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2016 Audi TT price increased to $42,900*

Audi has announced pricing for the new third-generation TT and second-generation TTS, and both models have received a moderate bump. Simply getting into the family will demand $42,900, or $2,550 than the current coupe. If you fancy a topless TT, the price has jumped from $43,350 to $46,400, or $3,050 more than the last one. The performance-oriented TTS and its 292-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, though, is easily the bargain of the range. At $51,900, it's $3,200 more than the current model. But where the normal TT only gets a nine-horsepower increase and stays even on torque output, the TTS has gone from just 265 hp to 292 ponies. Torque is up as well, from 258 pound-feet (the same as the normal model) to 280-lb-ft. Prices for the TTS Roadster, meanwhile, have not been announced. That said, considering the increases through the rest of the range, we'd expect the high-performance two-seater to come in at or around the $55,000 range. Considering our impressions during our first drive of the standard TT and the performance increase for the TTS, we must say, these price hikes don't seem exorbitant. Scroll down for the official pricing announcement from Audi. AUDI ANNOUNCES PRICING FOR THE ALL-NEW TT MODEL LINE The quintessential design icon boasts a new driver-focused interior and true sports-car performance TT sets standards for in-vehicle technology with the Audi virtual cockpit - a fully digital instrument cluster Virtual cockpit powered by first automotive NVIDIA® Tegra® 30 processor integration May 06, 2015 | HERNDON, Virginia -- Audi today announced pricing for the all-new 2016 Audi TT model line. The iconic vehicle boasts an exciting new design characterized by the use of innovative technologies and driver-focused performance. Design and Body The third generation TT pays tribute to its past where the model took the design world by storm, with a modern take on the bold original, with short overhangs, broad wheel arches and a lean a muscular stance. Standard full LED headlamps exude modern sports car appeal, with a broader and flatter Singleframe® grille, sharp contours across the hood, electric rear spoiler and new centrally mounted round exhaust tailpipes are an incorporated design cue from the iconic first generation model . The all-new TT front end and floor assembly are made of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel components, while the superstructure comprises aluminum castings, extruded sections and panels.

Felix Baumgartner parachutes into racing at N?rburgring 24

There are plenty of commonalities to be found between astronauts and racing drivers. Both are daredevils by definition (if not by trade), both subject themselves to unfathomable G forces and both face very real risks when strapped into machinery that makes the very best use of advanced propulsion, aerodynamics and composite construction technologies. Yet you don't find much crossover between the two. There was talk of Niki Lauda, himself an experienced pilot, training to go into space with Virgin Galactic (which itself was sister to an F1 team for a while in Richard Branson's empire), but that didn't seem to materialize. Now we're receiving news that Felix Baumgartner will contest the Nürburgring 24 Hours this year.
Felix Whomgartner, you ask? Felix Baumgartner. He's more of a skydiver than an astronaut, but he made history in 2012 when he jumped out of a space capsule and set the record for the highest altitude in a manned balloon, the parachute jump from the highest altitude, and the highest velocity freefall as part of the Red Bull Stratos initiative. In other words, he may as well be an astronaut, because he fell down to the earth's surface from the stratosphere.
For his next challenge, Baumgartner will be climbing into an Audi R8 LMS Ultra in an attempt to tackle the Nürburgring. Having contested a handful of spec races under the VW Group umbrella, he'll undertake several test sessions and practice races before the main event in June, in which he'll alternate behind the wheel with professional racing drivers Frank Biela, Marco Werner and Pierre Kaffer. The initiative is part of the Audi race experience program that allows gentleman racers to team up with seasoned pros to take part in real races. Baumgartner will undoubtedly prove its highest-profile participant.

Production 4.0: Audi plans for the smart factory

Automotive production is becoming more integrated and at the same time has to be more intelligent and more efficient. Flexible production of customized vehicles is one of the big challenges for the future, especially for a premium carmaker like Audi. How will the "Vorsprung durch Technik" brand meet its aim of offering premium quality with added custom flexibility? The company sees the "smart factory" as the key. Whether it's body-color moldings or light-alloy wheels in a special size, almost every car is ordered with some kind of customization, and the demands are increasing. This requires of course already a lot of flexibility. While the variety of models and quality demands are increasing, automotive manufacturers such as Audi are eager to make production sustainable. In an Audi interview, innovation management members Alois Brandt and Henning Loser talk about "production 4.0" and the upcoming "smart factory." How will Audi manage the production site with its very high standards of quality, efficiency, and environmental acceptability? Will the so-called "smart factory," which should be the intelligent factory of the future, only employ robots? Alois Brandt: "With a deep look into the production, I am convinced that our employees and not machines are the relevant working forces behind the Audi brand. Machines can be bought anywhere." Increasing digitalization is paving the way for the smart factory – the intelligent, digitally connected production facility. New high-tech solutions in manufacturing should further increase the high level of quality, while at the same time the assembly work should be easier and result in better ergonomics. Can you give us a clearer imagination of the "smart factory"? Alois Brandt: "There are a lot of ideas. But the big question at the moment is: Which one is really needed and leads into the right direction?" Can you tell us a little bit more about "production 4.0"? Alois Brandt: "The assembly line as we know it in the present will no longer play the same role. If it makes sense, it will be terminated and replaced by – let's call it – a virtual assembly line. The production will be more modular than before and the car will be directed to a production point – a so-called 'island of competence' – where it is needed." Henning Loser: "If the vehicle is to be assembled to the customer's wishes, it is obvious that efficient programming of robots and coordinating with the human workers is needed.