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Honda China struggling with high-end Accord because Chinese covet German cars, too

It's not particularly unusual to see cheap cars in China, or those with designs stolen from foreign competitors, but increasingly the best-selling vehicles there would be very recognizable to just about any auto enthusiast. There appears to be one fact of life whether looking at car buyers in Sacramento, Stuttgart or Shanghai: People who can afford to buy premium cars often look first at the Germans.
Honda recently thought that it could challenge this perceived wisdom by including a premium Accord in the ninth-generation sedan's Chinese launch last year. The market-exclusive version was priced against the Audi A4. The venture failed, miserably.
According to Automotive News China, sales for the new Accord in China are down 37 percent through May of this year. Honda's overall sales are actually up by about 11 percent there on the strength of smaller, less profitable models. However, the company is still off its forecast 19-percent rise.

ABT Sportsline coming to US, premiering AS6 at SEMA

ABT Sportsline, known as ABT Tuning from its founding in 1967 until 1991, is a German aftermarket parts and tuning company that has focused on enhancing Volkswagens and Audis since the VW GTI bowed in 1978 (in Europe, at least) and races competitively in DTM (Germany's touring car racing series). The company has kept its roots in Europe for all of these years, but will debut the AS6, based on the Audi A6, at the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) in a couple weeks before opening up shop in Los Angeles in early 2014.
ABT focused on making the AS6 a balanced package by increasing engine output, tuning the suspension, giving it understated style and improving the brakes. Details are light, but the AS6's 3.0-liter diesel V6 makes 286 horsepower, a 41-hp increase over stock. Not paying attention yet? Torque jumps from 369 pound-feet to 500 lb-ft, endowing the Audi with a lot of much-appreciated low-rpm grunt. The springs are swapped out for a set of ABT units, and the body kit adds front and rear spoilers, side and rear skirts and carbon-fiber mirror covers. ABT's ER-C 20-inch wheels fit over new brakes.
We'll have more details on the car at SEMA, so stay tuned. But in the meantime, head on below to read the press release.

CO2-neutral* Audi A3 G-Tron goes on sale in Germany

The Audi A3 Sportback G-Tron has been on our natural gas-powered radar since it was unveiled at last year's Geneva Motor Show. Just before the big show starts up again this year, Audi put the new G-Tron vehicle on sale in Germany today, starting at 25,900 euros ($35,400 US). Anyone who opts for the Audi e-gas fuel card will be able to cruise the Autobahn knowing that their emissions will be CO2-neutral. That's because Audi has built an e-gas plant in Werlte in Lower Saxony, Germany that creates a synthetic methane that is compatible with natural gas from a process that uses "green electricity" to "[bind] as much CO2 as is released when the Audi A3 g-tron is driven in gas mode." Your own A3 G-Tron doesn't burn the carbon-neutral fuel directly, but the automaker will track how much is spent using the fuel card and make sure "that exactly this amount of Audi e-gas is fed into the German natural gas network." Audi charges 14.95 euros a month to use the card. Burning that e-gas in the A3's 1.4-liter TFSI engine can put out 110 horsepower (you can also burn regular natural gas or gasoline) and offers fuel economy of between 3.2 and 3.3 kilograms of gas per 100 kilometers on natural gas Audi A3 g-tron: Advance sales get the green light Ingolstadt, 2014-02-13 Audi A3 Sportback g-tron available to order from February 13 CO2-neutral mobility with the Audi e-gas fuel card Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg: "Audi e-gas is an important pillar of our sustainability strategy" The Audi A3 g-tron is all set to hit the roads. Advance sales at dealerships in Germany will kick off on February 13. The basic price will be 25,900 euros. Using the Audi e-gas fuel card, customers can opt for Audi e-gas to power their A3 g-tron without impacting the environment if they wish. The Audi A3 g-tron forms part of a new, integrated and sustainable mobility concept from the brand with the four rings. Its 1.4-liter TFSI engine developing 81 kW (110 hp) can be operated using either natural gas, e-gas generated by Audi or gasoline. In pure e-gas mode the g-tron is entirely CO2-neutral. Audi e-gas is a synthetic methane that is produced at the Audi e-gas facility located in Werlte in Lower Saxony, Germany – the world's first industrial power-to-gas plant. An A3 Sportback g-tron fueled by Audi e-gas is currently the most environmentally friendly form of long-distance mobility.