2007 Audi A8l 4.2 Quattro, Loaded, Just Serviced on 2040-cars

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Audi Canada surprises out-of-warranty owners in a good way

One of the worst parts about going to a dealership is sitting around waiting for the courtesy shuttle to show up and transport a group of strangers to their places of work or homes. Well, Audi of Canada found a nice way to surprise customers who brought their out-of-warranty vehicles in for a scheduled Health Check by replacing dealer's normal shuttle with a 2014 Audi R8 V10.
The R8, painted to resemble a safety car or police car, gave the customers a ride home - even stopping at a coffee shop along the way. Needless to say, the stunt got plenty of attention from passers-by and was quite a hit with the Audi customers, too. Scroll down to watch video of the customers getting the ride of a lifetime, which we're sure left some of the in-warranty customers at least a little jealous as they drove off in dealer loaner cars.

Recharge Wrap-up: Chevy Volt named KBB "Best Buy," slow BMW i3 sales in Germany

The Chevrolet Volt has been awarded Kelley Blue Book's Electric/Hybrid Car Best Buy for 2015. KBB cited the car's electric commuter capabilities, extended range, acceleration, design and overall value as reasons to place it above the Nissan Leaf, BMW i3 and Toyota Prius. It works well in the real world, and doesn't leave drivers with range anxiety. Plus, it's comfortable, and a fun car to drive, according to KBB. Read more at Kelley Blue Book. The BMW i3 is seeing slow sales in Germany. BMW has sold about half the number of i3s it expected in its home country, with about 1,900 sold in the first nine months. BMW projected sales of 5,000 to 6,000 in the first year. BMW partly blames long shipping times for the slow sales, and the company is offering incentives in hopes of getting more people to adopt the electric car. In the US, BMW sold more than 1,000 units each month between August and October. Read more at Green Car Reports. Audi is pursuing new carbon-neutral synthetic fuels - or e-fuels - such as Audi e-diesel. Audi's newest project uses electrolysis of water to create hydrogen, which it then reacts with CO2 extracted from the air. The result is a liquid - called Blue Crude - full of energy from hydrocarbon compounds. The Blue Crude can then be converted into a sulfur-free synthetic diesel called e-diesel. This e-diesel can be used as a drop-in fuel, blended into fossil diesel for a more renewable fuel. Read more at Hybrid Cars. Uber is partnering with Spotify to allow passengers to choose what music they listen to during their ride. Users will be able to choose their own playlist that will be ready and playing for them when they are picked up. It offers a more personalized experience from the ride-hailing service, which, according to Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, is "nirvana" for music lovers. Paying Spotify users will be able to use the feature initially in London, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Nashville, New York, San Francisco, Singapore, Stockholm, Sydney and Toronto. Check out the video below and read more at Wired. Featured Gallery 2014 Chevrolet Volt View 11 Photos Related Gallery 2014 BMW i3: First Drive View 33 Photos News Source: Kelley Blue Book, Green Car Reports, Hybrid Cars, WiredImage Credit: Chevrolet Green Audi BMW Chevrolet Transportation Alternatives Technology Emerging Technologies Electric Videos recharge wrapup

2017 Audi A4 Allroad: Android Auto is great, just not with MMI

I love Android Auto, but I've given up using it in our long-term 2017 Audi A4 Allroad. In fact, I've given up using it in any car that doesn't have a touchscreen interface. A rotary knob like the one in the Allroad works fine when the system is designed around it, but using it as the input device for Android Auto is frustrating and distracting since it the system was designed for touchscreens. Audi had to adapt it (and Apple CarPlay) for MMI. Plus, the situation is made even worse here since it looks like the A4 Allroad has a touchscreen (the image above is from a Q7). Various fingerprints can attest to that. Unless I'm driving my personal car, I never listen to the radio (my '99 Mercedes may not have Bluetooth or an auxiliary input, but it does have a Motorola car phone). Spotify, Audible, and Pocket Casts are my go-to media services and they all stream straight from my phone. Each one has a Android Auto app. Android Auto's Google Maps and Waze integration is just as useful. All my contacts are in Google Maps, so if I have Android Auto I just use the voice command to find my destination. It's stupid simple. One of the best parts of Android Auto is that it looks and acts the same way in every car. It has the same apps in the same place, all streaming from the phone you use every day. When you're forced to interact with it in a new way, it takes that familiarization away. It's like using a computer with only a keyboard. Sure, it can work, but it's unintuitive and, in this case, dangerously distracting. I really like our Allroad, just not the infotainment system. Related Video: