2012 Audi A4 Premium Plus, Navi, Xenon, S-style, 18" Wheels, Sirius Xm on 2040-cars

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Porsche says goodbye to Audi's Le Mans team in this classy video

Well, this is cute. You may remember that in 2014 Audi made a video to welcome Porsche, its corporate sibling, back to Le Mans racing. It involved an Audi race car, a farmer on an old Porsche tractor, and the street in front of Porsche HQ. With Audi leaving Le Mans after a successful 18-year run, Porsche is returning the favor with this sort of sappy video. There's not much more to it. The video starts with clips from the original, where the Porsche-diesel-tractor-driving farmer is passed by an Audi R18 that traveled from Ingolstadt to Stuttgart to make some very precise German street graffiti (in English). Then, in the present day, the farmer hears the news of Audi leaving LMP1 and he gets an idea while Joe Cocker's "Up Where We Belong" starts to play. (Yes, seriously.) We won't spoil the ending for you. It still stinks that Audi had to leave Le Mans racing in the wake of the diesel scandal to focus on Formula E racing instead. But it's good to see there are no hard feelings between the two VW Group brands, at least as far as the marketing departments are concerned. We expect the Porsche-Audi sibling rivalry and corporate squabbles to continue behind closed doors, however. Related Video: Audi Porsche Racing Vehicles Videos porsche 919 hybrid

Recharge Wrap-up: Ferrock a carbon-negative cement substitute, Audi makes e-diesel

A cement alternative uses recycled materials and traps CO2 rather than producing it. Invented by David Stone at the University of Arizona, Ferrock uses recycled steel dust and glass to produce a substance stronger than conventional concrete. Cement has a high carbon footprint from the high heat needed to process the limestone. Ferrock needs no such heat, and it actually uses CO2 to harden, making it, as Stone calls it, a carbon-negative material. Learn more in the video above, see the transcript at PBS NewsHour and read more at Green Car Reports. Teslarati offers a detailed rundown of Tesla's new Valet Mode feature for the Model S. Part of the Firmware 6.2 update, Valet Mode allows the owner to disable certain performance features and block personal information when letting someone else drive the car. It limits the car's to speed to 70 miles per hour, and caps output at 80 kW. It can also disable mobile app access, Homelink, Bluetooth and wifi and the "Places" function, which stores addresses for you. The folks at Teslarati did find some shortcomings in the new feature, though. Read more at Teslarati. Audi has produced its first batch of e-diesel made from water and CO2. The fuel is made by reacting hydrogen from the water with CO2 to make long-chain hydrocarbon compounds called "blue crude." That can then be refined similarly to crude oil to make e-diesel, which is a fuel free from sulfur and aromatic hydrocarbons. That e-diesel can be used on its own, or mixed with fossil fuel diesel to power a vehicle. "In developing Audi e-diesel we are promoting another fuel based on CO2 that will allow long-distance mobility with virtually no impact on the climate," says Audi Head of Sustainable Product Development Reiner Mangold. Read more in the press release below. Fuel of the future: Research facility in Dresden produces first batch of Audi e-diesel - The verdict: Pilot plant produces high-quality diesel fuel - No need for mineral oil: e-diesel made from water, CO2 and green power - Minister Wanka: "Synthetic diesel using CO2 is a huge success" Audi has taken another big step in the development of new, CO2 neutral fuels: A pilot plant in Dresden has started production of the synthetic fuel Audi e diesel. After a commissioning phase of just four months, the research facility in Dresden started producing its first batches of high-quality diesel fuel a few days ago. To demonstrate its suitability for everyday use, Federal Minister of Education and Research Prof.

Honda, Hyundai top car residual value / depreciation awards list

J.D. Power announced its 2022 U.S. ALG Residual Value awards Thursday, with Honda and Hyundai topping the charts at three models apiece in the industry-standard study. The term "residual" is an industry projection of how well a car will hold its resale value three years from the original purchase date – a key metric in calculating lease costs and projecting new-car depreciation.  Award winners included several enthusiast-friendly options, including the BMW 2 Series, Dodge Charger, Subaru WRX, Mercedes-AMG GT and Toyota Tacoma. Even the Ford Bronco was recognized, beating out the Jeep Wrangler in the Off-Road Utility segment. That may seem odd given the car's issue-plagued launch, but scarcity apparently trumps quality control issues over the longer term. Here's a scrolling complete list of winners broken down by segment: “Accurately forecasting residual values in the auto industry is a key factor in assessing an estimated $225 billion lease portfolio of vehicles in the United States,” said ALG VP Eric Lyman in the company's announcement. "The brands and vehicle models that rise to the top demonstrate that they score well across the award programÂ’s criteria, including manufacturersÂ’ superior design and quality." ALG looks at several factors to determine future value, which is especially tricky with new models. For 2022, 16 different brands were recognized across 29 segments. Behind Honda and Hyundai, Audi, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Land Rover and Subaru all managed to chart with two different models. Here's the rundown of those who won in more than one category: Honda Civic Honda Passport Honda Odyssey Hyundai Accent Hyundai Kona Hyundai Kona EV Audi A6 Allroad Audi Q3 Kia K5 Kia Telluride Land Rover Range Rover Velar Land Rover Discovery Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door Mercedes-Benz Metris:  Subaru  WRX and  Subaru Forester Toyota Tacoma  Toyota Tundra "The award process consists of evaluating 284 models through analysis of used-vehicle performance, brand outlook and product competitiveness," the announcement said. "Eligibility for a brand award requires a manufacturer to have model entries in at least four different segments. To account for differences across trim levels, model averages are weighted based on percentage share relative to the entire model line."   Audi Honda Hyundai Kia Land Rover Mercedes-Benz Subaru Toyota