2005 Audi A6 Quattro Base Sedan 4-door 3.2l Salvage Title on 2040-cars

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VW Group plan puts Porsche in charge of a 'super-premium' division

An Automobile report looks into what's happening on the organizational and technical sides of the Volkswagen Group, and what those changes could mean for the premium brands. The wide-angle view is that Porsche appears to have been anointed to "coordinate the future activities" at Audi, Bentley, Bugatti and Lamborghini. Audi would cede Lamborghini guardianship to Stuttgart, and Ducati — via a new concern called Ducati Enterprises — would become the shepherd for VW's other Italian investments. Executives target Jan. 1, 2019, to complete the reshuffle. VW wants to save a boodle by tying up four of its five top-tier brands, and putting the one with the highest ROI in charge. Porsche, within its own house, wants to reduce expenditures by $2.3 billion per year over for four years, the savings already earmarked for improving internal processes like R&D and production. Having Porsche share those gains as well as lead development of platforms, components and future-tech strategies for the sister sports car brands could benefit everyone. In the near-term, the brands have their own plans: Bugatti CEO Stephan Winkelmann is said to want a Chiron Superleggera, a roofless and "completely reskinned" Chiron Aperta, and a track-only Chiron SS. The Superleggera could take the Chiron Sport's and Divo's Jenny Craig routines even further. The Aperta seems a natural successor to the Veyron Grand Sport, a natural evolution of the recently introduced Sky View roof, and a reskin might include numerous Divo cues. It's also said Bugatti's considering "an all-electric high-end model" in conjunction with Porsche, Rimac, and Dallara, but name one supercar or hypercar manufacturer that isn't considering a lightning-fast EV. Lamborghini, deep into work on follow-ups for the Huracan and Aventador, might get a bit of a bump with the new plan. The carbon "monofuselage" for the next V12 flagship is said to be too far developed and too complex to scrap. It puts two electric motors on the front axle, batteries in the middle, and a naturally aspirated V12 with around 770 horsepower plus another e-motor with 402 horsepower in back. The Huracan is said to get a version of the same carbon architecture at the moment, but the corporate reorganization might press pause on it. Automobile says options include continuing the Huracan/ Audi R8 twinning, but that depends on Audi saying "Ja" to a third-gen R8 with Lamborghini bones.

Audi officially takes over Abt Schaeffler Formula E team

Audi has been involved with Formula E from the very beginning of the open-wheel, electric racing series. The German luxury automaker has lent its name and a factory driver, Lucas di Grassi, the since Formula E's inauguration in 2014. It has provided technical support and funding to the Abt team since the beginning of the current season. Now, Audi will take over the team's slot, giving the brand an official, full-fledged presence as a manufacturer in Formula E. The new team name will be Audi Sport Abt Schaeffler (moving the manufacturer's name to the front, compared to the current Abt Schaeffler Audi Sport), signifying that supplier Schaeffler will still be a powertrain partner moving forward. "We've been supporting the Formula E commitment with increasing intensity in recent months – on the race days, in the development of the new powertrain and in numerous off-track activities as well," says Audi board member Dr. Peter Mertens. "That Audi will be the first German automobile manufacturer to be actively involved in the racing series starting next season is also a clear commitment of our brand to electric mobility, on the race track as of December and next year on the road as well with the new Audi e-tron." Jaguar, the British luxury competitor to Audi, has its own Formula E team as of the 2016/2017 season. BMW, which supplies support vehicles to Formula E, is expected to field its own team beginning in 2018. Fellow German automaker Mercedes-Benz has been exploring involvement in the electric racing series as well. ABT Schaeffler Audi Sport, and its drivers Daniel Abt and Lucas di Grassi, has claimed five race wins and 23 podiums in Formula E. The team has been a fairly constant frontrunner in the series, and is currently in second place in points standings for this season, behind Renault E.dams. Audi and Schaeffler are currently co-developing a new powertrain for next season. Related Video: News Source: AudiImage Credit: Formula E Green Motorsports Audi Green Automakers Green Culture Electric Racing Vehicles Formula E abt schaeffler

US diesel model count to double for 2014?

While diesel cars are popular on most other continents, these less-complex alternative to hybrid-electric vehicles have yet to gain major traction in the US. As an increasing number of light cars and trucks start to offer these fuel-efficient engines, though, sales are expected to climb as well. While BMW, Mercedes-Benz and the Volkswagen Group (Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche) continue to lead the way, more non-German automakers like Mazda, Nissan, Chrysler and General Motors are starting to get serious about diesel in America.
TheDetroitBureau.com reports that the 2014 model year will see the number of diesel vehicles offered in the US double to about 40 nameplates, but the news gets even better for fans of these torquey and efficient powerplants. LMC Automotive has released data about future expectations of diesel cars in the US, and it predicts that sales should be very close to one million units in 2015 (up from an expected 600,000 units this year). By 2018, LMC's calculations suggest that sales will more than double from this year's expected totals accounting for almost 8 percent of new light-vehicle sales.