2001 Audi A6, No Reserve on 2040-cars

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Audi reveals next-gen TT interior at CES

Audi has taken the somewhat unusual step of unveiling much of the interior of its upcoming TT Coupe at the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. That's unusual, because they haven't shown us the car yet. Perhaps we shouldn't be surprised - with the proliferation of technology in automobiles these days, it's probably time we start considering them as much electronic devices as transportation devices.
While Audi has long been recognized as a leader in interior design, this new TT features an instrument cluster that is wildly different from what we've become accustomed to from the Four-Ring brand. Audi is calling its fully digital system a "virtual cockpit," and with its 12.3-inch LCD screen situated directly in front of the driver, it does away with the company's traditional Multi-Media Interface (MMI) display in the center stack. Two modes are offered, one classic option with large gauges and another more oriented to infotainment.
Besides electronics, the actual hard parts of the interior also show plenty of new thinking. With the removal of the central screen, Audi has been able to streamline its instrument panel to resemble a wing of sorts, with jet-like HVAC vents that house their own controls. Two more points for controls are presented to the driver, with buttons on the flat-bottom steering wheel and another set on the center tunnel.

Volkswagen Group, BMW Z4 top Total Value Awards by Strategic Vision

It was just nine months ago that Strategic Vision announced its 2011 Total Value Awards, but you don't have to wait until next year for the 2012 awards. The Volkswagen Group keeps its lead as the number one brand, with seven products taking top category spots: Golf, Jetta Wagon, CC, Eos and Audi A3 Wagon, Q5 and Q7. Strategic Vision says "true innovation" - "rich and impactful, intuitive, motivational, in-depth and is able to trigger description by the user in great specificity" - is the open secret of the brands with the strongest showings. Results are culled from 77,153 owners covering more than 350 new cars bought between September of 2011 and 2012 ranked in the Total Value Index (TVI).
Other notable winners are Hyundai-Kia following VW in the brand category and having the Hyundai Elantra and Kia Sorento among category winners, the BMW Z4 taking the premium roadster category and the highest overall score of any vehicle, the Chevrolet Volt continuing to gather silverware in the Special Category, nabbing the second-highest score of all and representative of "nearly perfect innovation," and Chrysler and Dodge being most improved.
Check out the press release below for your day's dose of jargon and all the winners.

A few pre-race notes and a lot of photos from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The 82nd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is on.
Audi has won 12 of the last 15 events, the scion of Auto Union is trying to make it 13 this year. To do so, it will have to overcome a situation faced only three other times during its dominance of La Sarthe: underdog status. Toyota has won the first two races of the year and claimed pole for this race, the rumor being that this year it's Toyota's race to lose.
And then there's Porsche. It's been 16 years since the Stuttgart brand raced on the top rung at Le Mans, three years years since it announced its return, just a year since it acquired Mark Webber in a signing that wasn't subtle and a few months since we got eyes on the 919 Hybrid.