2017 Audi Q7 Prestige Prestige Pkg / Cold Wthr Pkg / Tow Pkg on 2040-cars

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Audi reportedly will cut costs by $12B to fund electric-car push

BERLIN - Audi aims to cut costs by 10 billion euros ($12 billion) by 2022 to fund a shift to electric cars as it seeks to move on after the emissions scandal, sources close to the carmaker said. Audi, Volkswagen's main profit driver, plans to bring five new all-electric models to market in coming years, starting with the E-Tron sport-utility vehicle (SUV) to be assembled from 2018 in Brussels. Despite run-up costs for its electric-car program, the luxury automaker wants to keep its operating profit margin at 8 percent a year at least, two sources close to Audi said. Its profit margin in the first half of this year was 8.9 percent. The bulk of the $12 billion cost savings would come from cutting research and development costs, the sources said. A spokesman at Audi's headquarters in Ingolstadt, Germany, declined comment. German business daily Handelsblatt reported the cost-savings target and profitability plans earlier on Sunday. Audi also aims to free up money for investments in zero-emission technology by developing a new production platform with Porsche, allowing both VW premium brands to save money by sharing components and modules. Audi is grappling with car recalls, prosecutor investigations, and persistent criticism from unions and managers over the diesel emissions scandal and its post-dieselgate strategy. Sources told Reuters on Friday that four of the brand's seven top executives are earmarked for dismissal in the near future. On Sunday, sources said the dismissals were discussed by supervisory board members last Thursday but a formal decision has yet to be taken. Reporting by Andreas CremerRelated Video: Featured Gallery Audi E-Tron Quattro View 11 Photos Image Credit: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Audi Emissions Technology Emerging Technologies Diesel Vehicles Electric Luxury e-tron dieselgate diesel emissions

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:

Lucid Air and Maserati MC20 unveiled | Autoblog Podcast #644

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Associate Editor Byron Hurd. Before they get to the juicy news of the week, they chat about the cars they've been driving, including a Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R, Audi A6 Allroad, Mazda CX-9 and Kia Niro. It's been a busy week in the news department, with GM investing in Nikola, Lucid Motors launching the Air electric sedan, Maserati unveiling the MC20 mid-engined supercar and a farewell to the Lexus GS. Then they talk about having a newfound respect for the Fox Body Mustang and the Mazda CX-9. Autoblog Podcast #644 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350R 2020 Audi A6 Allroad 2020 Mazda CX-9 2020 Kia Niro GM buys $2 billion stake in Nikola, will build Badger hydrogen-electric pickup Update: Short-seller accuses Nikola of fraud and Nikola threatens to sue Lucid Air production electric luxury sedan is a dream revealed Lucid Air's modular powertrain opens up serious performance possibilities Lucid Motors teases electric SUV at Air debut Mid-engined, 621-horsepower MC20 inaugurates a new era for Maserati All future Maseratis will borrow styling cues from the MC20  2023 Maserati MC20 Folgore planned with three-motor electric powertrain Lexus GS dead for 2021 Respect to: Fox Body Mustang Mazda CX-9 Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: