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2018 Audi A6 endures winter training in Norway

The upcoming 2018 Audi A6 was spied in northern Norway. Still clad in appropriate, but garish camo, the basic shape and detailing of the next-generation A6 can be made out. The grill is wide, the headlights mean; the look matches the recently overhauled A4, but with larger dimensions – a recipe from which Audi hasn't really strayed far since the blob-like A6 of 1997. Audi tried to disguise the new headlights under something that resembles the current front, but there are slimmer units underneath. Other detectable details are the hood's straight line toward the radiator grille, and the mirrors fitted on the door sheetmetal now instead of the A-pillar corners. There can even be a LED light strip between the taillights, like the A8. The car will share its MLB platform with the A8, so some shared design makes sense. The new A6 will also be the first Audi work of the new design boss, Mark Lichte. In 2018, the A6 will face tough competition as both the Mercedes-Benz E-Class and the BMW 5 Series have been recently renewed. It is likely that Audi will line the car with the latest available high tech and a credible Virtual Cockpit integration, as the executive class battle is awash with tech gadgets. Rumors say the new A6's screens will even feature haptic feedback. Related Video:

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.

The Volkswagen Group switches official language to English

The Volkswagen Group can't be fairly thought of as entirely German anymore, so the news that the company is switching its official language to English to help attract managers and executives is a rational, if surprising, decision. While many VW Group companies are still staidly German in character and culture, consider the other companies that it controls: Bentley (British), Bugatti (French), Ducati and Lamborghini (Italian), Skoda (Czech), Scania trucks (Swedish), and SEAT (Spanish). Not to mention the large Volkswagen Group of America operation, which constructs cars in Chattanooga, TN. Volkswagen's explicit motivation is to improve management recruitment – making sure the company isn't losing out on candidates for important positions because they can't speak German – and that's inherently sensible in a globalized economy. Particularly considering, like it or lump it, that English is the lingua franca of said global economy. It also should make it inherently easier to communicate between its world-wide subsidiaries and coordinate operations. It's hard to say for sure if this will have any impact on the consumer, although it's easy to see the benefits if, say, VW Group hires some American product planners or engineers and they push for features and designs that more closely suit American needs. After all, the US is a hugely important market for any manufacturer, and so the switch to English almost certainly has something to do with the outsized influence of the US in the global economy. And there doesn't seem to be a downside from a purely rational perspective, although it could mean that the Group's corporate culture becomes less German. Whether that's a good or a bad thing depends on your perspective. Related Video: Image Credit: Krisztian Bocsi/Bloomberg via Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Audi Bentley Bugatti Porsche Volkswagen SEAT Skoda