2013 Audi A4 2.0t Quattro, Only 8,841 Miles, Premium Plus, Navigation, Warranty on 2040-cars

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Audi to blitz 1.5M sales goal two years ahead of schedule

Audi doesn't seem to be having any trouble of hitting its relatively audacious sales goal of two million units by 2020 - it's already on pace to eclipse 1.5 million sales two years ahead of schedule. According to Reuters, the Volkswagen-owned brand rode a wave of sales in China and the US to pace the early goal, with 780,500 deliveries at the halfway point of 2013. Particularly hot models include the Q5 crossover seen above and A4 sedan. Unless things go poorly in the second half of the year, 1.5 million sales shouldn't be an issue.
That leaves it trailing BMW by just 24,000 units for the global luxury sales crown. If sales trends keep up, Audi will succeed in hitting its goal of two million units and besting its cross-country rival in Munich. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler smells blood, telling German newspaper Handelsblatt, ''We have overtaken Mercedes-Benz and we are now closer to BMW than ever before."

2016 Audi S6 and S7 First Drive

Audi paired the S6 and S7 for the purposes of this test in Southern California, but these are rather disparate cars. A three-box sedan, even a sporty one like this S6, is for a specific kind of customer. A sleek, four-door hatchback like the S7, on the other hand, is for a different kind of person. These two people might not be as different as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but at the very least the S7 is the S6's lothario neighbor – the one who's always got a glass of scotch in one hand and a chambermaid in the other. A day spent in the canyons around Los Angeles proves there's a big difference between these cars. First, though, let's discuss their similarities. The S6 and the S7 get the same design overhaul we detailed in our piece on the 2016 Audi A6, namely the edge work done on the grille, bumpers, headlights, and taillights. Additionally, they get Audi's new MMI system – the brand's next step in infotainment. A day spent in the canyons proves there's a big difference between these cars. Changes exclusive to these S models include flat-bottomed steering wheels with model badges at the base of the center spoke, and aluminum-finish shift paddles. The pedals and footrest get the aluminum look as well. There's also a new shift lever, and a revised design for the Quattro badge. New seat and surface treatments join the options list, such as Beaufort Walnut inlays and Valcona leather seats in Cedar Brown. The S7 has a new Arras Red interior option as part of its design selection palette, but the striking addition there is the carbon fiber inlay it comes with, which is interwoven with a red thread. You lean in really, really close and see that scarlet yarn, and the cockpit immediately feels more special. It's the kind of beautiful subtlety you expect from Audi, and the result is a scrumptious cabin. The twin-turbo, 4.0-liter V8 gets 30 more horses, topping out at 450 horsepower. Torque remains the same at 406-pound-feet, but fuel economy increases ever so slightly to 18 miles per gallon in the city, 27 mpg highway, and 21 mpg combined. The S6 makes a meal of curves, but it does give away a hint of the effort. It seems that a fair number of buyers wanted S vehicles without the whole suite of go-fast bits; they liked having the "S" on their chests, they didn't need all of the superpowers. Thus, Audi took the Quattro sport differential and dynamic steering off the standard menu, and bundled it with the sport exhaust to create the now-optional Sport Package.

The one where we give you real car-buying advice | Autoblog Podcast #495

On this episode, Mike Austin and David Gluckman dive into some useful advice for people searching for a good used car, something David has been dealing with lately. They also talk about what they've been driving lately (Mike took a road trip in our long-term Fiat) and answer some Spend My Money requests from listeners looking for advice. And we have listener questions and comments to discuss, so thanks for sending those in. The rundown is below. Remember, if you have a car-related question you'd like us to answer or you want buying advice of your very own, send a message or a voice memo to podcast at autoblog dot com. (If you record audio of a question with your phone and get it to us, you could hear your very own voice on the podcast. Neat, right?) And please send trivia questions! You'll get the honor of stumping your fellow listeners, and we'll thank you too. Autoblog Podcast #495 The video meant to be presented here is no longer available. Sorry for the inconvenience. Topics and stories we mention 2017 Audi A6 Our long-term 2016 Fiat 500X 2017 BMW 330i Used cars Rundown Intro - 00:00 What we're driving - 01:09 Listener mail - 12:49 Buying advice - 20:20 Spend My Money - 29:38 Total Duration: 57:23 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 Feedback Email – Podcast at Autoblog dot com Review the show on iTunes