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The new Audi A8 moves upmarket and gains artificial intelligence

Audi is moving its largest sedan further up the luxury scale with the latest version of the A8. As Audi's flagship, the A8 naturally gets the best and newest technologies that the brand has to offer, including a range of mild-hybrid powertrains, a 48-volt electrical system, standard Quattro all-wheel drive, a lavish lounge-inspired interior, and automated driving systems. Two wheelbase lengths will be offered, the A8L getting a 5.1-inch stretch over the standard A8. The A8 also sets the style direction that the rest of Audi's lineup will emulate. While some of Audi's competitors will likely take umbrage at the claim that the A8 is "the first production automobile in the world to have been developed for highly automated driving," there are some new technologies for self-driving employed by Audi's flagship. At speeds of up to 37.3 miles per hour, the Audi AI traffic jam pilot takes control of starting, accelerating, steering and braking duties, allowing the driver to perform other tasks not related to driving... like watching the on-board TV, says Audi. Audi AI technology brings artificial intelligence to the A8. The AI system will presumably learn the driver's habits, likes, dislikes, and regular routes, and will make recommendations based on all that data. The Audi AI remote parking pilot and the Audi AI remote garage pilot perform exactly what you think based on their names, and the driver doesn't have to be in the car to make them work using a smartphone app. The 48-volt electrical system also exerts control over the A8's suspension. Not only can the system raise and lower each of the car's four wheels independently, it can position the A8 in a way to improve safety in an accident. Four-wheel steering with a variable ratio up front should make the big sedan stable at high speed and maneuverable at low speeds. Five engines will eventually be available in Audi's home market of Germany, and we'd assume some of those will come Stateside as well. Two 3.0-liter V6 engines – one gas and one diesel – will be optional at production time. The gas version puts out 340 horsepower. A gasoline-fed V8 will follow shortly thereafter with 460 horsepower, and a range-topping W12 will eventually be available with 585 horses. A belt alternator starter system is standard across the line. Later, an A8 L e-tron Quattro plug-in hybrid will hit the road with 449 total horsepower, 31.1 miles of electric range and a cool inductive wireless charging system.

Audi imagines a world where mechanics are zombies

Warewolves, vampires, lab-created monsters... they've all come and gone from the silver screen, but the latest trend in apocalyptic popular media centers around zombies. And that's the theme Audi has tapped for its latest ad. The television commercial is called "Mechanics," and as you may have guessed by now, they're the zombies the German automaker is depicting. The spot was created to encourage Audi owners (like the one in this A5) to have their vehicles serviced at authorized dealers rather than taking them to independent garages that may not be after your brains, but might like a crack at your pocket book, at least (as if dealerships aren't). The commercial was created for Audi by Thjnk Berlin GmbH and directed by Sebastian Strasser for RadicalMedia, and is worth a watch for the laugh alone. Related Video:

Essentially sporty | 2017 Audi A4 Quattro Quick Spin

Two boxes checked on the options list set our long-term Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Prestige apart, dynamically, from the rest. One is the Sport Package, and namely the sport suspension with its lowered ride height. The other is the 19-inch wheel package, which includes 245/35 summer tires. The A4's sport suspension is taut without being rough. The car feels as though it's gliding over the road, but some of the chop makes its way into the cabin. It mostly isn't bothersome, but you can feel – and especially hear – any larger imperfections you happen to hit with one the tires. Our car's 19-inch wheels, with their low sidewalls, amplified the potholes, too. Largely, though, it's comfortable and supremely smooth if the road's not all torn to heck. The sport suspension does an excellent job of eliminating squat and dive, and side-to-side body roll, which aids comfort. That ride makes for really smooth sailing in your daily driving duties, especially since the rest of the car feels so civil. The transmission works smoothly and seamlessly in the background in automatic mode. We do notice some of the gear changes if only because we're tuned into how impressively smooth and quick they are. On its own, the transmission tends to shift low in the rev range so you don't get a lot of engine noise with normal driving. We know that there's some athleticism hiding under this car's preppy facade when we look down at the speedometer and realize we're going quite a bit faster than it feels. It's so well composed, though, that we'd be perfectly okay with putting our grandmother in the passenger seat without feeling like we were going to freak her out if we were to happen to exceed the posted speed limit. But after dropping Grandma off, it's time to put the car into Dynamic mode (tightening up steering and ramping up the throttle behavior) and switch the gear lever from D to S. Using the paddle shifters on the Our personality and that of the car changed, becoming more aggressive. back of the steering wheel, the A4 transforms into a truly engaging driving machine. It shifts very quickly, and the sound of the engine becomes more noticeable in part because you can rev it higher, but also because you're more tuned into it. Upshifts and downshifts happen in an instant, to help make full use of engine's sweet spots.