2001 Audi A6 Quattro Base Sedan 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Notes from Day One of the 2013 Twelve Hours of Sebring

The 61st edition of The 12 Hours of Sebring is on, and Autoblog has come to central Florida with Audi to feast on jumbo boiled peanuts, pickled eggs and the final race for the LMP1 class at the oldest road course in North America. As Audi has been doing for more than a decade now, it's brought its latest endurance race car, the 2013-spec R18 etron quattro, to Sebring to begin testing for Le Mans.
Why the commitment to Sebring? Audi Sport executives have repeatedly called Sebring "punishing," "extremely demanding" and "one of the toughest tracks in the world." It is a 3.47-mile circuit that, in places, feels like it was made from the leftover bits of other circuits. Doing the 12-hour distance in Florida is thought to be a good start on lasting the 24-hour distance in France, and we can't think it a coincidence that Audi has won ten times here in the last 13 years and 11 times in Gaul.
Where there's rhyme - and victory - there is reason. We think we found a few of them on our first day where preparation, technology, fastidious attention to detail and sweat fit right in with swamp cabbage...

2016 Audi A6 to start at $46,200*, A7 begins at $68,300*

Audi has announced pricing on the new A6 sedan and A7 four-door coupe, with the former starting at $46,200 for a 2.0-liter, turbocharged four-cylinder and front-wheel drive. Of course, things can and do climb rapidly from there. Adding Quattro all-wheel drive to the four-cylinder model bumps the price up $2,200, while moving from the base Premium to the mid-level Premium Plus trim will add $3,700, regardless of the drivetrain. Speaking of that Premium trim, it's only available on the 2.0-liter A6. Every other variant starts with the Premium Plus. At that point, the cheapest six-cylinder you can get is the $57,400 model, while the diesel-powered A6 TDI starts at $59,500. Moving up to the top-end Prestige trim bolsters the price by $4,200, for both engines. If you fancy the sleeker lines of the A7, the entry-level 3.0-liter Premium Plus can be had for $68,300, while the TDI runs $70,400. While the starting price is higher than the A6, adding the Prestige trim is more reasonable, with both engines demanding $2,650 for the top-tier equipment level. And of course, we can't get away without mentioning Audi's high-performance models. A base S6 Premium Plus begins at $70,900, while the Prestige is $75,300. The S7 and RS7, both of which are limited to the Prestige trim level, start at $82,900 and $108,900, respectively. None of the above prices include the standard $925 destination charge. Scroll on down for the official press release on the pricing changes for the new Audi A6 and A7. Related Video: Audi announces pricing for the new 2016 A6 and A7 model lines April 17, 2015 | Herndon, Virginia Award-winning vehicles get more dynamic designs, improved technology and greater power and efficiency New 2.0 Liter TFSI engine – the most powerful engine in its class, with greater performance and efficiency Standard next generation of MMI® with Audi connect® and rapid 4G LTE connectivity Audi today announced pricing for the 2016 A6 and A7 model lines. With new engines and updated design, all Audi A6 and A7 models now offer more power, greater fuel efficiency and class-leading technology for two of the Audi brand's top-selling vehicles. The 2016 A6 and A7 sedans boast more athletic design as well as new headlights and driver assistance systems. New infotainment systems provide even higher levels of interior luxury and refinement.

Audi builds 5-millionth vehicle with Quattro

Quattro, the trademark name Audi has put on its all-wheel-drive system engineered for passenger vehicles, recently celebrated its five-millionth installation. The driveline has been offered in more than 140 different vehicles since its introduction more than three decades ago.
The all-wheel-drive technology made its world debut at the 1980 International Geneva Motor Show, beneath the floorpan of the Quattro Coupé, a low-volume two-door. It didn't take consumers long to embrace Audi's innovative approach. While most four-wheel-drive systems at that time utilized heavy transfer cases or second cardan shafts, Quattro was virtually tension-free, light, compact and efficient. Most importantly, enthusiasts found it was especially suitable for sports cars.
Today, the automaker offers Quattro on its full line of passenger vehicles and it is unquestionably successful (the technology enjoyed a 43 percent take rate in 2012). On models with transverse-mounted engines (A3 and TT), Audi uses an electronically controlled multi-plate clutch with hydraulic actuator. Under normal conditions, the clutch sends power almost exclusively to the front wheels (if wheel slippage occurs, up to 100 percent of the torque may be sent to the rear). Vehicles with transverse-mounted engines (A4, A5, Q5, etc...) use a self-locking center differential sending 40 percent of the engine torque to the front axle and 60 percent to the rear under normal conditions (it is able to send the majority of the power to the axle with better traction when needed). The highest-performing Quattro systems use torque vectoring to further improve cornering grip and speeds.