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Audi's Q8 Concept previews a 2018 personal luxury crossover

Audi revealed the Q8 Concept here at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, and it's just as we expected: a Q7 with frameless windows, an oversized grille, and a rakish "coupe-like" roofline. This concept is an exaggerated example of a vehicle that will almost certainly enter production to do battle with BMW's vanity luxury utility, the X6, and Mercedes-Benz's GLE Coupe. The coupe moniker doesn't really apply, despite the German automakers' best attempts to redefine the word, but otherwise the Q8 Concept delivers. It's two inches shorter overall than a contemporary Q7, on a similar wheelbase, so the basic proportions of the thing should make the jump to production. View 14 Photos The driveline is equally plausible: a plug-in hybrid setup pairing a 3.0-liter TFSI V6 with a 17.9-kWh lithium-ion battery. The concept's V6 hypothetically makes 333 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque, and a single electric motor integrated into the eight-speed automatic transmission adds 100 kW (134 hp) and 234 lb-ft of torque to the mix. Those numbers certainly make sense, considering the gas Q7 makes 333 hp (albeit with a supercharger) and the existing Q7 e-tron, which isn't sold here, pairs a 17.3-kWh battery with a diesel V6. Since this is a concept, production intent or no, the range numbers are also a little theoretical, but here's what Audi claims: a 60-mile EV range, and a total range of around 621 miles. Not shabby if you're taking a long road trip. The adaptive air suspension should also make it a comfortable one. Inside, this is a four-place vehicle; no third row, and no center rear seat, as is the trend with these things. The cabin is very clean and modern – typically Audi, although exaggerated a bit. Expect it to be toned down some for production, but this concept interior is a glimpse into the future. We'll have to wait until next year to see something closer to production-ready, but it's coming. Related Video: Related Gallery Audi Q8 Concept View 30 Photos Image Credit: Live photos copyright 2017 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Green Detroit Auto Show Audi Crossover SUV Concept Cars Future Vehicles Hybrid Original Video 2017 Detroit Auto Show

A fix is finally coming for some diesel Volkswagens in America

According to Automotive News, the EPA has approved a fix for select Volkswagen and Audi 2.0-liter diesel vehicles. The fix applies to 2015 VW Beetles, Golfs, Golf SportWagens, Jettas, Passats, and Audi A3s. Unfortunately for a majority of people saddled with cheating VWs, Automotive News reports that only about 70,000 vehicles will get this fix. The remainder of the 475,000 affected cars don't have an approved fix yet. The fix first involves a software update. Later, a particulate filter and additional catalysts will be installed with a further software update. According to Automotive News, the hardware portion will be available next year. Despite the small number of vehicles approved, this may give VW owners some hope that they'll be able to make their cars emissions compliant. Volkswagen also recently got approval for a fix of nine million cars in Europe, and the company may be close to a fix for diesel V6 models. However, for owners of 2.0-liter models uninterested in waiting for a fix, they can still participate in the buyback. Volkswagen would prefer that repurchased cars aren't stripped of parts beforehand, though. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2015 Volkswagen Jetta TDI: Review View 42 Photos News Source: Automotive NewsImage Credit: Seyth Miersma Green Audi Volkswagen Emissions Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal

Audi will have an autonomous car in 2020 using NVIDIA tech and AI

Audi and NVIDIA have been working together for a while, with most of the results being fancy infotainment systems like the current version of MMI and Audi's Virtual Cockpit display setup. Now the two are partnering to build autonomous vehicles that will leverage NVIDIA technology. Audi has a demonstrator now and promises a fully autonomous car for the year 2020. The tech underlying these new self-driving vehicles is NVIDIA's DRIVE computing platform. It uses the latest in artificial intelligence concepts, including neural networks, which are basically computer science's way of modeling decisionmaking after the way the human brain works. The network is able to learn and improve as it goes by making new connections. Machine learning tasks being handled by neural networks include computer vision, which can use a combination of sensors and cameras to help a computer, in this case the car, figure out what's going on in an environment to navigate through it. The companies are already demonstrating a version of DRIVE, the DRIVE PX 2, in the autonomous Audi Q7 shown above. The crossover is able to figure out its own path and can sense and drive on different types of surfaces, including pavement, grass, and dirt, plus it can navigate the cones of a simulated construction zone while reading dynamic detour signs. In 2018, Audi will expand testing of its autonomous vehicles on California public roads. The manufacturer has been permitted to test cars in the state since 2014. In announcing the expansion, Audi makes a point to mention it intends to follow applicable laws to the letter, which seems like more than a veiled reference to the trouble Uber found itself in recently when it didn't quite meet testing requirements in San Francisco. Audi has also promised Level 3 autonomy from the 2018 A8, which will feature a system called Traffic Jam Pilot to control the steering, throttle, and brakes at speeds below 35 mph. The company's previous autonomous work includes a self-driving RS7 track car named Bobby, which our own Jonathan Buckley got to race against in the Translogic episode below. Related Video:

