2006 Audi A6 Avant on 2040-cars

Auto blog

VW and partner SAIC start building $2.5B Audi plant in China

BEIJING — Volkswagen AG's China joint venture with SAIC Motor Corp has started building a $2.5 billion new energy vehicle (NEV) plant in Shanghai, which will make VW's luxury Audi brand cars, a possible first for the venture. The new plant is a key step for Audi to diversify production of its cars in the world's largest car market from its long-standing local partner, China FAW Group Corp. This shift has been delayed amid resistance from local dealers. SAIC Volkswagen said the new plant would have an annual capacity to make 300,000 cars and begin production from 2020. Audi sold 481,387 vehicles in China from January to September this year. The announcement comes the same week Tesla secured a Shanghai location for a Gigafactory battery plant to serve the Chinese market. Audi unveiled the plan to bolster ties with SAIC in late 2016. Earlier this year, the Germany luxury carmaker bought a 1 percent stake in the SAIC Volkswagen venture, paving the way for the joint venture to produce and sell Audi cars. Volkswagen currently gets a larger proportion of the proceeds from the 50-50 tie-up with SAIC than from its 40 percent stake in the venture with FAW. SAIC Volkswagen said in a statement on Friday the plant would cost 17 billion yuan ($2.5 billion) and would make VW and Skoda models as well as Audi cars. It will help VW tap China's fast-growing market for NEVs, a category comprising electric battery cars and plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. ($1 = 6.9314 Chinese yuan renminbi) Reporting by Yilei Sun and Adam JourdanRelated Video: Image Credit: Reuters Green Plants/Manufacturing Audi Volkswagen Skoda Electric Hybrid

2017 Audi R8 starts at $164,150 [w/video]

The new 2017 Audi R8, which offers 540-horsepower and 398-pound-foot of torque from its V10 engine alongside Quattro all-wheel drive and a seven-speed S-Tronic dual-clutch transmission, will start at $164,150 (including destination). That's about $47,000 more than the previous entry-level R8, but since that car was down two cylinders, 110 horsepower, and 82 pound-feet of torque, it's kind of an apples-and-oranges comparison. There's a much fairer comparison if we look at Audi's newest supercar in relation to the 2015 R8 V10. On the one hand, the loss of the $155,150 manual transmission model kicks the starting price up noticeably, but perhaps in recognition of that, Audi hasn't adjusted the two-pedal R8 V10 at all. It's the same price as the 2015 model while adding 15 more horsepower, seven more pound-feet of torque, and a tenth of a second to the 0-60 time, which is now estimated at 3.5 seconds. Don't worry – the 2017 R8 adds four miles an hour to its predecessor's 195-mph top speed. While under-the-skin changes for the standard R8 V10 may look modest at first glance, the updates Audi added to the V10 Plus are significant, and the automaker has raised the price to reflect that fact. On the one hand, the new range-topper was kicked up by $7,400, to $191,150. On the other hand, power is up by 60 ponies to 610 hp, and torque has jumped from 398 lb-ft to 413. The 0-60 time has been trimmed by a tenth of a second, and owners will also be able to hit 205 mph, up from the old V10 Plus' 198-mph max. To reflect the new pricing announcement, Audi prepped an entertaining video featuring Radio Le Mans announcer John Hindhaugh to "hand the baton" from the original R8 to its second-gen successor. Check out the video below, alongside the official press blast. Audi of America announces pricing for the all-new 2017 R8, the fastest and most powerful Audi production model ever January 20, 2016 | HERNDON, Virginia More powerful and more dynamic than its predecessor, the R8 V10 plus generates 610 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque reaching a top track speed of 205 mph The all-new Audi R8 and R8 LMS racecar were co-developed and share approximately 50 percent of the same parts, including the V10 engine Track-tested around the world, the R8 LMS will make its US racing debut at the ROLEX 24 at Daytona on January 30, 2016 Faster, more efficient, and more capable both on and off the racetrack, the all-new 2017 R8 is the most powerful Audi production model ever.

To solve diesel problem, VW might need two fixes

Volkswagen says that a fix is on the way for its 11 million vehicles around the globe that are equipped with diesel engine software that can evade emissions tests. The problem might be far more complicated than simply creating a single solution for all of them, though. According to Automotive News citing Reuters, two remedies to cover different NOx-reducing systems could be necessary, and both potentially affect performance. Earlier examples of the EA 189 diesel engine used a lean NOx trap to reduce the harmful material coming from the tailpipe. According to experts in the Automotive News report, a software update might allow the engines to achieve compliance, but that could affect fuel economy. VW already tried this route once before the scandal came to light, but tests by the California Air Resources Board still showed the figures were too high. Later, some of the 2.0 TDI engines began using Selective Catalytic Reduction that reduced NOx by injecting a urea solution into the exhaust stream. According to Automotive News, a software update for this equipment might increase the amount of the substance used. Not only would that mean topping up the fluid more often, but there still could be some reduction in fuel economy. But, since the 2-liter, 4-cylinder TDI engine that sits inside the diesel vehicles first mentioned as being affected by the issue in the US don't have a urea treatment system, VW would need to install them into these cars. VW still hasn't officially outlined its solution (or solutions) to the emissions issue but is expected to soon. The automaker's long-term evasion of regulations with these diesel engines pumped vast quantities of additional NOx into the air. The substance is known to be linked with smog and acid rain. The US Department of Justice is already beginning an investigation into the company, and politicians are pushing for harsh punishments.