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Audi introduces leaner, fitter second-generation Q7

After a long run on the market, Audi has finally signaled the end of the first-generation Q7 with the introduction of the long-awaited second-gen version of the brand's first crossover. The 2016 Q7 is a far lighter machine than the vehicle it replaces, thanks to ample use of hot-shaped steel and aluminum. Beyond that, the Volkswagen Group's MLB platform will allow the fullsize Audi to accommodate a range of engines, including more potent versions of the US market's 3.0-liter, supercharged V6 and 3.0-liter TDI. On top of that, the next-gen Q7 will also be available as a diesel plug-in hybrid, complete with a version of the brand's Quattro all-wheel-drive system. The Q7's new design, meanwhile, gives the car an almost wagon-like appearance and profile. The "Singleframe" grille is wrapped in an aluminum-looking surround, not unlike Audi's smaller RS Q3. Audi's cleanly styled headlights flank it, while the large taillights aren't as aggressively angled as Audi's other crossovers. The cabin is lavish, featuring a typically stylish design with plenty of tech. A 12.3-inch TFT display takes the place of a conventional instrument cluster, while the center stack is crowned by its very own display. Even the HVAC display controls are handsome. You can see exactly what we mean in our gallery of live images of the new Q7, straight from the floor of the 2015 Detroit Auto Show.

VW could fight Uber Black with Porsche and Audi vehicles

Last week, the Volkswagen group dumped $300 million into Gett, a taxi hailing-cum-ride sharing app that's big outside of the US. Now, the company has revealed that it's pondering a rival to Uber Black by offering private drivers access to its higher-end vehicles. Details are scarce since it's a single line reference in a very long press release, but VW says that it's looking at a "special chauffeur service" that features "premium brands, such as Audi and Porsche." What that looks like in reality is anyone's guess, although the idea of getting ferried around in an Audi RS 7 does have some appeal. The deal with Gett will concentrate on getting Volkswagen cars into the hands of Gett's drivers with the promise of juicy discounts. For instance, the firm will offer a special package that'll bundle car insurance and servicing with the purchase price, which can be paid by a would-be operator in installments. It's a similar deal to the one that Uber offers would-be drivers, letting them buy cars from manufacturers like Volkswagen, Ford and Toyota at a discount. Uber, however, also lets prospective cabbies rent their vehicle on a monthly basis, thanks to a deal with Enterprise. Both of which will likely become more muscular now that Uber has a further $3.5 billion in its back pocket. The troubling fact for the auto industry is that people will still need cars, but it's likely that they won't need as many as they do right now. On-demand services and self-driving vehicles are, after all, intended to shuttle around cities like an ersatz taxi-cum-metro system rather than sitting in parking lots. The concepts of ownership that we currently hold dear (and the profits that car companies get from them) are likely to fade away in the next, say, fifty years time. As such, conglomerates like VW will have to reinvent themselves as both manufacturer and transport company in one. But these changes are never easy, especially when the biggest car firms have tons of baggage that slows down their progress. Many are still devoting time and resources to producing thousands of new cars with combustion engines that will be on the roads for years to come. Looming in the shadow, however, is the emissions scandal, with the financial and reputational penalties likely to be felt for years to come. Younger, more nimble rivals without legacy businesses, like Tesla, are working on mass-producing electric cars for mass-market prices.

1,682 miles in a 2014 Audi A8 L TDI - Part 1

We're going to skip the joke - because this isn't one - and get straight to the punchline: If the forthcoming 2014 Mercedes-Benz S-Class looks like it will lead the segment in interiors, the 3.0-liter turbodiesel in the 2014 Audi A8 L TDI takes the head of the table when it comes to engines.
After joining Audi for the 12 Hours of Sebring, we stood in the parking lot of The Inn On The Lakes on Sunday morning, our thousand-yard stare interrupted by the Citgo gas station across the street. We had one key, three bags, one white A8 L TDI, something like 17 gallons of diesel in the tank and one week to burn through it. For the purposes of a Quick Spin, we could have simply traipsed around the central Florida outback, all citrus, dusty scrubland and diners lifted from Cronenberg films, made short work of measuring the refinement and potential rarefaction of the oil burner under the hood and made our way back to the Orlando airport.
But dear readers, where would the adventure be in that?