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We demo Audi's Traffic Jam Assistant tech on the road [w/video]

The closer automotive technology comes to making good on the promise of fully driverless vehicles, the better we see just what difficult work reaching that ultimate goal will become. That's because, unlike so many other in-car technologies that need only integration into a vehicle, truly autonomous cars will also insist on involvement with the surrounding environment, fellow motorists, infrastructure in cities and other communities and making it all work without exposing automakers to law-breaking or tremendous possible litigation. Clearly that isn't all about to happen in one go.
At CES in 2012, Audi told us about a debuting technology that would mark a significant step along the path towards self-driving cars: Traffic Jam Assistant. This year, the German automaker invited us out to Las Vegas to see the jam-busting technology in action, on a relatively busy freeway.
The Traffic Jam Assistant (we're pretty sure that name is still in Beta) promises to relieve drivers from the tedium of slow-moving freeways by taking care of braking, acceleration and staying inside of the lane - all with no input from the human behind the wheel. While still a fair step from truly autonomous driving, the goal here is to give a commuter some respite from the mechanical, time-wasting traffic jam paradigm, potentially opening up a space for productivity in the process. (Audi can't come right out and say that TJA will allow you to use your cell phone in traffic, as that's still against the law in many places, but something like that is clearly on the radar... er... LiDAR.)

Audi will spend less on future technology as it focuses on future technology

It seems the very thing meant to be saved by Audi curtailing spending could also take a hit as a result. A report from Reuters outlines a few ways Audi will cut costs in the wake of its parent company's diesel scandal. While focusing on EVs, autonomous driving, and new connected technology instead of its current vehicle portfolio, Audi is axing plans for a track to test self-driving cars as well as facilities meant to produce new concepts and batteries. Or, you know, exactly the kinds of things Audi is now focusing its efforts on. Some of this shouldn't come as a surprise. We already know about the death of the R8 E-Tron, a low-volume EV that wasn't going to make the brand much money and didn't pan out as a halo electric car quite like the company probably hoped. Then there's the new E-Tron crossover, which has been in the works for a while and will head a line of consumer-grade EVs from the brand – the kind that will make money as long as they sell in mass-market numbers, something Tesla has shown is possible. That project is surely safe, although perhaps it will now take longer for the EVs to gain autonomous abilities. This change in funding direction could mean that the planned autonomous track, dubbed IN-Campus as it was to be located in Audi's home of Ingolstadt, was going to be more for show than actual research, or that Audi thinks it can get the same outcomes in its existing facilities or new ones located elsewhere. (The company's work council is upset by the plan being put on hold, as it could mean more jobs leaving Germany.) There's also the very strong possibility that this provides a welcome opportunity for the company to cut some fat. Reuters notes that Audi spends more on R&D than rivals BMW and Mercedes-Benz, despite having the whole VW Group to leverage. While the diesel scandal was certainly not welcome, it may be forcing Audi and the other Group brands to take a closer look at balance sheets than they otherwise would have. The result of all of this could be a leaner company, assuming too much attention doesn't stray to low-volume EVs and away from what are still the core products. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Reuters Green Audi Technology Crossover Autonomous Vehicles Electric audi e-tron

Audi designs science fiction car for Ender's Game movie [w/video]

Audi is no stranger to product placement in movies, but the upcoming sci-fi adventure movie, Ender's Game, will be the first time the German automaker has ever unveiled a "purely virtual" vehicle design in a movie. As the movie's star car, the futuristic Audi fleet shuttle quattro was created by Audi Design as a "vision for the future world."
This new movie car comes almost 10 years after one of our favorite Audi movie cars ever, the Audi RSQ that was prominently used in the 2004 sci-fi action film, I, Robot. Looking back, the RSQ obviously used cues from the Audi R8, but it's unclear if the fleet shuttle quattro has any design implications for future Audi production models.
The movie, based on the best-selling novel of the same name, stars Harrison Ford and Asa Butterfield, and it premiers in the US on November 1. Audi has provided images of the fleet shuttle quattro, and Summit Entertainment has released its latest trailer for the movie, which is posted below along with an Audi press release.