Audi: A6 Quattro Premium Plus on 2040-cars

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Audi A6 gets styling, powertrain tweaks

The Audi A6 is already a fairly handsome, German luxury sedan, but the whole range is receiving some styling updates in Europe this fall. Audi's US arm would not directly confirm which of these updates will be coming to America, instead just telling us that an updated A6 will be coming next year.
On the outside, the tweaks are fairly minor. The company's single-frame grille, which shows up throughout the model lineup, gets some very subtle styling changes, and the lower bumper and its air intakes are also reshaped. More obviously, the headlights have a new form with the LED running lights cutting through them in roughly the shape of a T, as opposed to outlining them, as before. A similar shape is also used for the updated taillights, and there are now rectangular exhaust outlets around back, as well. In profile, the side sills also get a harder crease toward the rear of the sedan.
Inside, things are kept generally the same, as well. There's a new Flint Gray interior color for the A6 and Salsa Red for the S6. But the biggest change is a power-retracting eight-inch infotainment system using the Nvidia Tegra 30 graphics chip. The optional night vision assist system is also improved with new functions, according to Audi.

2017 Audi RS5 DTM racer is a smorgasbord of carbon-fiber wings

Along with the reveal of the new RS5 coupe, Audi took the wraps off its corresponding DTM racer here at the Geneva Motor Show. This concurrent debut strategy is completely by design. "For the first time, we developed a new DTM car in parallel with the production model. This underlines once again how closely motorsport and production work together at Audi," said head of Audi Motorsport Dieter Gass. As much as Audi would like you to believe its DTM racer shares a lot in common with its production RS5 ... well, it doesn't. Gone is the new biturbo V6, and in its place is a 4.0-liter V8. It's not a Quattro – all DTM racers are rear-wheel drive – and the chassis is a carbon-fiber monocoque. And, of course, there is an extremely complex set of wings, vanes, and splitters that you'd never see on a production car. View 15 Photos Interestingly, the 2017 DTM regulations actually reduce the total amount of downforce allowed. That ought to mean slower cars, but Audi promises the opposite is true, due to sticky new tires and a 4.0-liter V8 engine tuned to deliver "more than 500 horsepower." That's more than last year, thanks to changes made to the air intake and cooling systems. Audi won the Constructor title in DTM last year with the old RS5 racer, so the pressure is on to follow that feat again in 2017. We'll find out soon enough how good the new car is – the 2017 DTM season starts on May 6 in Hockenheim. Related Video:

Audi prices 2014 A8L TDI from $82,500*

During the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, Audi told us that it would be bringing four new diesel-powered models to the United States this year. The first to arrive is the 2014 A8L TDI you see here, and we've now learned that the big oil-sipper will be priced from $82,500, (*excluding $895 for destination).
The whole new range of diesel models will be powered by Audi's 3.0-liter TDI V6, good for 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in this application. Of course, Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, and even in the big A8, the diesel grunt will be enough to propel the long-wheelbase flagship to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds (almost a full second slower than the A8 3.0T we reviewed last fall). That said, the A8 TDI should still be a pretty engaging steer, and considering the fact that this thing will reportedly return fuel economy figures of up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway (24 in the city), a slightly slower launch time is well worth it. (The A8 3.0T tops out at 28 mpg highway.)
Elsewhere in the segment, Mercedes-Benz offers a diesel version of its S-Class flagship, retailing for $93,000 and good for fuel economy figures of 21/31 mpg city/highway. By comparison, the A8 TDI seems like a steal, and we'll be interested to see where the forthcoming BMW 7 Series diesel falls into the class of huge oil-burning barges.