2015 Audi A3 2.0t Premium Plus Quattro on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2017 Audi A4 First Drive [w/video]

Internally, Audi refers to the A4 lineage with a B designation. Why the discrepancy? The model legacy traces back to the 1972 Audi 80, and the A4 name wasn't adopted until 1996 for the North American market. So the fifth-generation A4 is code-named B9. There is no confusion about what this car means to Audi. In 19 years, the brand has sold more than 12 million A4s around the world, which puts this new generation on the A-list when it comes to brand importance. If you squint, the new car looks like a facelifted version of the last-generation facelift unveiled in 2013. We get the same impression of the new A4 as we do with the third-generation Audi TT: it hasn't been comprehensively reconceived, it's been comprehensively re-detailed. But with a move to the updated VW group platform known as MLB Evo, 90 percent of the components on this car are new. On the outside, those changes are reflected through deeper sculpting on a body that's about the same height as before but 0.5-inches wider, one-inch longer, and with a wheelbase stretched 0.7 inches. The tweaked grille separates reworked Bi-Xenon headlights, which are standard across the lineup now – halogens go bye-bye. LED headlights are optional, as are the matrix units in other markets. Audi claims US-market cars will lose anywhere from 70 to 100 pounds depending on specification. Above those lights is a version of a clamshell hood – its shutline forms the front third of the pronounced shoulder line along the sedan's flanks. Audi designed a new hinge that keeps the hood lined up properly over the life of a car because small misalignments show more easily on the vertical seams. In back there are updated taillights, a standard rearview camera, and a trunk opening that's an even one meter across. In the press presentations, any conversation quickly turns to weight loss and aerodynamic efficiency. The only curb weight we have from Audi so far is for the base sedan, empty and without a driver, with the 1.4 TFSI engine that we don't get, coming in at 2,910 pounds. The current US-spec A4 is listed at 3,583 pounds, and Audi claims US-market cars will lose anywhere from 70 to 100 pounds depending on specification. About 35 pounds of that comes from the chassis, with new forged aluminum links on the suspension, fixed-caliper, four-piston brakes up front, and wheels that are never heavier than 26 pounds. The rest of the weight loss comes from the body, mostly through greater use of aluminum.

Audi teases 700-hp Quattro Sport E-Tron concept for Frankfurt

Audi's trump card for the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show has just been unveiled, sort of. It's called the Quattro Sport E-Tron Concept. Set to debut in a few weeks, sketches have been uncovered that show a few of the car's details, albeit in rough form. The news of a big-name Audi concept at Frankfurt has been swirling since June, when we first reported on it.
From the sketches, we see a car that has the same basic shape as the Quattro Concept from the 2010 Paris Motor Show, only with subtle tweaks and evolutions to a few features. The news isn't so much about the looks, though. It's the reports coming from Auto Zeitung and Audi enthusiast site Fourtitude.
Horsepower on the concept is expected to be in the neighborhood of 700 ponies - about 50 more than we initially thought - and will be split between a gas engine and an electric motor. Yup, that "E-Tron" name isn't just there for show. While it's not clear what the exact split will be between gas and electric power, we do know the same twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 found in the RS6 and RS7 will be sitting under the Quattro's hood, and that the bulk of the power will likely come from here. We may not have power figures on the hybrid system, but we do know this concept is capable of running for 21.7 miles on electric power alone.

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.