2021 Audi Rs Q8 4.0t Quattro on 2040-cars

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No diesels in the running for 2016 Green Car Of The Year

It's a new era for the Green Car Of The Year. In the past, the theme of the award was to take a broad look at alternative powertrains and pick the best among them. "Clean diesels" from the Volkswagen group were often among the finalists and won the award twice. For the 2016 edition - which will be handed out at the LA Auto Show next month - not a single diesel made the list. There's little wonder why. Green Car Journal, which names the winner with a panel of experts, had to strip two VW brand vehicles of their past wins. The 2009 VW Jetta TDI, which won in 2008, and the 2010 Audi A3 TDI, which won in 2010, have both lost their titles now that the world knows about the "defeat devices" that VW installed in many of its TDI vehicles around the world. So, what does that leave us with for 2016? Two plug ins, a hybrid, and two gas vehicles. The two electric vehicle are the Audi A3 e-tron and the Chevy Volt, while the all-new Toyota Prius (which will come with a plug-in version later) is the lone pure hybrid. Rounding out the pack are two efficient gas models: the Hyundai Sonata and the Honda Civic. This is the tenth year for the Green Car Of The Year, and it will be interesting to see if diesels can come back into the award's good graces (for the record, no diesels were among the finalists in 2013, either) in the future. For now, we'd like to know who you think should win. You can read more about the finalists in the press release below and then cast your vote in our poll. Show full PR text FINALISTS ANNOUNCED FOR 2016 GREEN CAR OF THE YEAR Green Car Journal to Reveal Winner of 11th Annual Award at LA Auto Show Press & Trade Days, November 19 LOS ANGELES, CA (October 15, 2015) – Green Car Journal has announced its five finalists for the magazine's prestigious 2016 Green Car of the Year® award. The 2016 models include the Audi A3 e-tron, Chevrolet Volt, Honda Civic, Hyundai Sonata, and Toyota Prius. An increasing number of vehicle models are considered for the Green Car of the Year® program each year, a reflection of the auto industry's expanding efforts in offering new vehicles with higher efficiency and improved environmental impact. Green Car Journal has been honoring the most important "green" vehicles every year at the LA Auto Show, since its inaugural award announced at the show in 2005.

Audi planning RS Q7 performance crossover

Audi resisted getting into the crossover market altogether until it launched the original Q7 in 2005, and held back from producing a performance crossover until it caved first with the SQ5 and then with the RS Q3, both in 2013. And now that the tide has washed over it, Ingolstadt's next plan, according to Top Gear, is to launch a performance version of the new Q7. Though it remains unclear whether it would carry the S or RS badge, the performance-oriented version of the new Q7 will surely benefit from the hundreds of pounds in excess weight Audi managed to trim off the latest model over the one it replaces. Also unclear is whether said hi-po Q7 would go with a diesel or a gasoline engine. The diesel option would more likely go the S route than the full RS, but wouldn't be likely to make it to the States if it were only offered as a diesel. With the SQ5, it's worth noting, Audi offers a TDI diesel version in Europe and a gasoline TSI in North America, so we wouldn't be surprised to see it take a similar approach with the larger model as well. Whatever it does pack under the hood, though, the SQ7 or RS Q7 would be facing some stiff competition from the likes of the Mercedes GL63 AMG, BMW X5 M and Range Rover Sport SVR – not to mention corporate cousins like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo and upcoming Bentley Bentayga – while giving the Volkswagen group a bigger slice of that exclusive but expanding pie.

2018 Audi A5 and S5 Sportbacks are coming to America

Fans of hatchbacks have cause for celebration, because Audi confirmed the 2018 A5 and S5 Sportback models are coming to the US. The five-door variant of the classy A5 coupe and convertible line will appear in America this spring. Pricing was not announced. While we will be getting the hatchback, we won't get every powertrain option offered in Europe. Those versions will be offered with an array of gas and diesel engines, and some will be available with a manual transmission. We'll only get two engines here, and they both come with automatics. The standard A5 Sportback will come with the same turbocharged four-cylinder as the A5 coupe and convertible and the A4 sedan. It makes 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque of torque and is paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch transmission. The S5 Sportback gets the same 354-horsepower turbocharged V6, which also makes 369 lb-ft of torque and sends power through a conventional 8-speed automatic. Both Sportback models are nearly as fast as their two-door siblings, reaching 60 mph in 5.7 and 4.5 seconds respectively. That's just a tenth of a second slower than either coupe. The Sportback also has one more difference compared with the European version. All American A5 Sportback models will come with Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive. The Sportbacks feature similar interiors to their coupe and convertible brethren, along with the same infotainment options. This includes the available Virtual Cockpit LCD instrument panel and MMI system. Of course the biggest difference between the Sportback and the two-door models is space. Audi claims the Sportback has twice as much cargo room as the coupe. And the back seat will obviously be much more comfortable and usable. View 14 Photos You don't sacrifice too much in style, either. The A5 coupe's distinctive, Coke-bottle character line has made the transition to a longer profile gracefully, and it's complemented by the greenhouse inspired by the bigger A7 Sportback. So if you've always wanted an A5 for its looks, but felt you needed something more practical, you won't have to compromise with the Sportback. Related Video: