2014 Audi A4 2.0t Premium Quattro on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Recharge Wrap-up: Electric Bayliner conversion, China considers EV mandates

An electric mobility enthusiast converted a Bayliner boat to electric power. Using 10 Tesla modules to build a 32-kWh battery pack, Scott Masterson's 2016 Bayliner 175 now uses an electric motor in place of the original 3.0-liter Mercruiser engine. With a top speed of about 53 mph and a range of about 25 miles, Masterson can enjoy a nice cruise on the water without the accompanying gas fumes. He says the conversion wasn't all that complicated, and it took him about three months of part-time work. Check it out in the video above, and read more at Electrek. Audi's updates to the 2017 A3 include the E-Tron plug-in hybrid. Inside the car, it will likely get Audi's "Virtual Cockpit" instrument display. The MMI infotainment system will be updated, with available Apple Carplay and Android Auto functionality. Slight changes to the headlights, taillights, and grille will make up the bulk of the exterior visual changes. Its powertrain will remain unaltered from the 2016 model, including its 83 MPGe combined rating and 16 miles of all-electric driving range. Read more at Green Car Reports. Hyundai has delivered its first hydrogen-powered car to Quebec. The Centre de Gestion de l'Equipment Roulant (Rolling Stock Management Center), which manages the province's government fleets, took delivery of a 2016 Hyundai Tucson Fuel Cell. It is leased in partnership with the University of Quebec's Hydrogen Research Institute of Trois-Rivieres, where the vehicle will be refueled. Read more from Green Car Congress. China is considering mandates for cleaner cars similar to those imposed by California. Unlike its current subsidy-based incentives, China could potentially require automakers to either produce or import more electric vehicles or purchase carbon credits from automakers that do. A draft of the legislation from the National Development and Reform Commission would fine non-compliant automakers at five times the price of the credits. "Without question, this will be good for the industry and will promote the development of all types of clean-energy vehicles," says China Association of Automobile Manufacturers Deputy Secretary General Ye Shengji. Compliance would be voluntary for smaller automakers. Read more from Automotive News.

2017 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro Second Drive

Never mind the impending bubble burst, it's technology's time and Audi couldn't be happier. The 2017 A4 is the latest attempt to prove beauty and brawn can't beat intelligence outright. And this is the company's best case in 20 years. For two decades, the A4 has been the backbone of Audi's lineup and key in its resurgence in the post-Unintended Acceleration days. This car has managed to build up a successful following by being an alternative to the more popular BMW 3 Series and Mercedes-Benz C-Class while being nearly as good, if not actually better, than the competition. Audi chose to stake a claim in simple clothes covering technology that was more intuitive than some, being different without being difficult. But Audi is as much a part of the establishment as its big rivals now, so it's not getting any alternative breaks anymore. It's the young tech startup that's finally a grownup – and learned to dress like one. While Jonathon Ramsey got to drive this new A4 last fall in Italy, Audi sent me to San Diego last week to drive the US-spec model that goes on sale in a couple of weeks. And, in short, if you liked the old A4, you'll really like this one. If you liked the old A4, you'll really like this one. The fact this model is known internally at Audi as "B9" is a coincidence when you think about its exterior design. The new A4 is certainly attractive, but you'll have to be a huge Audi aficionado to differentiate this over the old car at a glance. And I dare you to find someone who's actually offended by any part of the design. Some creases lower down on the side of the new car help eliminate the bloated look of the outgoing model, without adding too much fuss. Audi still has Acura beat in the "precision" race. Other new details of note are a wider grille and slimmer headlights (xenons are standard, full LEDs optional) that make the front of the A4 look lower than before, and new sequential turn signals out back that are just fun to watch in traffic. Changes are far more noticeable inside. The tall, somewhat slab-sided dash of the old car is gone and replaced by something with a more airy feel that we've seen in the TT and Q7. There's less of a black dash to get in the way of the expansive windshield and generous side glass, all unusual in today's automotive landscape. You're going to enjoy the fact you can see out of the A4.

Audi teases even more of the next TT ahead of Geneva in latest video

Audi is just a few days away from launching the third-generation TT at the 2014 Geneva Motor Show, but the new sports coupe has been so thoroughly teased, sketched, and spied that it almost seems like an anti-climax. Even the interior was thoroughly hinted at during this year's CES. But that's not keeping Audi from slowly revealing more and more parts of its new baby.
The TT is a modern automotive design icon. The first generation looked like nothing else on the road when it debuted, and the second generation added a needed dose of sportiness with the TTS and TT RS. The latest teaser video for Ingolstadt's sporty coupe shows more of its aluminum body than we've ever seen before, but the biggest mystery still lingering about the new TT is what engine Audi is slipping under the hood. Thankfully, the wait to find out will be quite short. Scroll down to get the best glimpse yet of the new coupe.