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Will Audi surprise us with an all-electric SUV?

Audi may be looking to get seriously competitive in the electric vehicle market, according to a report from Reuters. The company has plans prepared for a range of EVs that would compete with the likes of BMW and Tesla. In a market where innovation is seen as valuable, getting on board with electrification could help Audi avoid appearing out of step with the rest of the crowd (and the market), with analysts predicting a sharp uptick in battery-powered cars in the next several years. Building on the E-Tron line, which already includes the A3 E-Tron, Audi will begin offering an electric version of its R8 supercar in Europe next year. According to two confidential sources at Audi, the company also has plans for high-performance electric sedans and SUVs. It appears as though Audi is taking direct aim at Tesla with alternatives to the current Model S and the upcoming Model X SUV. Advantage: Audi? Without getting into too many specifics about such plans, the sources did confirm the existence of blueprints for an Audi Q8 E-Tron. Audi has said that any future electric cars would have a target range of 400 kilometers (about 249 miles), but previous reports suggest that the Q8 E-Tron could have a range of about 370 miles. That could be a serious challenge for Tesla. Advantage: Audi? All the German automakers have electric tricks up their sleeves. BMW has its i line, with the i3 making headway and the i8 expected to sell well. Mercedes-Benz has gotten into the game the B-Class Electric Drive. Also, its parent company Daimler has a stake in Tesla. Now, Audi appears poised to launch its own diverse electric fleet, and the next move might just be an SUV. And while this added competition might seem like tough news for Tesla, the proliferation of EVs, and the growing infrastructure that goes along with it, is more likely a tide that raises all (electric) ships - something that Elon Musk seems to understand very well.

Audi tech counts down red lights today, reduces traffic tomorrow

Audi announced today that in Washington D.C. and Las Vegas, select Audi Q7 and A4 models will be able to take advantage of new vehicle-to-infrastructure technology. The technology was developed with Traffic Technology Services and will allow drivers to see how long it will take for a traffic light to change to green. Compatible traffic lights will send information through servers operated by Traffic Technology Services to properly equipped Audis. This may not sound like an earth-shattering feature at first, unless you're a stoplight drag racer – if Audi has its way, it may shut off the timer at about 10 seconds to prevent such a thing – but the technology opens up the door to much more useful features down the road. Audi's general manager for connected vehicles, Pom Malhotra, suggested that the information could be used with "vehicle navigation, engine start/stop functionality and can even be used to help improve traffic flow." More specifically, navigation could account for traffic light timing to divert drivers to a more efficient and faster route. It could even suggest acceleration and speed to hit signals when they're green, minimizing stops and starts. Then, for engine start and stop features, the car could selectively shut off at long stops but remain on when approaching a light that's about to turn green. Traffic lights could also start adjusting patterns based on how many cars are approaching a light or are stuck at a light, alleviating slow-moving traffic. Vehicle-to-infrastructure communication could lead to roads that waste less time and less energy. While Audi didn't elaborate on this topic, vehicle-to-infrastructure technology could also be useful for future autonomous car technology. For instance, the car wouldn't necessarily have to "see" the actual traffic light. Instead, it could rely on a separate signal from the smart traffic light to know it has to stop or go. Going a step further, the technology could be used to manage traffic so precisely that traffic signals are no longer needed, as some other groups have investigated. And, of course, the aforementioned benefits in navigation technology would help autonomous vehicles make smarter route decisions as well. The feature is currently only available on Audi Q7, A4 and A4 allroads built after June 1, 2016. It's also only available as part of Audi connect PRIME, a subscription-based service that provides various infotainment and streaming features for your Audi. While D.C.

Audi and FAW to launch A6 E-Tron in China

Audi and its Chinese joint-venture partner FAW have announced that they'll be building a production version of the Audi A6 E-Tron Concept, shown at the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. Based on the China-only long-wheelbase A6, the plug-in-hybrid model is being targeted specifically at the People's Republic.
Audi is promising a 50-kilometer (31-mile) electric range for the fuel-sipping sedan, although there are precious few details beyond that. We do know, though, that this will be a Chinese-built vehicle, with assembly slated for the FAW-Volkswagen joint-venture factory in Changchun. We presume we'll find out more when the Beijing Motor Show kicks off a few weeks from today.
"We are the market leader in China's premium segment and will continue systematically with the application of efficiency technologies. Audi is thus supporting the Chinese government's targets for the reduction of fuel consumption," said Dr. Dietmar Voggenreiter, the president of Audi China.