2007 Audi A6 A6 Quattro on 2040-cars

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Driving the Audi E-Tron and training like an F1 driver | Autoblog Podcast #597

In this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor, Green, John Beltz Snyder and Senior Producer Chris McGraw. First, they talk about what they love and don't love about living with the Polestar-tuned Volvo XC90 T6. Then, they talk about how much they've enjoyed driving the all-electric Audi E-Tron. McGraw lets us know what it's like to eat and train like a Formula One driver for a month, and then we tell him which Toyota or Lexus SUV he should buy. Autoblog Podcast #597 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2020 Volvo XC90 T6 AWD R-Design 2019 Audi E-Tron Training like an Formula One driver Spend McGraw's Money Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video:      

Recharge Wrap-up: Audi 'Plugging In' video, Citroen e-Mehari rumors

Audi is sponsoring the Newport Folk Festival with its "Plugging In" campaign. In celebration of the event, a video shows the history of the festival, and how plugging in the electric guitar changed music, similar to the way plugging in an electric vehicle changes the way we think about transportation. The video is focuses entirely on music, but at the end, we get the (ahem) plug from Audi: "Audi A3 Sportback e-tron — Plugging In Across America." Watch it above. The first image from Tesla's Firmware 7.0 update has made its way online. The photo shows what appears to be Tesla's new Autopilot feature. The view of the display also suggests that beta testing is happening on main roads between San Francisco and Tesla's home in the tech hub of Silicon Valley. See the photo and read more at Teslarati. The IRS has published a notice regarding its tax code overseeing the treatment of biodiesel credits. It says that, among other things, claimants must reduce their income tax deduction by the amount of the credits given for alternative fuel used or sold during a given quarter in 2014. Biodiesel producers and blenders were eligible for a tax credit of $1.00 per gallon. Read the notice from the IRS, or learn more from Biofuels Digest. Rumors suggest that Citroen will unveil a concept EV based on the C4 Cactus and classic Mehari at the Frankfurt Motor Show. L'Automobile Magazine is reporting that the French automaker has registered the name "e-Mehari," leading to speculation — and even a goofy rendering — from L'Automobile. There has been no official acknowledgement of the e-Mehari from Citroen, so let's not get too excited yet (especially you, Mr. Ewing). Read more from Technologic Vehicles, or in the (Google-translated) post from L'Automobile Magazine. Related Gallery 2015 Citroen C4 Cactus View 32 Photos News Source: YouTube: Newport Folk Festival, Teslarati, Biofuels Digest, IRS, Technologic Vehicles, L'Automobile Magazine Government/Legal Green Marketing/Advertising Rumormill Audi Tesla Citroen Alternative Fuels Biodiesel Concept Cars Electric Videos recharge wrapup

VW could fight Uber Black with Porsche and Audi vehicles

Last week, the Volkswagen group dumped $300 million into Gett, a taxi hailing-cum-ride sharing app that's big outside of the US. Now, the company has revealed that it's pondering a rival to Uber Black by offering private drivers access to its higher-end vehicles. Details are scarce since it's a single line reference in a very long press release, but VW says that it's looking at a "special chauffeur service" that features "premium brands, such as Audi and Porsche." What that looks like in reality is anyone's guess, although the idea of getting ferried around in an Audi RS 7 does have some appeal. The deal with Gett will concentrate on getting Volkswagen cars into the hands of Gett's drivers with the promise of juicy discounts. For instance, the firm will offer a special package that'll bundle car insurance and servicing with the purchase price, which can be paid by a would-be operator in installments. It's a similar deal to the one that Uber offers would-be drivers, letting them buy cars from manufacturers like Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota at a discount. Uber, however, also lets prospective cabbies rent their vehicle on a monthly basis, thanks to a deal with Enterprise. Both of which will likely become more muscular now that Uber has a further $3.5 billion in its back pocket. The troubling fact for the auto industry is that people will still need cars, but it's likely that they won't need as many as they do right now. On-demand services and self-driving vehicles are, after all, intended to shuttle around cities like an ersatz taxi-cum-metro system rather than sitting in parking lots. The concepts of ownership that we currently hold dear (and the profits that car companies get from them) are likely to fade away in the next, say, fifty years time. As such, conglomerates like VW will have to reinvent themselves as both manufacturer and transport company in one. But these changes are never easy, especially when the biggest car firms have tons of baggage that slows down their progress. Many are still devoting time and resources to producing thousands of new cars with combustion engines that will be on the roads for years to come. Looming in the shadow, however, is the emissions scandal, with the financial and reputational penalties likely to be felt for years to come. Younger, more nimble rivals without legacy businesses, like Tesla, are working on mass-producing electric cars for mass-market prices.