Autoblog's top 50 car photos of 2016

This one shouldn't need much explanation. We like cars a whole lot, and that includes not just driving them but taking great pictures of them. We've collected our 50 favorite images from this year in the mega-gallery above. It's a mix of old and new, with a healthy dose of vintage and modern race cars mixed in, and not one single shot under the harsh lights of an auto show. So click through and enjoy. Featured Gallery Autoblog's Top 50 Photos of 2016 View 50 Photos Image Credit: Copyright 2016 Autoblog.com Audi BMW Chevrolet Dodge Ferrari Ford Lamborghini Mazda McLaren Mercedes-Benz Porsche Rolls-Royce Volvo Convertible Coupe Motorcycle Luxury Racing Vehicles Performance Supercars Classics

The super-luxury Audi Q8 concept is coming to the Detroit Auto Show

We've known the Q8 was on the way since last May, and now we'll get a better glimpse of the range-topping Audi SUV at the 2017 North American International Auto Show. The Q8 is, according to CEO Rupert Stadler, "a sporty Q derivative." It also has the same phonetic pronunciation at the country of Kuwait. To be clear, the vehicle coming to the Detroit show is the Q8 concept, so expect the standard treatment for thinly-disguised production cars like giant wheels and impossibly-small side mirrors. According to a leaked document from earlier this year, the production Q8 comes sometime in 2018. Like most teasers for auto-show reveals, this one only gives us a rough idea of what the car will look like. In this case, that's big, bold, and imposing. Or, as the press release states: "The octagonal Singleframe is considerably wider than that in Audi's current production Q models. Enhancing the forward positioned stance, is dynamic three-dimensional sculpting." We put the quote there to prove you can't make this stuff up. The next sentence in the release says there are design elements reminiscent of the 1980's Audi Quattro, which we consider a positive. According to the latest press conference schedule, expect the Q8 concept to debut at 8:00 AM on Monday, January 9.Related Video: Image Credit: Audi Detroit Auto Show Audi Crossover SUV Concept Cars Luxury 2017 Detroit Auto Show

VW to pay $1B in settlement with US government over V6 diesels

Volkswagen and the US government have come to a settlement for the civil claims against the automaker's 3.0-liter, diesel V6s. Over 83,000 V6 TDI-powered models are currently prowling US roads in violation of emissions laws. The settlement allows VW to recall over 75 percent of its cheating V6 diesels – about 63,000 units – and bring them into compliance. These represent newer VW Touaregs, Audi A6, A7, A8, Q5, and Q7s, and Porsche Cayennes built between 2013 and 2016. According to the company, the recall will bring these so-called Generation Two engines up to emissions specs, provided the EPA and CARB okay the modifications. Should the regulators say no to VW's tweaks, the company will buy back or terminate leases with the affected owners. For older V6 TDIs built between 2009 and 2012, Volkswagen will do broadly the same thing, only in reverse. It will lead with buy backs of older Touaregs and Q7s – the only vehicles the company sold with the earlier engines – but could offer fixes if EPA/CARB give the okay. As part of its agreement over the emissions-cheating V6s, Volkswagen will contribute $225 million to the "environmental remediation trust" it established as part of its settlement over cheating 2.0-liter TDIs. VW is also on the hook for $25 million with CARB, bringing the total for the six-cylinder part of its emissions cheating scandal to around $1 billion, Automotive News reports. This initial agreement still needs approval from US District Court Judge Charles Breyer. Related Video:

