5.2l, R-tronic Transmission, Navigation System, Carbon Fiber Interior Pkg on 2040-cars

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Mercedes could make EV batteries with Audi, BMW

It's not a big leap from digital maps to batteries, it turns out.The head of Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler said recently that he envisions his company working together with German automotive competitors BMW and Volkswagen to further accelerate electric-vehicle battery technology. The three automakers recently worked together to enhance their in-car maps systems. Daimler CEO Dieter Zetsche talked about "commonalities" between automakers, not the least of which is the need for all of them to achieve increasingly stringent fuel-economy requirements in the European Union, at the Frankfurt Auto Show last week, according to Reuters. While these companies have made their own inroads as far as plug-in vehicles go, they are all behind the Renault-Nissan Alliance when it comes to public deployment of electric vehicles. This summer, Daimler, Audi and BMW hooked up to acquire the Nokia Here digital-mapping service for about $2.8 billion. The triad of automakers beat out companies such as Apple and Uber to buy the entity, which was founded in 1986 as Navteq. Nokia bought the company in 2007. The acquisition makes sense as the automakers work on improving their products with features like cloud-based data to warn drivers of icy roads and traffic jams. The technology will likely also eventually be used in autonomous vehicles. Automakers working together for a common goal of improved technology is nothing new, of course. General Motors and Honda agreed in 2013 to work together to accelerate hydrogen fuel-cell drivetrain development. Earlier that same year, Daimler said it would work with Ford and Nissan in a separate collaboration to speed up the development of hydrogen fuel-cell technology. Related Video:

Audi A0 in development based on VW Up!

Bigger, it seems, is no longer better. Volkswagen has made waves with its Up! city car, a plucky three-door that's been a bit of a hit since it burst onto the automotive scene, spawning a number of variants during its short life. And while our European friends have gotten a Cross Up!, a commercial version, an EV model, Seat- and Skoda-badged variants, and a rumored diesel-electric Twin-Up!, the small city car has been lacking in terms of its premium content.
That fact makes this rumor rather tantalizing - Audi might be working on its own version of the front-engined, front-drive city car, to be called the A0. The report comes from AutoExpress, which claims Audi CEO Rupert Stadler wants a premium Up! that features a distinctive interior and exterior treatment.
Changes could include a trapezoidal grille, in addition to premium exterior features like LED lighting and alloy wheels. The cabin would feature leather and likely a version of Audi's MMI infotainment system, while power would come from a 109-horsepower, 1.0-liter engine found in the Up! GT Concept.

Auto Express gets close-up look at the 2016 Audi R8

Audi invited Auto Express to the Ascari circuit in Spain to get a ride in the new R8 that will be introduced at the Geneva Motor Show. Jack Rix starts by giving us a walkaround of the camouflage-covered coupe, the obvious difference between it and the leaked image from a couple of weeks ago being the slatted front intakes. However, those intakes are present on the image Audi teased showing off one new, slimmer, laser headlight. The biggest shock: there will be no V8 model at launch - there will be one engine in two levels of tune. The first is the 5.2-liter R8 V10 with 540 horsepower, a bump of 15 hp over the present car. The second is the 5.2-liter R8 V10 Plus with 610 hp, a leap of 60 hp over the current model. That hotter trim, identified by its fixed rear wing, drops the 0-60 mile per hour time by a half-second to 3.2 seconds, and increases top speed seven miles per hour to 205 mph. Rix ran his fingers along the intakes behind the door and said he could feel sideblades, so all is not lost - what would an R8 be without sideblades? More obviously, on the V10 Plus Rix looked over there are new trapezoidal exhaust tips framing a serious diffuser in back. Underneath, the aluminum chassis adapted from the Lamborghini Huracan is 15 percent lighter than before and 40 percent stiffer. Shifting will be done via a seven-speed S-tronic dual-clutch transmission only. There are seven driving modes, a switchable exhaust note, and more direct variable steering. The German test driver Rix rode with said the new R8 is easier to drive faster, which - no matter what you think of the looks - will make it pretty special. News Source: Auto Express via YouTubeTip: Clark Geneva Motor Show Audi Coupe Luxury Performance Videos