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The skinny on Delphi's autonomous road trip across the United States [w/videos]

Rolling out of an S-shaped curve along Interstate 95, just past Philadelphia International Airport, the final obstacle between the autonomous car and its place in history appeared on the horizon. So far, the ordinary-looking SUV had traversed the United States without incident. It had gone through tunnels and under overpasses. It circled roundabouts and stopped for traffic lights. Now, on the last day of a scheduled nine-day journey, it was poised to become the first autonomous car ever to complete a coast-to-coast road trip. First, it needed to contend with the Girard Point Bridge. Riding in a rear seat, "I saw that bridge coming, and I thought, 'Oh my gosh, this is going to be a grab-the-wheel moment," said Kathy Winter, vice president of software at Delphi Automotive. The car, an unassuming Audi SQ5 nicknamed Roadrunner, had been well-tested. Back in January, a few inebriated pedestrians fell flat in front of the car during a demonstration in Las Vegas. It was the quintessential worst-case scenario, and the car admirably hit the brakes. More than drunken louts, bridges present a sophisticated challenge for the six radar sensors that feed data to the car's internal processors. Instead of sensing solid objects, radar sensors can read the alternating bursts of steel beams and empty space as conflicting information. "They're a radar engineer's worst nightmare," said Jeff Owens, Delphi's chief technology officer. Girard Point Bridge, a blue skeleton of girded steel that spans the Schuylkill River, might be a bigger challenge than most. Traveling across the lower level of its double decks, the autonomous car's radar sensors had to discern between two full sets of trusses. Cross the Schuylkill, and Delphi's engineers felt confident they'd reach their destination: the New York Auto Show. For now, the sternest test of the trip lay directly in front of them. A Data-Mining Adventure Until that point, the toughest part of the journey had been finding an open gas station in El Paso, TX. Trust in the technology had already been established. The main reason Delphi set out on the cross-country venture with a team of six certified drivers and two support vehicles was to capture reams of data. What better way to do that than dusting off the classic American road trip and dragging it into the 21st century? They did exactly that, capturing three terabytes worth of data across 3,400 miles and 15 states.

Power for the people who need crossovers | 2018 Audi SQ5 First Drive

The 2018 Audi SQ5 is pretty simple. It's the sporty version of the redesigned Q5. It's for the enthusiast. The buyers skew male, and Audi pitches it as the solution for when an S4 doesn't meet your needs. It's a 354-horsepower purple pill for the Dad who's resigned himself to driving a crossover — but still wants to have some fun. The SQ5 is simple, but it's also very important. The Q5 is Audi's best-seller, and a sportier sibling makes the entire family look good. The midsize crossover segment is big business, and the performance industry is hot. Archrivals Mercedes, BMW, and Porsche have formidable entries. A few years ago a hotted-up crossover was a nice thing for an automaker to develop – a bonus addition to the lineup. Now it's essential. The SQ5 definitely feels like the right vehicle at the right time. Cruising around Vancouver Island outside Victoria, the stately capital city of British Columbia, we're having heck of a good time. The crossover, based on a platform shared with the larger Q7, feels nimble and eager. Breaking free from early morning traffic, we find the Trans-Canada Highway, cue up Dynamic mode, and take off. Dynamic mode adds heft to the steering, lowers the vehicle 0.6 inches from Auto mode, and deepens the exhaust note. It's low, growly, and sounds surprisingly good. The 3.0-liter TFSI engine has plenty of punch. You know it from the S4 and S5. Like those cars, the SQ5 now ditches the supercharger for turbo power. It was a mildly controversial move as the blown motors in the S4 and S5 gave those cars true muscle-car character. We've made our peace, and turbos just seem like the natural move for the SQ5. Audi is quick to point out the wide torque curve – you get 369 pound-feet sooner than with the supercharger, and output is 23 more pound-feet than before. The horsepower remains the same, though it maxes out slightly sooner in the band. Audi says the turbo, mounted in the middle of the engine's V, makes the SQ5 more responsive, and with all of the low-end torque, we agree. It certainly feels capable as we open it up, finding gaps in traffic, side-stepping tree haulers and deftly out-maneuvering slow-moving motorists. We find a rhythm on the Pacific Rim Highway, smoothly tackling the curves, pulling the paddles for quick downshifts from the eight-speed automatic Tiptronic transmission, and aggressively accelerating before giving way to common sense. It's a beautiful drive.

Audi kicks off A3 celebrity-fest marketing campaign with Dues

Audi is desperate to appeal to young people with its new 2015 A3 sedan. It's planning launch parties around the country to present the new model to these younger buyers, and its latest tactic is a series of videos starring celebrities the company considers trailblazers to further captivate youthful buyers.
The advertising campaign starts with a spot titled Dues starring comedian Ricky Gervais, chef David Chang, photo journalist Lynsey Addario, comedian Kristen Schaal, boxer Claressa Shields, artist collective Cyrcle, and church choir Voices of Destiny. It's being followed up with seven, minute-long online documentaries called Uncompromised Portraits about the folks featured in the new ad. Audi believes that they are all trailblazers who have forged their own way, and it's all supposed to fit with the A3's slogan of "Stay Uncompromised."
Dues will play during the NCAA March Madness tournament. Audi is also running two, 30-second commercials during the games to highlight the sedan's technology and two, 15-second ads to promote its Quattro all-wheel-drive system.