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Audi to show hydrogen Q6 in Detroit

Audi is allegedly bringing a hydrogen-powered concept to the Motor City next month. The report comes from Autocar, which cites German media in claiming the new concept, tipped to be called the Q6 H-Tron, will ride on the same MLB architecture as the E-Tron Quattro Concept, shown at Frankfurt earlier this year. In fact, it sounds like the Detroit concept will look more or less like the Frankfurt concept, just with low-mounted hydrogen fuel cells instead of battery packs. That said, Audi didn't come right out and tell Autocar that the Q6 H-Tron was coming to Detroit. Instead, a company spokesman told the website that "a concept car with new drive technology" will be shown at next month's show. But this seems like a safe bet. As Audi continues to cope with the fallout of its diesel emissions scandal, shifting focus to an even more alternative fuel source would be a sound strategy, even if it is just a PR move. Whatever Audi ends up showing in Detroit, we'll be live at the show to report on all of it. Look for more in mid January.

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.

Audi launches traffic light timing system in Las Vegas

Audi announced today that its new Traffic Light Information (TLI) system will go online in Las Vegas this month, making it the first city to activate a vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) system on public roads. The system transmits information from traffic lights to servers operated by Audi partner Traffic Technology Services and onto compatible Audis over a 4G LTE connection. This will allow drivers to see how long it will take the red light ahead to change to green. The feature is available on Audi A4, A4 Allroad, and Q7 models built after June 1, 2016, and requires a subscription to Audi's streaming service. Audi points out that setting up a V2I infrastructure opens up the possibility to provide navigation directions that take traffic lights into account. Cars could even coach drivers how fast to go to hit more green lights. In addition, this information could allow engine start-stop systems to shut off sooner when approaching red lights and start up immediately when the light turns green. Information could also flow back to municipalities, giving them a more accurate picture of traffic flow. Washington will soon join Las Vegas in supporting Audi's V2I technology. They're the only two cities confirmed so far, though Audi says it's working to get more on board. Related Video: