2011 11 Audi S5 Premium Plus Navigation Heated Cooled Seats Bang Olufsen Camera on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi Sport plots ambitious growth for RS lineup

Audi Sport is set to double its range of high-performance, RS-badged vehicles, reports Autocar. In an interview, Stephan Winkelmann, head of Audi Sport, revealed plans to add eight RS models to its lineup by early 2018. Winkelmann didn't reveal which vehicles would get the RS treatment, but said that "it is better to under-promise and over-deliver." Audi has several RS-badged cars, including the RS7, RS6 Avant, TT RS (both in its hard-top and soft-top variant), RS Q3, and RS3 (some of which are sold in the US). Autocar believes that the A1, A4, and Q5, along with the R8 are next in line to get the RS treatment in some markets. With Mercedes-AMG selling more vehicles, 80,000 units over the past few years, according to Autocar, it makes sense for Audi Sport to follow closely behind with a similar idea. While Mercedes is placing the AMG badge on its vehicles to bridge the gap between its high-performance and lower end models, Audi Sport says it's taking a different tactic. "We are not going to do what they do," Winkelmann said. Even without the extra vehicles, Audi RS sales could top 20,000 units this year, reports Autocar, with Winkelmann stating that the brand would experience "double-digit growth this year." Hopefully, Audi Sport's decision to add more RS models will result in some of those high-performance cars coming to the US. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2018 Audi RS3 Sedan: Paris 2016 View 15 Photos News Source: AutocarImage Credit: Live photos copyright 2016 Drew Phillips / Autoblog Audi Convertible Coupe Wagon Performance Sedan

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.

Startup will make your Audi A4 self-driving for $10k [w/video]

We are on the cusp of the next generation of semi-autonomous driving technology becoming affordable. Adaptive cruise control is already trickling down to the mass market, and the more sophisticated systems found on vehicles like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class are clearly coming, as well. If you're a little adventurous, live in California and drive an Audi, you might be able to upgrade to the next stage of driverless tech even sooner. A San Francisco start-up called Cruise Automation is launching an aftermarket autopilot system called the RP1 for $10,000, with deliveries starting in 2015.
The RP1 is designed for 2012 and newer Audi A4 and S4 models. Although, Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt told Autoblog in an email: "There's no reason we can't expand to other cars, and we will." The system includes a sensor pod on the roof containing cameras, radar and other sensors to scan the road ahead. It then sends data to a small computer mounted on the side of the trunk. The desired inputs are then made by actuators for the steering, brakes and throttle to control the car. A button in the cabin activates the autopilot and controls the desired speed. Not completely unlike Audi's own, developmental, semiautonomous system.
At this point, the RP1 is somewhere between an adaptive cruise control system and an autonomous vehicle. It can control all of the cars inputs and even bring it down to a complete stop and then accelerate again. However, it only works on select highways in California. "We use geofencing to limit the areas of operation to segments of highway in which we've collected enough data to ensure our customers' safety," said Vogt to Autoblog.