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The 2018 Audi SQ5 looks mean and switches to turbo power

Audi's huge Q8 wasn't the only crossover introduced by the German automaker at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Right alongside it came the 2018 SQ5, the brand's high-performance midsize crossover. This newest version ditches the previous generation's supercharger in favor of a turbo for its 3.0-liter V6. The powertrain is similar to the one used in the latest S4 and S5. Horsepower remains unchanged compared to the last SQ5 at 354, but torque sees a healthy increase to 369 pound-feet, and it's available anywhere from 1,370 to 4,500 rpm. The car itself weighs about 77 pounds less, too. It's a combination that should make the SQ5 pretty entertaining off the line. Coupled to the turbo engine is an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive. Power delivery and handling can be enhanced with a Quattro sport rear differential that can shuffle power left and right to aid cornering. Audi says the torque vectoring system can send almost all rearward power to one wheel as necessary. The differential is available as part of the S sport package, which comes with other upgrades including air suspension. The suspension gives the crossover a lower ride height by default. Both height and firmness can be adjusted, and it offers an "offroad" position that raises the car for maximum ground clearance. Inside, the SQ5 comes with a sportier interior than its Q5 counterpart. It comes with prerequisites such as a flat-bottomed steering wheel and more-bolstered seats. Audi also provides a Bang & Olufsen sound system and standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The cabin experience can be further augmented with Audi's Virtual Cockpit LCD instrument panel, as well as driving assists such as a variable-ratio steering rack and adaptive cruise control that can handle stop-and-go traffic from 0 to 40 mph. Audi will begin selling the new 2018 SQ5 here in spring of 2017. Pricing for it and the Q5 has not yet been released. Related Video:

Delphi plans automated-driving journey across the United States

Delphi is attempting to become the first company to pilot an automated car across the United States. The global automotive supplier will start a cross-country journey from a location near the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco starting on Sunday, March 22, and cover approximately 3,500 miles on a trip to New York, where it will arrive sometime during the New York Auto Show. Along the way, Delphi engineers will gather data on how the car, an Audi SQ5, performs in a variety of road and weather conditions that the company says could only be tested in a real-world environment. "Delphi had great success testing its car in California and on the streets of Las Vegas," said Jeff Owens, the company's chief technology officer. "Now it's time to put our vehicle to the ultimate test by broadening the range of driving conditions." A formal announcement is expected tomorrow during the SXSW festival in Austin, TX. The company recently demonstrated many of its advanced-safety and automated driving technologies during CES, driving in Las Vegas. The cross-country trip will include tests on its radar, vision and advanced-drive assistance systems, certain vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communications, and intelligent software, which includes automated highway pilot with lane-change technology, automated urban pilot and automated parking functions. Though a driver will be behind the wheel throughout the journey, Delphi says its active safety technologies can make complex decisions, like stopping and proceeding at four-way stops, timing highway merges and calculating safe maneuvers around bicyclists. While California has certain motor-vehicle laws that help regulate autonomous vehicles, it was unclear whether Delphi needs special arrangements or permission from other states to conduct automated-vehicle testing elsewhere – or if those concerns might be negated by an active driver. Earlier this year, Audi turned heads at CES by driving an A7 from San Francisco to Las Vegas in a similar display of automated-driving technology. Related video: Image Credit: Delphi CES Audi Technology Emerging Technologies Autonomous Vehicles

Amazon Prime now delivering right to your Audi

Amazon has come up with many ways to deliver packages to its premium Prime customers, ranging from very large boxes to drones. Now, the company is looking at delivering directly to your car. Being introduced on a very limited trial basis in Germany, Amazon is offering Audi-owning Prime customers the option to have packages delivered to their vehicle. That's a boon if you're waiting on a pricey parcel, but can't stay at home to sign for it. The first phase of the program will begin next month in the Munich area. The pilot program requires customers to give an approximate location of their vehicle during the delivery period. DHL delivery drivers – the only shipping service partnering with Amazon for Audi deliveries – will be granted one-time access to trunks, with an access code tied into the delivery. "We are working to offer Prime members a delivery location that is always available and convenient: the trunk of their car," Michael Pasch, director of Amazon Prime for the European Union, said in a Google Translated statement. "This innovation makes shopping at Amazon even easier and more flexible. It gives customers another way to receive their orders." Related Video: