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Audi diverting a third of R&D budget to electrification

Companies make promises all the time. We'll do X by Y. The new A will be our biggest seller in B. You know the drill. But it's when an automaker puts its money where its mouth is that we really stand up and take notice. That's precisely what Audi is doing as it attempts to convert 25 percent of its sales to electrified vehicles by 2025. Citing two sources with knowledge of Audi's plans, Reuters reports that around a third of the company's research-and-development budget will go to " electric cars, digital services, and autonomous driving." Of course, shifting that much money over to newer technologies means sacrifices elsewhere – Reuters' sources claim Audi will move money away from combustion engines and reduce country-specific powertrain variants, but the sources wouldn't get more specific. According to Reuters, Audi is 22nd in total sales of hybrids and EVs. That's eight spots behind Mercedes and ten spots behind BMW (not to mention hybrid-happy Lexus). Audi's only electric representatives in the US market are the A3 e-Tron and Q5 Hybrid and things aren't much better in Europe – the company needs to dump buckets of money into expanding its meager lineup to bring up the percentage of EVs it sells. Expect greater detail on Audi's electrification plans very soon – CEO Rupert Stadler will discuss the company's path forward on Wednesday at a closed-door meeting in Munich with over 2,000 managers. It's unlikely all those managers will be able to keep quiet. We'll be listening. Related Video: Featured Gallery Audi E-Tron Quattro Concept View 36 Photos News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Audi Green Audi Volkswagen Green Driving Electric Hybrid PHEV e-tron audi e-tron electrification

Volkswagen Cross Coupe GTE concept previews new midsize CUV... again

Volkswagen has taken a big step towards the long-awaited second model to be built at its Chattanooga, TN factory, introducing the two-row Cross Coupe GTE Concept at the 2015 North American International Auto Show. The relatively handsome two-row crossover borrows its basic styling language from the CrossBlue Concept that launched at the 2013 Detroit show (that we later had a brief chance to drive), and the CrossBlue Coupe from that year's Shanghai Motor Show. To be entirely frank, it just looks like a much more production-ready version of the Shanghai concept. The more aggressive elements of that model, like its rear taillights, rounded wheel arches, and aggressive front and rear fascias, have been toned down considerably. In other words, this concept almost wouldn't look out of place on the average road. Changes in the cabin are similarly minor, with the same basic design as the CrossBlue, complemented by a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.1-inch touchscreen display. While it's still quite clearly a concept car interior, it's not hard to imagine VW transitioning this cockpit into a production model. Riding atop the Volkswagen Group's MQB architecture – making it a relative, albeit distant, of cars like the VW Golf, Audi TT and the Euro-market Passat – the Cross Coupe GTE is motivated by a 3.6-liter VR6 that's been mated to not one, but two electric motors (one on each axle). The gas engine offers up 276 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque, while the front axle's electric motor generates 54 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, and the rear can deliver a more robust 114 hp and 199 lb-ft of torque. That cacophony can be easily boiled down to this: the Cross Coupe GTE has a total system output of 355 hp and 280 pound-feet of torque, which is good enough to get the five-seater to 60 miles per hour in six seconds, on to a top speed of 130 miles per hour. As a plug-in hybrid, though, there's more to the Cross Coupe GTE then just its power output. Range plays a big role, and in that regard, this concept is fairly average. It can cover 20 miles when its 14.1-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery is charged up. Beyond that, the drivetrain can be set to a number of modes to optimize the behavior of plug-in-hybrid powertrain. In E-Mode, which can be locked in via a battery hold/battery charge mode, all 20 miles of range are available, although the Cross Coupe's driver will only have the 114-hp rear axle electric motor to work with.

8 new cars that are selling below MSRP

Car shopping has been a frustrating activity for many people in recent years, as strained new car inventories have led to markups and elevated prices across the board. It’s been difficult to find vehicles at anywhere near a reasonable price, and some in-demand models are still listed at a premium today. iSeeCarsÂ’ most recent study looked at several aspects of the new and used vehicle markets and found a handful of models that are selling at a discount – a rarity in todayÂ’s world. Most of the vehicles selling below MSRP in October were electric, though the Nissan Armada and Infiniti QX80 made the top eight. To be clear, weÂ’re not talking about huge discounts here – the Kia EV6 was selling with the largest discount of 3.1%. The other models on the list include: Kia EV6: -3.1 percent off MSRP Ford F-150 hybrid: -2.8% Hyundai Ioniq 6: -2.7% Nissan Armada: -1.8% Hyundai Ioniq 5: -0.9% VW ID.4: -0.6% Kia Niro EV: -0.3% Infiniti QX80: -0.2% Electric and hybrid vehicles like the Kia and Ford have been selling at a premium for a long time, as they experienced stronger than expected demand and had challenging early production runs. That theyÂ’re now selling at a discount could indicate wavering buyer demand, but itÂ’s too early to start sounding any serious alarm bells. Though some models are getting cheaper, the industry average is still heading in the wrong direction. The average MSRP of new cars sold last month was $42,510, while the average sales price was $46,077. That 8.4% overage is surprising to see so many months after the worst of the pandemic has passed. iSeeCarsÂ’ executive analyst Karl Brauer had a few words of encouragement, however, saying, “There are still very few ‘dealsÂ’ in the new car market. Shoppers looking to pay below MSRP for a new car will have to do their research, but a small number of models can be bought below sticker price.” Green Ford Hyundai Infiniti Kia Nissan Volkswagen Car Buying cheap cars