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Audi A3 named 2014 World Car of the Year

As usual, the second press day of the New York Auto Show was kicked off by the World Car of the Year Awards. Rather than fluff things up, we'll cut right to the chase: top honors go to the brand-new Audi A3, which bested the Mazda3 and BMW 4 Series for the all-important award.
Of course, the wonderful thing about the World Car awards is that there isn't just one big announcement - other honors are given out for specific categories. Here are the other winners from this year's ceremony:
World Green Car of the Year: BMW i3

VW confirms development of 10-speed dual clutch, 134-hp/liter diesel

Each year, the Vienna International Motor Symposium showcases some of the up-and-coming technologies automakers are engineering for the use in passenger cars, and Volkswagen AG CEO Martin Winterkorn revealed some big developments VW is working on for its future products. Winterkorn discussed a multi-faceted approach that VW is looking to reduce its fleet fuel consumption and exhaust emissions.
Some of the bigger news he discussed included a "high-performance" diesel engine that will produce 134 horsepower per liter and a 10-speed DSG automatic transmission. While no specific applications were mentioned, we can only hope this is for the Audi R4 we keep hearing about.
Another topic he touched on that caused us to perk up our ears was had to do with VW's plug-in hybrid technology. While we know the PHEV versions of the Audi A3 and Porsche Panamera are on the way, Winterkorn also said that these two models will be followed up by Golf, Passat, Audi A6 and Porsche Cayenne plug-in models. Scroll down for a press release highlighting the automaker's future fuel-saving initiatives.

2015 Audi A6 spiffs up for Paris Motor Show duty

While the big names at the Audi booth might be dominated by the TT line, it's not the only product getting some attention from the German company. The A6, on sale in its present form since 2012, is getting its official mid-cycle refresh.
Featuring light exterior freshening, the new fascia wears a tweaked grille and slimmer, more expressive headlights. The rear end sees more substantial changes, with a freshened rear bumper that features rectangular exhaust outlets and more dramatically redone taillights.
Under hood, the 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 engine now produces 329 horsepower, while the 3.0-liter, turbodiesel V6s are available in 215- or 268-hp varieties, or in twin-turbocharged form, with 315 hp or 322 hp. The other big powertrain news surrounds the transmission. Audi has finally dropped the continuously variable transmission from the base, front-drive A6, slotting in a dual-clutch transmission in its place.