The 2017 Audi A6 is the great luxury sedan we forgot about

The current Audi A6 is getting old. This generation was first sold as a 2012, got a mild facelift for 2016, and is likely to be replaced for 2018 or 2019. So 2017 may be its last year, but it's still my favorite mid-size Germano luxury thing. I just had to be reminded of its existence. BMW and Mercedes-Benz have been making big noises in this segment recently, with a new 5 Series on the way and the recently launched E-Class, and that apparently distracted me enough from the A6. There's also the fact the Audi is starting to look a bit anonymous on the road. It's still handsome, sure, but it doesn't stand out like the related A7. The 2016 refresh did just enough to keep it looking contemporary, though, and for 2017 all A6s come standard with the S Line appearance package. That helps. What struck me about the A6 was that it doesn't feel dated inside. Everything is laid out nicely, it's just comfortable, and you can see out of it. The one I drove had the beautiful layered walnut trim – it looks like pin-striped wood. (And no, it wasn't painted this bright blue, although you can get that on a special-order car if you pay $3,900 for Exclusive paint.) There are no huge screens inside, and the A6 won't get Audi's Virtual Cockpit until the next generation, but I didn't miss any of that. All of the excitement of Virtual Cockpit's beautiful reconfigurable screens, and I had forgotten that the display between the gauges it replaces had a perfectly pleasant Google Maps view already. It's the same basic functionality as Virtual Cockpit here, you just can't press a button to minimize the real-life gauges. And I'm fine having actual gauges. I was somewhat surprised, however, to see Apple CarPlay pop up when I plugged in my phone. (It's included for 2017 as part of the Audi smartphone interface, which comes with the Premium Plus trim and above.) Using CarPlay is a bit weird without a touchscreen, just like it is on other Audis and Mercedes products, but the nice thing about CarPlay is that you really don't need to interact with it much, since there isn't much to interact with. Oddly, the touchpad on the center console doesn't work to navigate from CarPlay tile to tile. I got over that pretty quickly and just turned the dial when necessary. There's also a feeling that nothing's missing when you drive it, that Audi couldn't really add much to improve the experience. The car is incredibly smooth and comfortable going down the road.

A dealer made a 'Urus' out of an Audi Q7 to get people excited for Lambo's SUV

Fake news seems to be catching on. In an attempt to drum up some interest in the upcoming Lamborghini Urus (the Italian SUV that hasn't been unveiled yet) the Lamborghini dealer in Nurnberg, Germany, created a Lambo-badged promotional vehicle. It seems it has fooled at least a few folks, with several outlets reporting on it as if it's a Lamborghini prototype. Of course, it's not. What you're looking at is an Audi Q7 with a camouflage wrap that includes a Lamborghini-script logo across the back and a promotional message on the side, which reads: "Der Urus kommt / Lamborghini Nurnberg." Thanks to one semester of German, we can tell you that first part means "The Urus is coming." Note, that's "is coming," not "is here." There's also something that kind of resembles a scoop on the front fender. It's also fake. It's not uncommon for automakers to put a cryptic message on the side of a test car, often with swirly camo, but this takes the idea a step further since it's not the actual car underneath. That said, the production Urus, whenever it arrives, is expected to share the Audi Q7's MLB 2 platform. So it sort of works. Kind of. Related Video: Image Credit: CarPix Audi Lamborghini Crossover SUV Luxury Performance confirmed

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

Audi A3 diesel fails independent emissions test in Europe

The best-selling model under Volkswagen's Audi division was emitted about double the legal limits of nitrogen oxide (NOx) levels for Europe, Reuters says, citing laboratory tests overseen by the European Commission's Joint Research Center (JRC) in August. The Audi A3 was found in two tests to emit about double the legal limit of NOx, though one of the tests had the A3 within the limits when the engine was cold. An Audi spokesman told Reuters that the A3 was independently tested to have emissions levels within the legal limit and that he wasn't aware of the JRC test results. Still, the findings are another example of how Volkswagen, Europe's largest automaker, can not seem to shed the issues surrounding the diesel-emissions scandal that broke last September. VW has been fined about $19 billion for equipping diesel cars with software that cheats emissions-testing systems. About 11 million cars were affected, including about a half-million vehicles in the US. In addition reaching a $15 billion settlement with US regulatory bodies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) earlier this year, VW has been fined $15 million by the South Korean government, which may impose more penalties because of allegations of false advertising. Audi is not the only VW unit to face further scrutiny. Germany's Transport Ministry and Federal Motor Transport Authority are taking a closer look at VW's Porsche division for potential emissions-cheating efforts, Bloomberg News recently reported. Additionally, the European Union is saying that at least seven of its member nations failed to provide sufficient oversight of automobiles' emissions-testing process, and may take legal action against Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Lithuania, Greece, and Great Britain, according to a separate Reuters article. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2017 Audi A3 View 125 Photos News Source: Reuters via Automotive News Europe-sub.req. Government/Legal Green Audi Volkswagen AutoblogGreen Exclusive Emissions Diesel Vehicles testing