2019 Audi Sq5 Quattro Prestige $69k Msrp on 2040-cars

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2014 Audi A3 Cabriolet cleans up the Messe [w/video]

If we're being honest, the outgoing Audi A3 Cabriolet never really flicked our Bic. That was just fine, of course, because Audi never brought it to North America. This new model, however, might have a different future.
And while Audi has yet to officially decide on this car's North American future, this Frankfurt Motor Show debut clearly has a better sense of proportion and aggression to it, and we're excited about its powertrain solutions, too. For the European market, Audi is promising TFSI gasoline engines in either 1.4- or 1.8-liters, along with a 2.0-liter TDI diesel, all being available in front- and all-wheel drive. Audi has also confirmed its first-ever S3 Quattro Cabriolet, which figures to combine a quick 18-second top drop and its hard-hatted sibling's even quicker 296-hp 2.0-liter turbo.
Even though Audi has been better about bringing its high-performance models to North America and has a new emphasis on growing its A3 business in our territories (including a US-minded sedan bodystyle), we would still be a bit surprised to see an S3 Cabriolet popping its entry-level top in dealers in a couple years' time. Having said that, we do think this A3 Cabriolet is almost a lock. Be sure to take a good, long look at our gallery, video and the official press release below.

Daimler, BMW, Audi consortium nabs Nokia maps for $2.72B

A consortium of German automakers made up of Daimler, BMW, and Audi has reportedly banded together to buy Nokia's Here mapping division for the equivalent of about $2.7 billion. The particulars of the deal aren't yet official but could be announced at the end of July. Reuters claims that this info comes from anonymous insiders speaking to Manager Magazin in Germany. It might be too soon, however, to declare a buyer. Reuters also spoke to two other insiders, and they said that no deal has been completed yet. None of the firms involved has officially spoken about the negotiations. Some of the other bidders for the division have reportedly bowed out. Here is a high-definition digital mapping company that controls about 70 percent of the auto market. The company has a fleet of vehicles with cameras and LIDAR (pictured above) to generate all of the necessary information. It also partners with trucking companies to use their GPS data. Nokia started looking for potential buyers for Here earlier this year. Tech giants that reportedly included Uber and Apple were rumored to be interested, while German automakers also teamed up to submit a joint bid in part to protect their access to the maps. On paper, Here is only valued at around $785 million, but a sale in the billions now seems assured. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Nokia Here Earnings/Financials Audi BMW Technology here nokia here

Volkswagen Group names Paefgen head of classics program

You may remember the name Franz-Josef Paefgen. Until recently, the German engineer and executive was head of both Bentley and Bugatti. Before that he was chief executive of Audi, after working for several years at Ford. He technically "retired" earlier this year, but like the cars he helped create, an executive like Paefgen could never really retire. So it should come as little surprise that the Volkswagen Group has named Dr. Paefgen head of its Classic program.
In his new capacity, Paefgen will oversee the historic automobile activities of the entire VW Group, including those of Volkswagen, Seat, Skoda, Audi, Lamborghini, and of course Bentley and Bugatti. It strikes us as a suitable semi-retirement for the man responsible in no small part for the Bugatti Veyron and Bentley Mulsanne, to name just two, and who was decorated in 2006 by the ACO as the "Spirit of Le Mans" for his contribution to endurance racing. Read the official announcement after the break.