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Audi A3 E-Tron starts at $38,825

Audi has announced the pricing for the new A3 E-Tron plug-in hybrid, listing the five-door's base price at $38,825. Adding the mid-range Premium Plus elevates the price to $42,925, while the top-of-the-line Prestige will demand $47,725. Of course, like so many hybrids the A3 e-tron's price is not so simply explained. The PHEV will likely be eligible for a $4,168 federal tax credit, while additional state tax credits are also available depending on where you live. And, if Audi's announcement isn't exciting enough for fuel-sippers across the country, we have another piece of good news – the A3 e-tron's configurator is live. While it's no different than any of Audi's other online configurators, potential owners can get a great rundown of the A3 E-Tron's entire options sheet. There's the usual array of options ranging from an MMI package on the base model, to a Technology Package on the mid-grade model, and a Sport Pack on the Prestige trim. With just a bit of fiddling – and while staying out of the accessories catalog – we were able to run the A3 E-Tron's price up to $49,025. That's just shy of what the car starts at in Germany. You can check out the official press release on the E-tron MSRP announcement below, or just head over to Audi's US consumer website and have a go with the configurator. Audi of America announces pricing for the electrified 2016 Audi A3 Sportback e-tron August 05, 2015 | HERNDON, Virginia The A3 Sportback e-tron plug-in hybrid is the first step towards an electrified future for Audi, combining a premium driving experience with the efficiency of an electric motor. The effective cost to buyers nationwide can be even lower with applicable federal and state incentive and tax credits. Vehicle is the first of many Audi e-tron models to come to the U.S. Audi announced U.S. prices for the all-new 2016 A3 Sportback e-tron® will begin at $37,900, and purchasing customers may qualify for applicable state and federal incentives and tax credits. As the first electrified Audi sold in the U.S., the plug-in hybrid electric A3 Sportback e-tron combines efficiency, innovative technology and performance for a premium driving experience. The A3 Sportback e-tron provides a comprehensive approach to sustainable mobility by combining the benefits of a hybrid with all-electric range. It is a package that makes the A3 Sportback e-tron a versatile choice for the full array of daily commuting challenges, some of which can be handled on battery power alone.

Introducing the 2017 Audi A4 Allroad, round 3 of our long-term test

It has been all Audi, all the time for the past few months here at Autoblog. The folks at Audi offered us a unique long-term test of the whole A4 line, a chance to see what it's like to live with the car in all its iterations. We first spent time with a Glacier White Premium Plus sedan. Then we stepped up to a Prestige sedan in Moonlight Blue. Now we're driving a Premium Plus A4 Allroad wagon in Gotland Green. We're saving what we presume will be the best for last when we take delivery of an S4. What we got The A4 Allroad shares the same powerplant as the sedans: a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four making 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, with a seven-speed S-tronic dual clutch automatic. The setup briskly moves the wagon from 0-60 miles per hour in under six seconds. An Allroad starts at $44,000 MSRP for basic Premium trim. This Premium Plus tester starts at $47,000. Add $575 for the metallic Gotland Green paint - a dignified color that drew back-to-back compliments from a carwash guy and a passing postal carrier, and pairs nicely with the Nougat Brown leather interior. The car is equipped with the $3,000 Premium Plus option package, which includes a sweet Bang & Olufsen 3D sound system; heated, auto-dimming, power-folding side mirrors; an alarm system; heated eight-way power front seats with driver memory; LED headlights; and parking assist . The car also carries the Technology package, in which $3,250 gets you navigation, side and rear sensors, and Audi's elegant Virtual Cockpit instrument display. Those two equipment groups include trials of Audi Connect. The Care, Prime, and Plus packages of Connect offer services such as Google Earth mapping and Google voice search, SOS and roadside-assistance calling, dynamic route guidance, and a lot more. The blind-spot monitoring system packaged with this car is particularly nice, as it employs extra-large amber lights and an audible warning. They greatly augment the rather small, teardrop-shaped side mirrors. Finally, the wagon has the $500 Cold Weather package with heated rear seats and heated, multifunction steering wheel with shift paddles. Its high-gloss burl walnut wood inlays cost $350. Throw in the $950 destination charge and you're looking at MSRP of $52,625. What we skipped We didn't go for the $1,450 Warm Weather Package, which would have provided ventilated front sport seats with four-way lumbar support. The car also came without the rear side airbags, a $350 option.

Audi, Fiat squabbling over numbers and letters

There have been rumors and speculation and prognostications about a Nissan Juke- and Mini Cooper-fighting Audi Q2 since 2012. There have been the same for a performance-oriented Q4 since 2011, perhaps previewed by the TT Offroad concept shown last year at the Beijing Motor Show. Turns out that those two alphanumeric combos are the only ones missing from the series Q1 to Q9 in Audi's trademark stable, and the Ingolstadt company wants to get them to make its badge sequence and crossover lineup complete. But Fiat owns them, and rumor is, CEO Sergio Marchionne appears to have no interest in selling them. Fiat has used the Q2 and Q4 like trim badges, identifying whether a company product has two-wheel or all-wheel drive. They did it with the Alfa Romeo 159 sedan, and they do it now on the Maserati Quattroporte S and Ghibli S Q4 sedans. Car magazine says Marchionne "may not be categorically opposed to selling the rights," but he absolutely won't do it to any fiefdom in the Volkswagen empire, which would leave Audi a jilted suitor. Why is Sergio being so serious? VW Group CEO Ferdinand Piech first starting waving torches on the bridge between the two companies when he said Alfa Romeo could sell four times as many cars if Volkswagen owned it, then burned the bridge when it continued to publicize its desire to buy Alfa Romeo. VW followed that up by throwing salt on the land around the destroyed bridge with its aggressive pricing in Europe during the worst of the car sales slump there, which Marchionne said was causing a "bloodbath." VW's final flourish was to set the river itself on fire, when a press officer said Marchionne wasn't qualified to head the European Automotive Manufacturers Association (ACEA) and VW would quit the organization if he did take the top spot. That is why, putting it optimistically, Audi looks to have a grim chance of getting the Q2 and Q4 marques from the Italian. So long as he is in power, at least: Marchionne said he's walking away from the job in 2018. Audi might have a better chance bending the knee to, and generously rewarding, his successor. Featured Gallery Audi TT Offroad Concept: Beijing 2014 View 16 Photos News Source: CarImage Credit: Live images copyright 2015 Chris Paukert / AOL Government/Legal Audi Fiat Volkswagen Crossover Luxury Sergio Marchionne trademark volkswagen group