Audi A8 - S8 Quattro 4 Door Sedan on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Junkyard Gem: 1987 Audi 5000 S

U.S.-market Audi sales climbed steadily in the 1980s, and the third-generation Audi 5000 (known as the Audi 100 outside of the United States) was a big part of that success. Then, in 1986, "60 Minutes" aired the infamous "Out of Control" report about the 5000's alleged propensity to put itself into gear and crash into stuff at full throttle. U.S. Audi sales went into the crapper straight away, and they stayed there for years. Here's one of the '87s that did sell in the aftermath of the unintended acceleration debacle, spotted in a California wrecking yard. The 5000 was big, comfortable, futuristic-looking (sporting flush glass long before most of Audi's competitors), and lent an air of European sophistication to its American drivers. Sure, 5000s broke down frequently, but daily-driving cutting-edge technology comes at a price. Just 82,699 miles, and the interior is in excellent condition. Perhaps this car was driven sparingly and religiously maintained, or maybe something expensive broke 20 years ago and it sat in a garage until now. I am assuming that there was a heart in this sticker, not a skull-and-crossbones or other non-love-related symbol. Audi recalled all the automatic-equipped 5000s extant in the aftermath of the unintended acceleration drama, installing these stickers on the gearshift consoles. Sure, the problem was more likely to have been caused by drivers mixing up the pedals than by mechanical failure (unlike, for example, the all-too-real "park-to-reverse" defect in 23 million vehicles that Ford didn't have to fix, a few years earlier), but Audi's fixes may have saved some lives. Here's an Audi PR film about the issue, released about the time today's Junkyard Gem was rolling off the showroom floor. Audi dumped the 5000 name for the 1989 model year, calling these cars 100s and 200s. There's a lot of interesting automotive history in your local U-Wrench-It yard! Related Video:

BMW reclaims US luxury sales crown from Mercedes

The numbers, they are in: BMW has reclaimed the luxury-sales crown from Mercedes by a margin of 9,347 cars. Mercedes donned the king's headgear in 2013 after a strong final quarter of 2013 when the new CLA and S-Class poured out of dealerships. This year, led by the 3 Series/4 Series and X5, BMW sold 339,738 units – a 9.8-percent increase year-on-year. Mercedes, led by the C-Class and M-Class, saw its sales go up by 5.7 percent to 330,391 units. We'll have to wait a bit to see if there's another registrations-vs-sales challenge as in 2012, when BMW was anointed US luxury ruler. Behind them, a dark horse named Lexus nudged closer to the leading Teutons, selling 311,389 cars. The Japanese luxury automaker also had the biggest gain among the top three, its sales rising by 13.7 percent compared to 2013. Audi had the biggest sales of anyone among the top five, though, with a 15.2-percent gain to 182,011, which moved it a spot ahead of Cadillac; the Wreath-and-Crest brand dropped 6.5 percent to 170,750. Acura (167,843), Infiniti (117,300), and Lincoln (94,474) took the final positions. Speaking of Lincoln, sales at the once-mighty luxury marque stand as the mightiest jump of any on this list, up 15.6 percent. That's the power of Matthew McConaughey... and better cars and a new crossover, sure. So now that we're back to Round One of 2015, in case no one else has said it yet: "Ok, fight!"

We drive the 2025 Porsche 911 T-Hybrid, updated Miata and Lamborghini Urus | Autoblog Podcast #841

In this episode of the Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Road Test Editor Zac Palmer. This week, they discuss driving the 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid and the base 911 Carrera. Once they wrap up the Porsche section, the two chat about their driving experiences in the updated 2024 MX-5, refreshed Lamborghini Urus S and the Mercedes EQE 350+ SUV. After the reviews, it's time for some current events, as the two dig into the Goodwood Festival of Speed highlights, news of a redesigned Hyundai Palisade, an upcoming electric three-row Hyundai SUV and Audi's new A5 and S5 models. Send us your questions for the Mailbag and Spend My Money at: Podcast@Autoblog.com. Autoblog Podcast #841 Get The Podcast Apple Podcasts – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes Spotify – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast on Spotify RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown Cars we're driving 2025 Porsche 911 GTS T-Hybrid 2025 Porsche 911 Carrera 2024 Mazda MX-5 Miata 2024 Lamborghini Urus S 2024 Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ SUV News Goodwood Festival of Speed recap Hyundai Palisade spy shots Three-row electric Hyundai SUV 2025 Audi A5 and S5 revealed Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on Apple Podcasts Autoblog is now live on your smart speakers and voice assistants with the audio Autoblog Daily Digest. Say “Hey Google, play the news from Autoblog” or "Alexa, open Autoblog" to get your favorite car website in audio form every day. A narrator will take you through the biggest stories or break down one of our comprehensive test drives. Related Video:  2025 Porsche 911 GTS gets new T-Hybrid: Sneak peek at the 992.2   This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.