2001 Audi Tt Roadster Quattro Convertible 6 Speed 225 Hp on 2040-cars

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Why we can't have better headlights here in the U.S.

It wouldn't be a European auto show if we weren't teased with at least one mainstream vehicle we can't have here. At the Geneva Motor Show last week, the small but vocal contingent of shooting-brake buffs lamented that the Mazda6 wagon won't be coming to our shores, although they can take comfort in the fact that the vehicle won't get the torquey 250-horsepower 2.5-liter turbocharged gasoline engine we'll get here. Mercedes-Benz also announced a new headlight technology in Geneva that likely won't be available here anytime soon. It's just the latest in a long line of innovative and potentially lifesaving front-lighting solutions that the federal government doesn't allow in this country due to outdated standards — and a current lack of leadership at the U.S. Department of Transportation. Mercedes-Benz's new Digital Light system that debuted in Geneva uses a computer chip to activate more than a million micro-reflectors to better illuminate the road ahead. The Digital Light headlamps works with the vehicle's cameras, sensors and navigation mapping to adjust lighting for the given location and situation and to detect other road users. The Digital Light technology also serves as an extended head-up display of sorts by projecting symbols on the pavement ahead to alert drivers to, say, slippery conditions or pedestrians in the road. And it can even project lines on the road in a construction zone or through tight curves to show the driver the correct path. Digital Light will be available on Mercedes-Maybach vehicles later this year, although like any technology it's bound to trickle down to less expensive vehicles. That is, if we ever get it here in the U.S. Audi, a leader in automotive lighting, has repeatedly run into snags trying to bring state-of-the-art car headlights to the U.S. The German luxury automaker's recently introduced matrix laser headlight system, which performs many of the same trick as Mercedes-Benz's Digital Light, also isn't legal on U.S. roads. And five years after the introduction of its matrix-beam LED lighting, which illuminates more of the road without blinding oncoming motorists with brights by simultaneously operating high and low beams, Audi still can't bring that technology to the U.S. either.

Audi UrQuattro gets the Petrolicious narrative

Audi started a revolution in the world of rallying when it paired an all-wheel-drive system with a turbocharged, five-cylinder engine and a rakish, three-door body. That car, the Quattro, didn't just upset the entire balance of the World Rally Championship, it (eventually) led to a transformative effect on the consumer car market.
But we're not just interested in this car simply because history has proven the UrQuattro to be important - we love its sharply creased looks, its offbeat soundtrack and its gravel-spitting abilities. Evidently, so does the crew from Petrolicious, as they've lavished their lenses upon the car. This particular model hails from 1983, and has covered a healthy 175,000 miles, says owner Manuel Leon Minassian. His first experience with the Ur (meaning "original") came in Beirut, where the car received plenty of praise from students at his school.
That first encounter led to a long passion for the Quattro, culminating in his purchase of this car four years ago. Take a look at Minassian and his Audi in the latest video from Petrolicious.

Audi A8 super high-tech headlight teased, whole car coming Aug 21

We have to wait one more week before we get to see the 2015 Audi A8 and S8, but it doesn't look like Audi is going to stay quiet until then. After releasing a pair of teaser videos over the last week, it has now released a first detailed picture of the new A8 revealing the trick Matrix LED headlight.
Between the high-beam and low-beam lights, the headlights contain 43 LEDs (not including those for the DRL/turn signal), but the innovative part of Matrix LED system is that a camera can control the high-beam lights - by either dimming them or shutting them off - when other vehicles are detected on the road to prevent the lights from distracting other drivers. Of course the big question remaining is if Audi can get these new headlights to pass the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and its Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. The taillights also get a cool design with 24 LEDs that use a sequential turn signal
As for the debut of the A8 and S8, we already knew the sedans would be unveiled on August 21 ahead of the Frankfurt Motor Show, but Audi finally made it officially official in a press release, which is posted below. Also be sure to check out the pair of teaser videos Audi has released for these cars recently.