No Reserve! Inspected! Leather! Sunroof! Tiptronic! 27 Mpg! Runs Great! 4wd 4x4 on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Will Audi's e-tron SUV's range match the Tesla Model X?

Tesla may soon get some competition from across the Pond when it comes to battery-electric SUV supremacy. Volkswagen's Audi division is preparing an SUV sized between its Q5 and Q7. And the company is suggesting that the model's single-charge range may challenge that of the Model X. Audi's battery-electric SUV, which was first shown off in a concept version at the Frankfort Auto Show in 2015, may start sales as soon as next year. More importantly, the model could have a single-charge range of more than 300 miles, UK's Autocar says, citing an interview with Audi executive Dietmar Voggenreiter. Granted, that estimate is likely for Europe's more generous NEDC cycle, which would put the range at closer to 250 miles by US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standards. Still, 250 miles would beat the 200-mile range of the base-model Tesla Model X and would be in spitting distance of the 100D model's 295 miles. What that means for US customers - price, on-sale date, and range - is unclear. Audi spokesperson Amelia Fine-Morrison, in an e-mail to Autoblog, said it was "too soon to confirm the details," and that the automaker would disclose more information closer to the official launch date. Still, Audi has said it looks to have as much of 25 percent of its global offerings be electrified by 2025, so this will likely be a big step towards that goal. Then there's the question of how big the domestic market will be (not to mention how much the Audi SUV EV will cost). During the three months ended Dec. 31, 2016, Tesla delivered a quarterly-record 9,500 Model X vehicles, so there will obviously be high-end demand for an electric SUV from an established brand like Audi. Related Video:

When Android Automotive goes in the dash, Google wins — and automakers lose data

You've gotta hand it to Google for the way the Silicon Valley tech giant has made indelible inroads into the car on multiple fronts. The most obvious is with its pioneering self-driving car technology that's caused car companies to get their act together on autonomous vehicles — and also collaborate with Google. Google has more directly extended its influence and data-mining capabilities into the car with its Android Auto smartphone-projection platform that most major automakers have adopted along with Apple's CarPlay. And now it's preparing to dig even deeper into dashboards by deploying its open-source operating system, Android Automotive, beginning with Audi and Volvo. Volvo recently announced that its next-generation Sensus infotainment system will run Android Automotive as an OS and include Google's Play Store for cloud-based content, Maps for navigation and Google Assistant for voice recognition, which can even command a car's climate control. By embedding Google in the dash, Volvo says owners will get an improved connected experience. "Bringing Google services into Volvo cars will accelerate innovation in connectivity and boost our development in applications and connected services," Volvo senior vice president of R&D Henrik Green said in a statement. "Soon, Volvo drivers will have direct access to thousands of in-car apps that make daily life easier and the connected in-car experience more enjoyable." Having Android Automotive onboard could benefit drivers — and provide a big win for Google, since it opens a deep and lucrative new data-mining vein for the company. But it's a wave of a white flag for car companies when it comes to delivering their own cloud-based content and services. It also represents a massive data giveaway and, for Audi, a reversal of earlier reservations about letting Google get too much access to car data. Not long after Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were introduced in 2014 and most automakers eagerly embraced the technologies, several German automakers second-guessed their decision when they realized what was at stake: data. At a conference in Berlin in 2015, Audi CEO Rupert Stadler said car owners "want to be in control of their data, and not subject to monitoring." A few months earlier, Stadler stated that "the data that we collect is our data and not Google's.

BMW expects China to pass US as its top market in 2013

When you combine two billion citizens, 100 cities with more than a million inhabitants and an economy that's as unrestrained as Jim Cramer on an Adderall binge, China's explosive auto industry growth shouldn't be a huge surprise. Audi already lists the communist country as its largest market, while Mercedes-Benz is expecting it to be there in the next few years. Now, according to a report from Automotive News, BMW is expecting the People's Republic to overtake the United States in sales by the end of 2013.
We already discovered the extent that BMW is going to in establishing a dedicated Chinese stronghold, when we explored BMW's Shanghai-based DesignWorks studio ahead of April's Shanghai Motor Show. And while we argued that DesignWorks Shanghai hasn't really borne fruit, it isn't due to a lack of sales.
BMW China has seen a 16-percent jump in year-over-year sales, lead by a 28-percent gain in 5 Series sales. Part of BMW's growth strategy comes from an ever-expanding dealership network. Remember those 100 cities we mentioned with over one million people? According to Karsten Engel, CEO of BMW's Chinese operations, those 100-million-plus city dwellers don't have access to a premium dealership.