the middle and remove the back seat. Viola! You now have a sports car, and one that the boys from Factory Five are looking to offer the public.
Medusa, one very mean 1972 Buick Skylark, is essentially America’s own Mad Max machine.
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Least Costly TT Gives Entry-Level A Very Positive Meaning
2011 Audi TT 2.0 Quattro Coupe – Click above for high-res image gallery
invited us out to a California track a little more than a year ago for some . Fresh out of development, the enthusiast-tuned variant of its ever-stylish coupe was fitted with a turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder sending 340 horsepower to every corner through Audi’s Quattro all-wheel-drive system. Quick, nimble and offered only with a six-speed manual, the gussied-up two-seater was not only the ultimate expression of the chassis’ capabilities, it was a gift to those with a passion for driving.
Last September, after a successful , Audi decided to bring the TT RS to the States. As word of the announcement spread, we’re guessing that more than a few and owners felt chills go up their spines.
Fourteen months after blasting around Willow Springs Raceway in the talented TT RS, we found a sitting in our driveway. For those unfamiliar with Audi’s lineup, the 2.0T is relegated to the bottom of the pole as the least expensive and least powerful model in the franchise.
So… just how would we swallow the entry-level coupe with the taste of the wondrous TT RS still fresh in our mouths? As it happened, we were pleasantly surprised.
2011 Audi R8 GT Spyder – Click above for high-res image gallery
The came to Le Mans in full regalia, and our own Drew Phillips was there to catch it in all its topless glory. We got full details on the V10-motivated convertible Audi supercar last week. With 560 horsepower and 398 lb-ft on tap, Audi’s new ragtop sprints to 60 in a scant 3.8 seconds and doesn’t stop until the needle touches 197 mph. With that out of the way, you may now commence ogling the matte-finished beauty in attached image gallery.
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Chris, Zach and Dan are joined by Autoblog alum and current Motor Trend scribe Jonny Lieberman for Episode #230 of the Autoblog Podcast. We cover the ongoing saga of financing, the evergreen rumor of a mid-engined , conjecture about what might be learning from disassembling BMWs and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s department test of the latest police iron. Your feedback and questions finish it off, and we’ve re-posted the Q&A at the bottom of this post so you can play along at home, too. Thanks for listening, we’ll see you next week!
Autoblog Podcast #230: with Jonny Lieberman of Motor Trend
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Audi R18 TDI (above) and Aston Martin AMR-One (below right) – Click either image for high-res galleries
There’s plenty to be excited about in this year’s Le Mans racing season, and the new Audi R18 TDI arguably ranks chief among them. ’s new fixed-roof racer will make its debut at the Spa 1000km race next weekend, showing for the first time what it can do against a competitive field ahead of June’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
“Although we tested at Le Mans recently, we’ll learn a lot more about the new Audi R18 TDI and also how it fares against the competition at Spa,” said Audi’s double champion Allan McNish in preparation for the Belgian endurance race. “The 20-minute qualifying session on Friday afternoon will be the first time when we’ll see the true performance of all of the new cars because it will be the first time when everybody is on the same playing field together at the same time.”
That may not exactly be the case, however, because while Audi’s chief rival Peugeot is sure to be mounting its own challenge, word has it that will sit this one out. The British team is also fielding a new racer in the , but rather than take the opportunity to put its new LMP through the paces in a real racing scenario as Audi will, Aston’s focus is on testing the car before the main event at La Sarthe. Follow the jump for official press releases from both teams.
Audi R18 TDI – Click above for high-res image gallery
Take a look at the beast that is the new Audi R18 TDI and you’d be forgiven for assuming it has a big, rip-roarin’ V10 with at least two turbochargers. Right? Wrong. Although the previous R15 TDI packed in ten oil-burning cylinders, new regulations – implemented to diminish the advantage the last generation of diesel-powered Le Mans Prototypes over their gasoline-burning competitors – forced to go with a single-turbo V6 for the new R18. That didn’t stop Audi from finding some unique ways to make the best of the new engine regs.
For starters, the engine block is made of aluminum – still a rarity for high-compression diesel engines, even after introduced their design some six years ago. Audi also opened up the angle between the cylinder banks to 120 degrees, giving it a lower center of gravity approaching that of a boxer engine, and relocated the exhaust manifolds from port and starboard to a single unit nestled inside the wide V.
The result is a 3.7-liter turbo-diesel V6 that produces over 540 horsepower. The smaller form factor also allowed Audi Sport to optimize the aerodynamics, while its lower weight allowed the engineers to beef up other components. As for a regenerative braking system like its chief rival Peugeot runs (and like those employed in Formula 1), Audi says it is keeping the door open to the idea as development continues, but has yet to implement any such system. to read more about the engine specifically designed for Audi’s latest prototype racer in the full press release.
