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Audi Prologue concept drives itself to CES with updated powertrain

What's the point in crafting a one-off concept car if it only gets to stand in the spotlight at one show? That's what automakers have been asking themselves recently, and the answer has, generally speaking, been to repaint their show cars, give them a bit of new tech and put them back on center stage. And the latest to do so is Audi, which has given its Prologue concept a new lease on life. The Prologue was originally unveiled at the Los Angeles Auto Show less than two months ago, showing the way forward for the future of Audi design, in an elegant coupe form that looked ready to take on the Mercedes S-Class Coupe. We even got a chance to drive it around the streets of LA, and when we did, we marveled at the concept's advanced infotainment system that caters a range of personal preferences according to who's on board. "It's easy to see how this could even reach for chauffeured, or autonomously driven vehicles" in the future, we said at the time. And it turns out Audi was on the same page. At CES this year, Audi has brought back the Prologue concept, given it a darker coat of grey paint, a grey-tone interior (instead of the previous shades of brown and tan), a fresh set of wheels and equipped it with the autonomous tech the German automaker has been at the forefront of developing. Though other automakers have been fitting their self-driving prototypes with all-electric powertrains, Audi kept the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 in place – but fitted it with a hybrid assist to drive output up from an already prodigious 605 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque to an even more impressive 677 hp and 701 lb-ft, dropping the 0-62 time down to 3.5 seconds. Now that's the kind of "piloted driving" tech (as Audi calls it) that we can get behind.

Audi SQ5 comes to America with 354-hp gasoline engine

When we first saw the Audi SQ5 TDI unveiled back in June, we could feel that pit in our stomach. Here sat a powerful, sporty, mean-looking crossover, and we just knew that Audi wasn't going to be bringing it to the US. And we were right. While we won't be getting the diesel version of this crossover with its 479 pound-feet of torque, we will instead be getting a gas-powered, supercharged V6 - the same powertrain as the S5 - and that's a mighty fine consolation prize if you ask us. The US version of the 2014 Audi SQ5 will debut next week at the Detroit Auto Show, and it will go on sale this fall.
Ditching the diesel engine, the US-bound SQ5 loses some torque but gains plenty of horsepower with Audi quoting power ratings of 354 horsepower and 346 lb-ft from the supercharged 3.0-liter V6. Power is fed through an eight-speed automatic to all four wheels giving the small CUV impressive performance numbers. The 0-60 mile per hour time is expected to be in the low five second range to go with an electronically limited top speed of 155 miles per hour. The suspension has been upgraded as well to improve handling, but it also gives the SQ5 a sportier appearance with a ride height that has been lowered by more than an inch compared to a standard Q5.
Speaking of styling, the 2014 SQ5 gets all of the expected "S" model upgrades, especially when it comes to the new front fascia and grille, the standard 20-inch, triple-spoke wheels and the quadruple exhaust tips. Only two colors will be available on the SQ5: Panther Black and Estoril Blue. Inside, the SQ5 will get a sportier cabin with bright, "aluminum-look" pedals and shift paddles, and the materials will also get an upgrade to include Nappa leather and Alcantara as well as accent options that include carbon fiber, piano black, aluminum or wood finish.

Audi bringing matrix 'organic' LED concept to Frankfurt

Audi has announced that it's bringing a new concept to the upcoming Frankfurt motor show in September, and now it is teasing the taillights. They adopt organic light-emitting diode technology, which takes advantage of several benefits. For one, it uses a relatively low amount of electricity, between three and four volts. It's also incredibly thin, made up of two layers, each less than a thousandth of a millimeter thick. It casts no shadows, requires no reflectors or any other elements, and emits very little heat. Plus the lights can be formed into different shapes, opening up new possibilities for designers. This isn't the first time we've seen Audi focus on lighting technology, and in recent years it's showcased matrix LED and matrix laser headlights. The company runs through the history of the evolution of its lighting tech in the video above. We'll have to wait a little longer to find out what the team from Ingolstadt will be putting these new taillights on. Audi presents latest lighting technology at the IAA in Frankfurt - Matrix OLED technology makes its debut in a concept car at the IAA - Light attains a new level of homogeneity - Flat light sources open up new design possibilities Audi is presenting its next step in automotive lighting technology at the IAA in Frankfurt. The new Matrix OLED lights enable a previously unattainable level of lighting homogeneity, opening up further creative opportunities for design. As the leading brand in automotive lighting technology, Audi has systematically developed all aspects of OLED technology over the years. Matrix OLED lights combine high-tech engineering and design ideally – initial projects are currently underway to implement OLED technology in production tail lights. They are being shown for the first time in a concept car at the IAA. OLED is an English acronym for "organic light emitting diode." In each OLED unit, two electrodes – of which at least one must be transparent – incorporate numerous thin layers of organic semiconductor materials. A low DC voltage – between three and four volts – activates the layers, each of which is less than one-thousandth of a millimeter thick, to light them. The color is based on the molecular composition of the light source. In contrast to point light sources – such as LEDs – which are made of semiconductor crystals, OLEDs are flat light sources. Their light attains a new level of homogeneity, and its dimming is continuously variable.