2007 Audi A4 Quattro Base Sedan 4-door 3.2l V-6 on 2040-cars

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Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept is a wild surprise ahead of Frankfurt

Volkswagen Group Night ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show always has some surprises, the first of which this year is the Audi Nanuk Quattro Concept. The all-wheel-drive, turbo-diesel-powered supercar is similar to the Giugiaro Parcour Concept that was unveiled earlier this summer. In fact, the Parcour's creator, Italdesign Giugiaro, penned the Nanuk, and we suspect much of the former found its way into the latter - with some changes, of course.
The diesel engine, a departure from the Parcour, is a twin-turbocharged 5.0-liter V10 TDI unit that develops 544 horsepower and a hole-digging 738 pound-feet of torque, which make the 4,189-pound all-road vehicle able to dispatch 0-62 miles per hour in 3.8 seconds and go on to a 190-mph top speed. Fuel consumption is a relatively low 30 miles per gallon for a car with this much performance.
The Nanuk showcases Audi's Quattro, though it uses a specially designed version of the all-wheel-drive system to get the job done. Audi's next generation of adaptive air suspension is featured as well, which fits the crossover nature of the Nanuk. Drivers are given a range of 2.76 inches of height adjustment, though Audi doesn't mention the car's minimum or maximum ground clearance.

Recharge Wrap-up: Audi A4 TDI in US, Local Motors' 3D EV sales

Local Motors plans to begin selling its 3D-printed electric cars in 2016. The Arizona-based startup will begin by selling a neighborhood electric vehicle, called the Reload Redacted, in the first quarter of 2016, with a full-speed version to follow. The design for the car, submitted by Kevin Lo, was chosen by a panel from a pool of entries. The company plans to set up microfactories to build the cars at a fraction of the cost of setting up a traditional automotive manufacturing facility. Now, Local Motors is looking at ways to quicken the 3D-printing process, a task that currently takes days for a single vehicle. Read more at NBC News, or in a blog post from Local Motors. Audi will bring a diesel variant of the A4 to the US for the first time as a 2017 model. The new A4 is slated to go on sale in March of 2016. In addition to the gasoline-powered 2.0-liter TFSI motor, the A4 will be available with a 2.0-liter turbocharged diesel motor, providing 190 horsepower and 236 pound-feet of torque, mated to a seven-speed S Tronic dual-clutch transmission. Audi has not yet release fuel economy figures or pricing. Read more at Hybrid Cars. A company called EV Charging USA has announced its entrance into the marketplace. After a research phase, EV Charging has launched a services division to provide consulting services to the electric vehicle industry, particularly to charging networks looking to expand into new markets. EV Charging says it helps companies evaluate existing charging locations and make decisions about new locations, equipment and installation vendors. With charging industry revenues expected to grow to $2.9 billion by 2030, EV Charging USA sees potential for its services worldwide. Read more in the press release below. EV Charging USA Inc. Enters National & International Sector CHICAGO, July 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- EV Charging (OTCQB: EVUS) today announced its entrance into the EV Charging marketplace. The company after extensive research has elected to launch an EV charging support related services division. The company reviewed a multitude of research and announcements by some of the top automobile producers and researchers in the world, such as BMW, Chevrolet, Tesla, Nissan, Ford and other major automobile manufacturers.

Which will Dieselgate hurt more, Volkswagen or US diesels?

The most damning response to the news Volkswagen skirted emissions regulations for its diesel models may have actually come from the Los Angeles Times. On Saturday, the Times published an editorial titled "Did Volkswagen cheat?" The answer was undoubtedly yes. When you can't drive down Santa Monica Boulevard without seeing an average of one VW TDI per block, the following words are pretty striking: "... Americans should be outraged at the company's cynical and deliberate efforts to violate one of this country's most important environmental laws." VW has successfully cultivated a strong, environmentally conscious reputation for its TDI Clean Diesel technology, especially in states where emissions are strictly controlled. A statement like that is like blood all over the opinion section of the Sunday paper. The effect on VW's business, even Germany's financial health, was already felt Monday when the company's shares plummeted 23 percent in morning trading. The statement on Sunday from VW CEO Dr. Martin Winterkorn says "trust" three times. That probably wasn't enough in nine sentences. Writers over the weekend have compared VW's crisis to one at General Motors 30 years ago, when it was the largest seller of diesel-powered passenger cars until warranty claims over an inadequate design and ill-informed technicians effectively pulled the plug on the technology at GM. In a sense, VW is in the same boat as GM because it has fired a huge blow into its own reputation and that of diesels in passenger cars. And just as automakers like Jaguar Land Rover, BMW and, ironically, GM, were getting comfortable with it again in the US. VW of America was already knee-deep in its other problems this year. Its core Jetta and Passat models are aging and it needs to wait more than a year for competitive SUVs that American buyers want. The TDIs were the only continuous bright spot in the line and on the sales charts. Even as fuel prices fell and buyers shunned hybrids, VW managed to succeed with diesels and show that Americans actually care about and accept the technology again. Fervent TDI supporters might actually lobby for that maximum $18 billion fine to VW. I've personally convinced a number of people to look at a TDI instead of a hybrid. Perhaps not so much for stop-and-go traffic, but I know buyers who liked the idea that a TDI drove like a normal car and wasn't packed with batteries.