Audi R18 TDI in full livery testing at Paul Ricard – Click above for high-res image gallery
The domination of racing teams and the factories that support them wax and wane across countless motorsports disciplines around the world from year to year. But arguably none has continued to dominate like at Le Mans. Since the turn of the millennium, Audi has won the iconic French endurance race every year but two: In 2003 when its own sister company took top honors, and in 2009, when its chief rival, Peugeot took the win.
Audi has introduced a succession of sports prototype racers to uphold its honor, from the original R8 through the R10 TDI and the R15 TDI that won last year. The latest is the closed-cockpit R18 TDI, which the German automaker has yet to field in an actual race but which has now undergone its first test sessions in the full battle livery you see here.
The trio of silver and black racers will again be differentiated by the red, yellow and black highlights, and feature a number of body parts crafted from carbon fiber, giving the R18 TDI a lightweight form on which Audi is banking to fend off Peugeot, which started off the season strong by defeating the outgoing R15 at Sebring.
Will the new R18 prove capable of shutting out its French rivals for the title event at Le Mans this coming June? We’ll have to wait and see, but with the preliminary test sessions at the Circuit de la Sarthe reinstituted this past weekend after a two-year absence, the Audis were on top of the time sheets, the Peugeots only narrowly beating out the third of them. Follow the jump for press releases from the Paul Ricard and La Sarthe test sessions and take a closer look in the high-resolution image gallery below.
2011 World Car of the Year winners – Click above for high-res image gallery
Big congratulations go to the this morning, as it has just been named the 2011 World Car of the Year. The Leaf garnered more votes than the and , the other two finalists for the World Car title. In 2010, the took home this award.
The Leaf was not the only super-efficient car to be awarded today, as the was named Green Car of the Year. Oddly, the Volt was named , while the Leaf was merely a runner-up.
In the less-efficient realm of the industry, the was named World Performance Car of the Year, and the sleek was given the World Design of the Year crown.
2011 Audi R8 GT – Click above for high-res image gallery
Audi had no problem selling its entire allocation of R8 GTs after . It shouldn’t be a surprise. After all, the GT is Audi’s ultimate version of the R8 with a 560-horsepower V10 engine and extensive use of carbon fiber components. The Four Ringed Automaker claims a 0-60 mph time of 3.6 seconds and a top speed of a touch under 200 mph. Only a limited number will be produced as well, with a scant 333 available worldwide.
Those lucky few customers will soon be getting their hands on the cars, as Audi has announced it has recently started deliveries of the R8 GT. The very first customer, a UK resident, took possession of his new car painted in Phantom Black. Color us jealous. Audi’s PR on the delivery of the first R8 GT is . Feel free to ignore that entirely, though, if you find yourself caught up in the high-res image gallery below… we understand.
NADAguides presents the cars to consider for 2011 – Click above for high-res image gallery
Consumer vehicle valuation and information website NADAguides has prepared a list of cars you should be looking at in 2011. Called the “Must Consider” list, the analysts at NADAguides have chosen seven vehicles they feel represent the intersection of value, performance, design and fuel efficiency. The vehicles on this list are also reportedly chosen because NADAguides feels the average consumer might not be considering it amongst their new-car candidates.
The Germans, Japanese, Americans, Koreans and even an Italian have a representative vehicle on the list. For 2011, the NADAguides Must Consider list is comprised of the following vehicles:
Per Troy Snyder, NADAguides Director of Product Development:
“Every year our team is excited to announce the NADAguides Must Consider List. The data for these vehicles highlight them as a smart choice for consumers, but the industry buzz or consumer awareness just isn’t there for one reason or another. NADAguides recognizes why these vehicles are a great option for consumers and wants to ensure they do not go unnoticed.”
The reasoning behind each choice is provided in the full press release waiting . While the machines themselves are all fine vehicles for consumers to consider, we have to wonder whether or not they were really off the consideration lists for many consumers in the first place… feel free to agree or disagree yourselves in the ‘Comments.’
2012 Audi TT RS tested by Car and Driver – Click above to watch the video
When Car and Driver tested the , the magazine managed a 0-60 time of . That’s supercar territory, which is to be expected of a $165,00 Audi with 525 horsepower and all-wheel-drive.
The 2012 Audi TT RS should hit dealer lots this summer, with a much more reasonable Monroney somewhere in the $60,000 territory. The hot coupe features “only” 335 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine, so it shouldn’t even come close to challenging the V10-packing R8 from 0-60, right? According to C/D, the TT RS can do more than just “challenge” the R8 Spyder, as the little hatch managed to hit 60 mph in a blistering 3.6 seconds (note: C/D conducts acceleration testing with a rollout). That’s quicker than the R8 and a lot of very expensive variants. Could this stupendous performance be an aberration?
to watch the action-packed video of the TT RS. It’s only 50 seconds long, and it’s worth your time if only for the amazing sounds coming from Audi’s boosted five cylinder. Top tip, JimmyX!
Big congratulations go to the this morning, as it has just been named the 2011 World Car of the Year. The Leaf garnered more votes than the and , the other two finalists for the World Car title. In 2010, the took home this award.
