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Audi Airomorph is a sleek shape-shifting senior thesis

Eric Kim just graduated from the from the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, at the end of the spring 2014 semester, and for his senior thesis project he came up with this futuristic Audi endurance racer called the Airomorph. He even got some input Audi designer Kris Vancoppenolle.
The Airomorph imagines a future Audi racer for Le Mans that features adjusting fabric panels to fine-tune the car's aerodynamics as it laps the course - a technology inspired by catamaran racing. "I started from scratch and had the freedom to deliver and execute a white space design for the future," said Kim to Autoblog via email. It's also somewhat similar to the idea behind BMW Gina concept, although Kim says that wasn't an inspiration for his design. The body here is made from a single piece of a silver, expansion-resistant material stretched over a frame underneath. The fabric anchors at the wheels, front and rear section with movable cables, and hydraulic actuators pull the wires to shift the aero as needed.
The actual shape echoes Audi endurance racers from the past and present. In profile, you can easily see the current R18 with its arcing cockpit and fin down the rear. Of course, that's interpreted through a little bit of Blade Runner with the covered wheels sticking out from the body. The front shows the rectangular shapes from the earlier R15. There doesn't appear to be any way to actually see out of the vehicle, though.

Audi A8 sort-of debuts at 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' premiere

Audi's A8 strip-tease continues its glacial pace with the appearance of a camouflaged example at the Spider-Man: Homecoming premiere in Hollywood, ahead of the car's official debut on July 11. For those of you wondering what Audi has to do with anything Spider-Man, it's because Audi has significant product placement in the film, and the A8 has a cameo role. And if you were wondering why Audi is putting all of this effort into getting its cars in the film, just check out box-office numbers for almost any movie from Disney's Marvel Cinematic Universe. You would be crazy if you didn't want your cars to be seen by that many eyeballs. Anyway, back to the car at hand. Since the car won't officially, completely be revealed for another couple of weeks, it is still disguised, this time with some custom camouflage. Rather than thick covers and typical swirly vinyl, this car has a wrap that looks like a bunch of spider webs. There are some Spider-Man logos scattered about, too, along with a big black spider on the hood. Still, we get a pretty good look at the car ahead of time. It has a nose that is clearly based on Audi's Prologue and Prologue Avant concepts. However, the A8's fenders are much less muscular and pumped up. The lower grille is also quite restrained. According to Audi, there will be a couple of moments in which you'll be able to spot an undisguised A8 in Spider-Man: Homecoming. You'll, of course, also see a mix of other Audi products. The full reveal of the flagship sedan happens in Spain on July 11, and we expect to get full details on its specifications. We may also learn about some additional fancy technology beyond the already announced high-tech start and stop system and active suspension. Related Video:

Feds allege widespread Volkswagen cheating on clean-air rules

Volkswagen intentionally installed software in nearly a half-million diesel vehicles that helped the cars evade substandard results on emissions tests, the federal government charged Friday. The Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation to the German automaker, saying the company's software broke the law by violating two provisions in the Clean Air Act. Circumventing the standards meant affected cars emitted as much as 40 times the allowable level of certain pollutants. Both the EPA and California Air Resources Board have launched investigations. In its notice of violations, the EPA said Volkswagen officials admitted to installing and concealing what they call a "defeat device," which was designed to detect when the cars were undergoing official emissions tests – and only turn on emissions controls during that time. "Our goal now is to ensure that the affected cars are brought into compliance, to dig more deeply into the extent and implications of Volkswagen's efforts to cheat on clean air rules, and to take appropriate further action," said Richard Corey, executive officer of CARB. The allegations cover approximately 482,000 vehicles sold in the United States over the past seven years. Cars involved include diesel versions of the Jetta, Beetle, Audi A3 and Golf manufactured between the 2009 and 2015 model years. Passats manufactured for the 2014 and 2015 model years are also included. Federal officials note there is no safety danger to motorists, but the cars will be recalled for repairs. If true, Volkswagen faces a fine that could run in the hundreds of millions of dollars -- likely higher than the $300 million charge the EPA levied last November at Hyundai and Kia for exaggerating the fuel-economy in several models. The charges also put a tremendous dent into the company's plans to increase sales of its "Clean Diesel" vehicles in North America. In a written statement, Volkswagen Group of America acknowledged it had received the notices from the EPA and CARB. "VW is cooperating with the investigation; we are unable to comment further at this time," it said. Federal officials said the defeat-device software was uncovered during an independent analysis by researchers at West Virginia University, who in working with the International Council on Clean Transportation, a non-governmental organization, raised questions about emissions levels.