2k Miles Prestige Pkg 19" Sport Pkg Black Optic Pkg Led Headlights on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Audi reveals virtual reality 'dealership in a briefcase'

Virtual reality still seems like technology that should be lumped in with the flying car and colonizing the moon as the sort of perennially "almost-here" Next Big Thing that never quite arrives. However, devices like gaming's Oculus Rift suggests that it's too soon to write off VR just yet, and Audi apparently agrees. The heart of its new VR Experience is a headset that customers wear that lets them see a virtual car before their eyes. Using the technology, the potential buyer can sit behind the wheel or open up the trunk. A camera tracks their head movements and adjusts the image on the goggles accordingly. To make the whole experience even more immersive, headphones let them hear the sound of the door or listen to the radio. The German automaker claims that the VR Experience technology will be available in "dynamic growth markets" by the end of 2015. The system will essentially offer the entire dealership experience in a device the size of a briefcase, and it'll be possible to view every possible equipment combination and color on all of the brand's models. The immersive hardware sounds amazing, if it's as good as the automaker claims. Among other things, VR will allow buyers to pick out just the right color and trim, even if the dealer doesn't have that specific combo in stock. Read below for Audi's announcement of this sci-fi gadget that the company claims is on the way. Audi VR experience: the dealership in a briefcase Innovative virtual reality headset extends advisory service at Audi dealers Sales chief Luca de Meo: "Further proof of Audi's pioneering role in sphere of digitization" First Audi dealerships to introduce new sales tool by end of 2015 Audi is taking the next big step in integrating digital technologies into automotive retail: The Audi VR experience gives customers the opportunity to configure their preferred car at the dealership through virtual reality headsets and experience it in a unprecedentedly realistic way. The headset showcases the entire model portfolio of the four rings, including all possible equipment combinations. Audi has become the first automotive manufacturer to develop a dedicated retail software solution for virtual reality headsets.

The pre-race and first in-race report from Le Mans

The 2013, 90th anniversary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has begun, tragedy marking the opening laps with the death of Allan Simonsen. We're at the track now as a guest of Audi and plan to stay through the evening, and even we haven't been able to find out what caused the accident - the only video is from just after the incident, and beyond the statement from ACO there's been no more news. The Aston Martin in the LM GTE Am class and its all-Danish drivers had taken pole in its class and was one of the favorites to win.
The pre-race report will come first, and even thought we can't spoil the race because we're only five hours into it at the time of writing, we'll put all of the news at the end in case you don't even want the updates.
Or you can go straight to the high-res galleries above.

Audi Allroad Shooting Brake showcar is a 124-MPGe hybrid E-Tron

The leaked images of the new Audi Allroad Shooting Brake that came out Friday showed us what the show car will look like, but it wasn't until the official press release came out today that we learned just how much E-Tron is hiding in its powertrain. Turns out, it's a lot. An 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery can power the car for over 31 miles. The Allroad Shooting Brake is powered by a hybrid (gas-electric) powertrain that can put out a total of 300 kW of power (479.42 pound feet of torque) and, under the right circumstances, get the fuel efficiency equivalent of 123.8 mpg US, Audi claims. The gas side is made up of a 2.0-liter four-cylinder turbocharged engine, and then there's an electric motor on each axle. An 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery can power the car for over 31 miles on battery power alone. There are three drive modes (EV, Hybrid and Sport). This is also the first time Audi has put its Allroad and E-Tron "form languages" together, which means this E-Tron Quattro "is not limited to paved roads" and can handle "light off-road conditions." The two electric motors help bring the car from 0-62 miles per hour in 4.6 seconds on up to a top speed of 155 mph. Audi has paid attention to shaving weight from the 3527-pound, four-seater, including making the wheels out of carbon-fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and using an aluminum underbody panel. We described some of the concept's visual hints in the original post (Q1?), and now Audi says that the car contains "a host of visual elements of future sports car models" (TT?). We will get our first real glimpse of the Allroad Shooting Brake show car at the Detroit Auto Show early this week, so look for live pics then, especially of the interior that is supposed to be reminiscent of an airplane and a user interface panel that is said to work like a smart phone. In the new press release, Audi's Ulrich Hackenberg said the Allroad Shooting Brake represents, "a concrete look into the near future," and we're totally fine with that. Crossover in a compact package: The Audi allroad shooting brake show car Crossover concept car is highly functional for recreational sports Powerful and efficient hybrid drive features two electric motors Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hackenberg: "A concrete look into the near future." Sporty, compact and versatile: It is with these attributes that the Audi allroad shooting brake makes its debut at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.