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Audi Recalling Nearly 102,000 Cars To Fix Air Bags

Audi is recalling nearly 102,000 luxury cars in the U.S. because the front air bags may not inflate in a crash. The recall covers certain A4 and S4 cars from the 2013 through 2015 model years, plus the 2013 through 2015 Audi allroad. Audi says that it is part of a wider global recall that the company announced last week covering about 850,000 vehicles from the 2013 to 2015 model years. Dealers will update an improperly programmed air bag control module to fix the problem sometime this month. Audi said that in rare cases the air bags may not inflate in a secondary impact. That can increase the risk of injury. No crashes or injuries have been reported in the U.S. or Europe, an Audi spokesman said. But the company is checking a small number of cases in Europe to see if they are linked to air bag programming. The company said in documents posted by U.S. safety regulators that the problem was discovered in tests done in August. Related Gallery Our Favorite Hot And Sporty Cars For 2015 Recalls Audi airbag

Audi tests new kind of car sharing, lets you buy cars with buddies [w/video]

Car sharing services like ZipCar, Car2Go and others offer people in cities the chance to have a vehicle without dealing with the hassles of parking or maintenance, while also eliminating traffic. However, many individuals are turned off by the idea of splitting a car with an entire metropolis or would prefer to have a specific model at their disposal. For these unsatisfied souls, Audi has a new arrangement in Stockholm, Sweden, called Audi Unite that might be just the ticket. The setup is basically a small-scale car sharing service. Up to five people agree to share any of Audi's models for a year or two – even an R8 if they are so inclined. Each user has a special Bluetooth key fob that identifies them to the vehicle, and a smartphone app allows operators to schedule time with the car. Each person is then billed monthly according to his or her use. Audi thinks it might work best with friends, colleagues or neighbors, but the company can also play matchmaker for clients, if necessary. "In the beginning, our biggest fear was what if two people want to go somewhere at the same time-what happens then?" said Clemens Weisshaar, one of the founders of design firm Kram/Weisshaar that helped develop the idea, to Fast Company. "Interestingly, it never happened." They chose Stockholm because the city was tech-savvy, and there is a tradition of sharing there. Prices for Audi Unite seem fairly reasonable for each user. According to the service's website, if four people use an A3 Sportback for two years with a 20,000-kilometer (12,247-mile) driving limit, they would pay an average of 2,091 Swedish krona ($277) each per month. For an extra 365 krona (about $50) per person each month, they can add a package that includes vehicle pickup and delivery for monthly interior and exterior cleaning, winter tire exchanges and necessary servicing. After Stockholm, Audi plans to try Unite in other Swedish cities before launching the program in additional countries, according to Fast Company. Scroll down to watch a video with more explanation about how the program works and read the automaker's press release about the initiative.

Audi's Super Bowl commercial hopes for a more equal future

While many of the automotive Super Bowl commercials we've seen so far have been comedic, Audi's ad takes a more serious, but hopeful, tack. The ad revolves around a soap-box derby race in which only one driver is a girl. The rest of the grid has a bunch of (oddly mean-looking) boys. On the sidelines is the daughter's dad, who narrates for the duration of the commercial. He doesn't talk about the race, though. He instead muses on the income gap between men and women that he's seen through his life and his parents' lives. He wonders how he would explain to his daughter that men are valued more than women, regardless of their ability. All the while, the ad shows his daughter steadily moving up in position in the race. It seems to be a metaphor for the progress women have made over the years in equality, but still not quite reaching the goal. At the end of the race, the daughter manages to win by a nose, and at this point, the father becomes a bit more optimistic. He thinks that maybe he won't have to explain this because, perhaps, women will have equal value when she grows up. He and his daughter then gather up their stuff and take off for parts unknown in an Audi S5 Sportback, followed by a message stating Audi of America's dedication to equal pay. The message isn't subtle, but that's fine since it's a good one. It's surely good PR for Audi, too, and is a far better attempt at attracting women to the brand than something like the horribly condescending Seat Mii by Cosmopolitan. Related Video: