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Audi considers a rugged SUV — maybe on the Scout platform

Audi engineers are formulating plans to possibly build a “super saloon” luxury off-roader SUV in 2027, It would compete in a segment that now includes the Land Rover Defender and Mercedes-Benz G-Class, according to a report in BritainÂ’s Autocar. According to Audi designer Marc Lichte, quoted in the story, the platform for the new model could be borrowed from the Volkswagen GroupÂ’s recently announced sister brand, Scout Motors, which is currently developing electric-powered concepts and prototypes. While Audi has developed a PPE (Premium Platform Electric) architecture for its base EV lineup, that would be replaced in the planned model with ScoutÂ’s ladder chassis to provide the steep departure angles and ground clearance needed to negotiate tough terrain, as well as with the latest generation of AudiÂ’s Quattro four-wheel-drive technology, Autocar reports. Audi is well into development of its Activesphere project, an enticing design blend of coupe and hatchback. The Activesphere uses PPE, co-developed by Audi and Porsche, and will appear in a production Audi product by the end of this year. Audi says. Beyond that, “I think there is space" for a rugged SUV in AudiÂ’s passenger car lineup,  Lichte said. “There is potential because there are only two premium players” in this particular segment" (Mercedes-Benz and Land Rover) “and I think there is a space for a third one.” The upscale Defender was by far Land RoverÂ’s best-selling car last year, with 66,805 sold, and the G-Class set a new sales record the previous year with 41,174 moved worldwide. Audi obviously would like to capitalize on this popularity of the rugged 4x4 segment. The proposed competitor, said Lichte, “will not look like a G-Class and it will not look like a Defender, I can promise you. It will be something else."

Rain prolongs the Championship battle | 2016 Brazilian Grand Prix recap

Rain and an old-school circuit are the antidotes to Formula 1's constricting technical regulations and Tilke tracks. At Brazil's Autodromo Jose Carlos Pace – otherwise known as Interlagos – rain Saturday night and on race day washed away everyone's careful plans, except for those of the man at the front of the pack. Lewis Hamilton put his Mercedes-AMG Petronas ahead of the field throughout the weekend. On Sunday, a storm-delayed start behind the Safety Car assured Hamilton of a clean path to the lead and a clear track. The Briton didn't waste it, pulling out a gap on teammate Nico Rosberg behind, and Rosberg appeared to have no interest in going hard after Hamilton. Safety Cars and red flags kept resetting the gap to zero, though. After the Mercedes-AMG GT S led the first seven laps, it emerged again on Lap 13 for another six laps when Marcus Ericsson crashed his Sauber. Seconds after racing resumed, Kimi Raikkonen aquaplaned his Ferrari into the wall on the front straight. That caused the first red flag, leading to another eight-lap Safety Car interval, then a second red flag stoppage due to conditions on Lap 28, then three more Safety Car laps, and then, finally, racing again. Hamilton never surrendered his lead. The Briton changed tires once during a stoppage, and drove fast enough to cover the full race distance despite the intermissions. Afterward, he said "it was a very easy race." Rosberg had it harder, defending against the preternatural Max Verstappen in third. Barring misfortune it's already clear the Red Bull pilot has at least one Driver's Championship in his career future. In Brazil the young Dutchman drove like he's worthy of the hardware right now. After Verstappen passed Rosberg for second on Lap 34, the Red Bull driver pitted for intermediate tires on Lap 44 – a huge gamble in the conditions – coming back out in fifth. That tire wager failed, giving Rosberg a safe position in second when Verstappen had to pit for extreme wets on Lap 54 of 71. The teenager re-emerged in 16th. Over the race's final 17 laps Verstappen passed 13 drivers at six different places on track. He ran it close-but-clean a couple of times, especially when getting around Sebastian Vettel and Sergio Perez, but he was simply untouchable. Not only did the Dutchman score an amazing third place, he put in what could be the drive of the season.

Cars with the worst resale value in 2022

Car values are all over the map right now. Used vehicles that were worth a small fortune earlier this year are now coming back to Earth, but the new vehicle supply remains tight. Prices are still elevated overall, but some models have seen more severe price drops. Depreciation strikes almost every model, supply constraint or not, though a few vehicles are leading the way. New research from analytics iSeeCars found that a handful of cars depreciated more than 50 percent over five years, with the BMW 7 Series dropping 56.9 percent and an average price cut of $61,923 over that time. The vehicles with the highest depreciation — or worst resale value — over five years: BMW 7 Series: -56.9% Maserati Ghibli: -56.3% Jaguar XF: -54% Infiniti QX80: -52.6% Cadillac Escalade ESV: 52.3% Mercedes-Benz S-Class: 51.9% Lincoln Navigator: -51.9% Audi A6: -51.5% Volvo S90: -51.4% Ford Expedition: -50.7% iSeeCarsÂ’ research showed that midsize trucks, sports cars, and fuel-efficient vehicles were slowest to depreciate over five years, while itÂ’s clear that luxury brands tend to lose value much faster. As iSeeCarsÂ’ Executive Analyst Karl Brauer explained, used buyers donÂ’t value high-end vehiclesÂ’ features as much as the first owners, so resale values tend to be softer. The tech and options that made the cars so expensive and appealing new donÂ’t add the same value on the used market. Read more: Cars with the best resale value Interestingly, electric vehicles also depreciated quite heavily, though they were just short of the abysmal numbers in luxury segments. The Nissan Leaf depreciated most among EVs, dropping by 49.1 percent. The average EV depreciation is 44.2 percent, with the Tesla Model S and Model X sliding in right under the bar at 43.7 and 38.8 percent, respectively. As iSeeCars notes, itÂ’s important to be vigilant when car shopping and not let your emotions win over reason. Shiny new luxury cars look great in the showroom, but you could end up taking a bath when you try selling them a few years later on. Related video: Audi BMW Cadillac Ford Infiniti Jaguar Lincoln Maserati Mercedes-Benz Volvo Car Buying Used Car Buying Ownership Resale Value depreciation