2004 Audi Allroad Quattro Base Wagon 4-door 2.7l on 2040-cars

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Audi stretches the A8L even more for one special European buyer

An anonymous European buyer decided that the standard Audi A8L just wasn't long enough, so this wealthy person ordered a one-off A8L Extended with six doors. It's capable of seating six people in luxury. The massive sedan now measures 20.9 feet versus 17.3 feet for the standard, already large A8L. The wheelbase also grows to 13.8 feet from 10.2 feet for the regular version. You might expect the A8L Extended to have facing seats inside like a limousine, but all the passengers actually look forward. The decision probably doesn't aid in having a conversation during the drive, but it's what the buyer wanted. The third row has an entertainment display and refrigerated storage box. The second and third rows also have power adjustable seats in beige Valcona leather. It took a year for Audi's engineers to figure out how to build this beast while retaining the A8's rigidity. The builders eventually settled on adding extruded aluminum sections to the side sills and center tunnel to get the extra length. They also included extra cross braces in the roof, and a 7.9-foot glass panel to lets more light into the cabin. The powertrain consists of Audi's 3.0 TFSI with 306 horsepower and 325 pound-feet of torque and an eight-speed automatic gearbox. The A8L Extended retains the company's Quattro all-wheel drive system and can reportedly accelerate to 62 miles per hour in 7.1 seconds. That's not lightning quick but still plenty for a vehicle that weighs 5,331 pounds. The A8L Extended likely won't remain a one-off for long. According to Audi, the customer response has been quite positive, and the company has already received requests to build more. Representative unique specimen: Audi A8 L extended Premium manufacturer develops and builds 6.36-meter (20.9 ft) sedan to special customer order One-off specimen meets same standards as production model Comfortable and spacious seating for six Audi puts the customer first, however out of the ordinary their requirements may be. An example of this is the Audi A8*: at the request of a European customer the premium brand has built a first one-off version of the sedan in king-size format. Measuring 6.36 meters (20.9 ft) in length and with a wheelbase of 4.22 meters (13.8 ft), the A8 L extended* affords top-class comfort for passengers occupying all of its six seats. A concept that generates customer: Audi has further requests for the custom product already.

Audi S3 starts at $41,400, A3 Cabrio rings up at $35,600 and A3 TDI priced from $32,600

Audi has released the official pricing info for the all-new A3 TDI Sedan, A3 Cabriolet and the S3 Sedan, and the news appears pretty good all around. As usual, none of the following prices include Audi's unspecified-for-now destination charges.
The big news is the S3, complete with 292 horsepower, a six-speed dual-clutch transmission and Quattro all-wheel drive. Prices start at just $41,100, which is a decent savings over the more powerful, 355-hp Mercedes-Benz CLA45 AMG.
The new A3 TDI sedan, meanwhile, has a starting price of just $32,600. While you'll be certain to save some money on fuel, you'll be doing so without Quattro all-wheel drive. Still, the improved economy of the 2.0-liter, turbodiesel four-cylinder isn't priced too steeply, relative to the gas-powered A3's $29,900 starting price.

Audi says new 48 volt micro-hybrid system improves fuel economy, paves way for electrification

Most cars use a 12-volt system to power their electrical components. But, with more and more electric bits and bobs being added to new vehicles, a dozen volts is looking a bit weak these days. In fact, Audi says that standard 12-volt systems are being stretched "to their very limits." Enter 48 volts. If used in a car that gets 40 mpg, that would translate to around 43.5 mpg. Audi is testing a supplemental 48-volt electric system in two prototype vehicles – modified mild-hybrid versions of the A6 TDI and the RS 5 TDI – in order to add in more electric technology (an electric compressor, for example, to improve acceleration) and "convenience systems for dynamic chassis control." Audi says it has more applications in the pipeline, but the overall gist is that the German automaker sees 48 volts as an "important building block in electrification strategy." As you can see in the picture above (click to enlarge), the RS 5 TDI concept uses a li-ion battery installed in the back of the car and an alternator to provide 48 volts when the engine is off. Audi says that the 48-volt system can save up to 0.4 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers. To put that into US numbers, if used in a car that gets 40 miles per gallon today, that would translate into a bump up to around 43.5 mpg. The Advanced Lead Acid Battery Consortium (ALABC) is also working on a 48-volt system to improve fuel economy and we've got a deep dive of Audi's electric turbocharger here. Even more powerful and efficient – the new 48-volt technology from Audi Important building block in electrification strategy More voltage and more power for new technologies Scalable platform concept suitable for wide-ranging uses Ingolstadt, August 25, 2014 – Audi is to upgrade part of its vehicle electrical system from twelve to 48 volts. The move represents another technical building block for facilitating the integration of new automotive technologies while increasing the power and efficiency of its cars. "We are using the full bandwidth of electrification in our drive principles strategy. Running part of the vehicle electrical system at 48 volts plays a central role in this," commented Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg, Member of the Board of Management for Technical Development at Audi. "It enables us to make more energy available.