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Audi renders crossover concept for Detroit, is it the Q1?

Judging by the direction Audi is taking with recent concept vehicles, the forthcoming Audi Q1 crossover - confirmed for production in 2016 - should be an exciting little crossover. Last year, the automaker revealed the Crosslane Coupe Concept, and now it has announced it will reveal a new CUV concept at the Detroit Auto Show next month.
Teased in a trio of sketches, Audi says this unnamed concept is designed with a shooting brake style, which to us it makes it look like a combination of an Audi Allroad and a three-door A3. Little information is available on this concept, but it is about seven inches shorter than the Q3 and Audi notes that it will possess "design elements that are typical of e-tron models," which suggests some sort of powertrain electrification. There's still about a month before the Detroit show kicks off, but until then you can check out the sketches and press release (posted below) that Audi has provided.

It's a good time to get a great deal on a new sports car

Anyone who regularly follows our reporting on the biggest discounts on new cars already knows that the largest sums of money are generally lopped off the sticker prices of the priciest vehicles. It just makes sense. The formula holds true in April, with the 2020 Audi R8 leading the way. It's important to note that the Audi R8 comes in both coupe and convertible flavors and, despite coming standard with a V10 engine, multiple power levels. On average, customers are paying $18,551 less than the R8's $191,136 sticker price. That's nearly 10% off, with the average out-the-door price hovering at $172,585. Up next is the 2020 BMW M8, a vehicle we've grown used to seeing on this list. It's sold in hardtop, convertible and four-door Gran Coupe body styles, and when you average out all of its transactions, buyers are scoring discounts of $16,930 with an average transaction price of $139,891. That's 10.8% off the German car's sticker price. Another familiar face is in third place this month. The 2020 Acura NSX often leads the biggest-discounts list, and even though it's fallen a bit behind in the savings race, we doubt buyers who see $16,675 cut off the sticker are complaining. With an average transaction price of $143,013, that discount equals a savings of 10.4%. For a look at the best new car deals in America based on the percentage discount off their suggested asking prices, check out our monthly recap here. And when you're ready to buy, click here for the Autoblog Smart Buy program, which brings you a hassle-free buying experience with over 9,000 Certified Dealers nationwide. Related video:

Audi promises next A8 on sale by year's end, LED Matrix lamps to be available [w/video]

Audi has just released details about its new Matrix LED headlamps, but just as illuminating as the new lighting technology is confirmation that the next A8 will appear "on the market at the end of 2013." While Audi is calling the model new, expectations - and the spy shots above - suggest more of a traditional mid-cycle refresh.
Audi says that its new A8 Matrix lights are comprised of 25 high-beam LEDs, clustered in groups of five paired with reflectors. Unlike traditional automatic high-beam setups, the Matrix array is so precise that it "blanks out light that would shine directly onto oncoming and preceding vehicles" while continuing to use full high-beam power on other sections of the road and shoulder not occupied by other vehicles. Further, the camera- and electronic brain-governed system can dim or extinguish LEDs as necessary to deal with traffic. The active system also differs from today's adaptive headlamps by not requiring servo motors to direct light, yet they can still function as cornering headlamps - ones that can predict a road's trajectory because they are linked with the car's GPS system. Interestingly, the system also works with Audi's optional night vision system. When the latter detects a pedestrian in the dark, it automatically flashes a batch of LEDs to put both the driver and pedestrian on notice about each others' presence.
Only one problem in all of this trick lighting business: they aren't legal here in the US, at least not yet. Audi and other automakers are currently petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, trying to sell the government agency on the technology's safety benefits. For the moment, Matrix headlamps are likely to remain forbidden fruit, but you can check them out and see what you might be missing in the video below. As for the 2015 A8, we're guessing it'll surface at the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.