2002 Audi on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi highlights headlights on upcoming new R8

Audi is preparing to roll out an all-new R8... but it's not about to reveal the whole thing at once. So in the first in what promises to be a series of teasers, the German automaker is showing off the new supercar's headlights. (Or headlight, we should say, in the singular.) Not unlike the R8 LMX revealed in Paris, the second-generation Audi supercar will incorporate LED headlights with an optional laser high-beam module. Unfortunately since laser headlights are illegal in the United States, the option isn't likely to be offered here. That is, at least, until Audi succeeds in convincing federal regulators otherwise. Although the teaser image above, like the press release below, may shine the light (so to speak) principally on the headlights, the shrouded shape also gives us a (little) bit to chew on. Yes, it will be available in blue, but beyond that we can expect the new R8 to incorporate slightly more angular lines than the model it replaces, with a more pronounced trapezoidal grille up in an overall design similar to the new TT, only more so. But then we already knew that much and more from the undisguised image that leaked out a little over a week ago. Ingolstadt, 2015-02-16 Audi reveals laser headlights for the new R8 - New mid-engine sports car features high-tech headlights - Laser high-beam offers high light intensity and excellent range Audi is revealing the headlights of its new R8* as the first of a number of technology highlights of the top sports car. The R8 uses LED headlights which can be supplemented by a laser high beam lighting module as an option. The new R8 will set new standards among high-performance sports cars – including in its lighting technology. As an option, the latest car development by Audi can be equipped with a laser spot as the high-beam headlight. The special appeal of laser lighting is that it uses high-intensity laser diodes, which generate a lot of light energy from a very small component. Compared to LED high-beam headlights, laser high-beams attain nearly twice the lighting range. Each headlight contains one laser module that operates with four high-intensity laser diodes. This module bundles the four intense blue-light laser beams. Then a phosphor converter transforms the blue light into pure white light. An identifying characteristic of the laser headlights is their blue light signature. Standard equipment in the new R8 includes an LED headlight system.

Audi is working on a suspension that gets power from bumpy roads

Regenerative brakes aren't new. They're on virtually every hybrid and EV, and they're even starting to pop up on traditional gas-powered cars, like with the i-ELOOP-equipped Mazda6. But even with these systems, cars can get more efficient, and Audi thinks it found yet another source of wasted energy. The source? The suspension. The idea is to turn the kinetic energy that goes into the dampers into usable energy instead of as waste heat. Audi isn't the first auto company to come up with regenerative suspension – nearly three years ago, ZF introduced its GenShock technology, which used a valve attached to traditional, oil-filled hydraulic shocks to recapture kinetic energy from movement caused by bumps in the road. Audi's prototype technology, which it calls eROT, replaces traditional dampers with horizontally oriented electromechanical rotary dampers. eROT is apparently short for electromechanical rotary damper. Neat. In testing, eROT recovered an average of 100 to 150 watts on a typical German road, three watts from a fresh piece of pavement, and 613 watts on a rough stretch of tarmac (wattage is calculated as power over time, so this is actually the rate at which the system harvests energy). The dampers channel that energy to a tiny, 0.5-kWh, 48-volt battery. The prototype is claimed to cut CO2 emissions by three grams per kilometer (4.8 grams per mile), while the company believes a future production version could save up to 0.7 liters of fuel per 100 kilometers of driving. Converting the savings to American miles per gallon isn't easy, so we'll use a practical example. In the US, the Q7's supercharged 3.0-liter V6 returns a combined rating of 21 miles per gallon, which works out to 11.2 liters per 100 kilometers. Apply eROT's 0.7L/100km savings, and the Q7's economy would improve to 10.5L/100km, or 22.4 mpg, a 1.4-mpg improvement. That's not huge, but because math, 0.7L/100km is more dramatic on a more fuel efficient vehicle – taking an A3's 27-mpg combined rating and adding eROT would drive efficiency up 2.4 mpg, for example. There are a few other big benefits beyond fuel and emissions savings – Audi claims eROT provides a more comfortable ride than traditional active suspensions, because engineers can tune the compression and rebound strokes independently of each other. Beyond that, the horizontally oriented rear suspension geometry means more cargo space, since the dampers don't poke up into the cabin like they normally do.

2016 Audi TT price increased to $42,900*

Audi has announced pricing for the new third-generation TT and second-generation TTS, and both models have received a moderate bump. Simply getting into the family will demand $42,900, or $2,550 than the current coupe. If you fancy a topless TT, the price has jumped from $43,350 to $46,400, or $3,050 more than the last one. The performance-oriented TTS and its 292-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter, though, is easily the bargain of the range. At $51,900, it's $3,200 more than the current model. But where the normal TT only gets a nine-horsepower increase and stays even on torque output, the TTS has gone from just 265 hp to 292 ponies. Torque is up as well, from 258 pound-feet (the same as the normal model) to 280-lb-ft. Prices for the TTS Roadster, meanwhile, have not been announced. That said, considering the increases through the rest of the range, we'd expect the high-performance two-seater to come in at or around the $55,000 range. Considering our impressions during our first drive of the standard TT and the performance increase for the TTS, we must say, these price hikes don't seem exorbitant. Scroll down for the official pricing announcement from Audi. AUDI ANNOUNCES PRICING FOR THE ALL-NEW TT MODEL LINE The quintessential design icon boasts a new driver-focused interior and true sports-car performance TT sets standards for in-vehicle technology with the Audi virtual cockpit - a fully digital instrument cluster Virtual cockpit powered by first automotive NVIDIA® Tegra® 30 processor integration May 06, 2015 | HERNDON, Virginia -- Audi today announced pricing for the all-new 2016 Audi TT model line. The iconic vehicle boasts an exciting new design characterized by the use of innovative technologies and driver-focused performance. Design and Body The third generation TT pays tribute to its past where the model took the design world by storm, with a modern take on the bold original, with short overhangs, broad wheel arches and a lean a muscular stance. Standard full LED headlamps exude modern sports car appeal, with a broader and flatter Singleframe® grille, sharp contours across the hood, electric rear spoiler and new centrally mounted round exhaust tailpipes are an incorporated design cue from the iconic first generation model . The all-new TT front end and floor assembly are made of high-strength and ultra-high-strength steel components, while the superstructure comprises aluminum castings, extruded sections and panels.