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Believing in evolution | 2018 Audi S4 and S5 Second Drive

Sales figures for cars in America have plummeted. In a robust overall market, where vehicle purchases have reached record-setting levels, car sales fell by an incredible 9 percent last year alone. SUVs and crossovers are drinking their milkshake, now accounting for nearly two in every three purchases, a profound shift from cars' majority dominance as recently as 2012. Audi's all-new A4 sedan was a bright spot in the brand's car portfolio in 2016, increasing by 16 percent, but A6 and A8 sales fell 18 and 17 percent respectively, and the A5 coupe's sales tanked by a shocking 35 percent. Mitsubishi sold more than three times as many Outlanders last year as Audi did A5s. Were you even aware that Mitsubishi still sold vehicles in America? This trend is expected to continue, perhaps even escalate. But Audi refuses to give up on sedans and coupes. Credit the Teutonic monomania that requires a tit-for-tat escalation and diversification into every existing and invented market segment in which its rivals from BMW and Mercedes compete or don't. (An eminently sales-resistant five-door hatchback, the A5 Sportback, joins Audi's US car lineup in a couple months.) Whatever the instigation, we appreciate it. Cars are an intrinsically more efficient, and more fun, way to move people and goods around compared to SUVs. And Audi's new S4 sedan and S5 coupe prove that we live in a golden age of cars, especially enthusiast cars. At first glance, you might not notice much of a difference between the outgoing cars and these all-new models. Part of this is because the design is extremely evolutionary – though when you start with a pair of models that so elegantly nailed their respective categories, it makes sense not to smash the mold. Closer examination will reveal additional facets, creases, and muscularity in the revised designs. It will also reveal greater differentiation between the related pair, especially around the headlamps, grille, and hood, all of which are meant to be more sporting and exclusive on the two-door, a play to fit with its more sporting and exclusive nature. You might place your faith in other more magical ideas, but we're believers in evolution. The interiors of the cars are similarly evolutionary, and also far more similar. This is not a bad thing. Audi continues to excel in cockpit innovation. We credit it with reinventing the dashboard with the amorphously shaped LCD-screened Virtual Cockpit.

SNL player Vanessa Bayer goes 50 Shades of Audi

Fifty Shades of Grey, the most unlikely Valentine's Day film ever, is opening over Valentine's Day Weekend. Casting directors gave Audi a number of plum assignments, the German carmaker landing the roles of A3, S7, S8, R8 V10 Spyder, and Q7. That part is not surprising. What is surprising is this most unlikely spoof that Audi of America worked up with Saturday Night Live cast member Vanessa Bayer, playing off that elevator scene in the film. After watching it, we felt like Audi looked at us and said, "Oh yeah, we just did that." It's not NSFW, but - like the movie it parodies - this is all about the adult content. We liked it. But would it be too much to say we didn't see this one coming? News Source: Audi of America via YouTube Humor TV/Movies Audi Videos saturday night live

Audi 4.2-liter V8 to live again in next-gen R8

Fellow auto enthusiasts, it looks like the car gods have smiled upon us. Word is that Audi's stupendous 4.2-liter V8 will once again be available in the next-generation R8. Rumors pegged the trusty 4.2 as a dead engine revving, thanks to Audi's newer 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 found in models like the S6 and S7.
We expected the 4.0-liter to be the go-to engine in the next R8, but according to Car and Driver, there have been some issues cooling the force-induced mill in the mid-engine R8. The issues are so severe, in fact, that the 4.2 is going to be retained in the car's second generation.
It's more than just practical matters like cooling that are keeping the R8 from going turbocharged. C/D reports that even with the current state of forced induction, a turbocharged R8's throttle response and its resultant exhaust note would suffer too much to be feasible.