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Next Audi A8 to drive itself up to 37 mph

Audi has been publicly, loudly, working the autonomous angle for years - it was working on Shelley, the autonomous TTS that would climb Pikes Peak in 27 minutes, way back in in 2009. Parent company Volkswagen had been working with Stanford University on autonomous vehicles for five years before that, and the same program collaboration would take the lead in Audi's efforts here. Where are we now? Well, a convoy of Audi A7s just drove journalists from San Francisco to the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, with "piloted driving in 100 mile stints." On the highway, the "piloted driving" A7 works up to 70 miles per hour and can change lanes, pass other cars, accelerate and brake on its own. A report in Autoweek says public adoption of the technology will continue with the next-generation A8, which will be able to navigate on its own up to 37 mph, make its way through traffic, find a parking spot and park itself. Over time, capabilities will be added - like a higher mph limit - as the technology and the legal issues are fine tuned. The A7 that just did the SF-to-LV run doesn't work in cities, only on highways, so it appears Audi is kicking this off with the abilities demonstrated in an A6 Avant last year at CES. That car had a Traffic Jam mode that only worked in dense traffic and up to 40 mph, but when in operation, it allowed the driver to watch a movie or conduct a videoconference. We have a feeling those two bits of icing won't be included in the fourth-generation A8, though. We'll be late to the party when the big sedan comes; Audi says it will go on sale by the end of 2016, but the US isn't expected to get it until 2017 as a 2018 model. Featured Gallery Audi A8 Spy Shots News Source: AutoweekImage Credit: CarPix Audi Technology Autonomous Vehicles Luxury Sedan

BMW can't build enough M3 wagons, but the U.S. won't see any

Why, oh why, won’t the automobile companies that supposedly cater to Americans give us a viable touring wagon? Seems that BMW is one manufacturer thatÂ’s aware of the question, but skirts the answer. WhatÂ’s more frustrating is that the German company, and others, have for years been off-handedly tossing out the same refrain: “Maybe weÂ’ll bring a wagon back to the U.S.” Not. All the more irritating then is the news that the Bavarians have increased production in Munich of its M3 Touring longroof version to keep up with demand. The information comes via Bimmer Today, which spoke with BMW M CEO Frank van Meel. He said that the company was surprised by the amount of interest in the M3 Touring since its debut during last year's Goodwood Festival of Speed. In fact, he said, the company had to facilitate a production ramp-up within its Munich facility. Despite that increased production, the backlog of orders means that customers are still on wait lists, he said. Last year, van Peel admitted that demand for M-wagons in the U.S. has been steadily increasing, and exporting a touring example was a concept BMW was "taking into consideration.” Crossovers certainly are this decadeÂ’s version of the wagon, which leaves American enthusiasts will few choices: only expensive versions from Audi, Volvo and Mercedes-Benz and a couple of others. Details that were announced last year — a few months before the wagon went into production for sale in Europe, the U.K. and elsewhere — noted that the M3 Touring was only available in Competition spec with xDrive all-wheel drive and a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six with 503 horsepower and 479 pound-feet of torque. Pricing started at GBP80,550 ($105,000 U.S.) More data on the M3Â’s intro here. Related video:

Audi, Toyota land on MIT's list of 50 Most Disruptive Companies

MIT Technology Review, a magazine all about innovation, has announced its list of the 50 most disruptive companies in 2013, and both Audi and Toyota made the cut. While the term "most disruptive" may carry a negative connotation in most uses (especially in the classroom), the acknowledgement in this case is an accolade, signifying that the company is at the forefront of its industry. In a nutshell, a disruptive company is a business whose innovations force other businesses to alter their strategic direction.
Audi made the list for "pushing autonomous cars closer to fruition with a laser-scanning road detector that fits in a vehicle's front grille," and Toyota for "expanding its dominance of the hybrid-car market with its new plug-in version of the Prius." Click on the image above to be taken to the original graphic at MIT Technology Review, where clickable colored squares reveal information about each of the 50 winners, compiled from a variety of industries.