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Is Audi getting complacent and suffering from brain drain?

The argument is made in a Reuters article: Audi is falling behind other luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW, due to a lack of research-and-development spending and "brain drain," or the migration of top executives and R&D chiefs to other parts of the Volkswagen Group. Reuters notes that Audi's current R&D chief is the third in 16 months.
Audi, which contributed to 40 percent of VW Group's $11.6 billion in profit the first nine months of the year, is delivering cars at a record pace: 1.31 million were delivered from January to October 2013 versus BMW's 1.35 million. Yet Audi, Reuters reports, doesn't have a halo car akin to BMW's new electrified i3 and i8 or an answer to Mercedes' plug-in-hybrid S-Class, and the R&D spending at Audi is less than BMW and Mercedes by a fair margin. It's noted in the article, however, that Audi benefits from other R&D spending within VW Group.
Reuters mentions that BMW "trumpets its new 'i' series" and the new Mercedes CLA and GLA ranges are winning "rave reviews" as part of its argument that Audi's recent lack of technological innovation could hurt future sales. Those cars do pack tons of new technology, some of which are firsts for mainstream production cars. But last time we checked, the i3 could be causing BMW's stock to slide, the CLA isn't receiving the rave reviews that Reuters would have you believe and the GLA hasn't been reviewed yet.

BMW 2 Series shows us its insides

We've already seen the upcoming BMW 2 Series testing in both coupe and convertible body styles, and now we're getting our first glimpse inside the new entry-level coupe. Judging by the sportier exterior that we've seen in previous spy shots, this car appears to be equipped with an M-Sport package, so this is likely not what the base interior will look like.
Compared to the current 1 Series, this new coupe will have cleaner cabin design including fewer buttons on the center stack and an instrument panel with more of a dual-brow design. This car has cloth seats with what appears to be a suede-like accent trim and blue stitching, and the seat's pattern is mimicked on the door panel. The 2 Series will also have a better integrated iDrive controller that operates the widescreen display mounted atop the instrument panel in a similar fashion as what we've seen recently on the Mercedes-Benz A-Class and CLA-Class.
As mentioned about the exterior, the bigger wheels, blue brake calipers, dual exhaust outlet and subtle decklid spoiler all lead us to believe that this is the M-Sport, but it isn't sporty enough - inside or out - to make us think this is the rumored M2 model.

Police smash sinking BMW window with rock to save woman trapped inside

Two quick-thinking police officers in New Zealand saved a woman's life after her BMW somehow ended up in the the ocean on Tuesday afternoon. Witnesses told Stuff.co.nz the woman drove off of a rock wall surrounding a parking lot at Waitemata Harbour in Auckland, New Zealand, and into the ocean. Her BMW immediately began filling with sea water. Bystanders called police and made their own attempts to save the woman. Officers Paul Watts and Simon Russell also tried to open her car doors and smash the windows with a baton. Their failed efforts wasted precious time. The woman soon had to crawl toward the back window, the last part of her car not completely submerged in water. Officer Watts smashed the window with a rock and they were finally able to pull her to safety. Watts told The New Zealand Herald the woman was moments away from drowning. Seconds after extracting her the car sank completely into the ocean. "It was pretty close, probably 30 or 40 seconds after we managed to get the female out of the car, the car was already slipping further into the water," Watts told the Herald. Police are still investigating what caused the accident. The woman was in shock and suffered cuts and bruises. She is in stable condition at a local hospital. Related Video: News Source: Stuff.co.nz, The New Zealand Herald BMW Videos