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IIHS gives 90 models its Top Safety Pick award in one fell swoop

Although the Audi A7 and the Toyota Sienna are positioned on completely different ends of the automotive spectrum, they overlap in one important area: both earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). They're among the 49 cars that received the distinction for 2021, while 41 additional models scored a Top Safety Pick (without the plus) award from the institute, bringing the number of winners to 90. Earning a coveted Top Safety Pick award from the IIHS is easier said than done. Recipients need to score a good rating in the institute's six crash tests, be available with a front crash prevention system that scores a superior or advanced rating in vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations, and be offered with (but, crucially, not necessarily fitted standard with) headlights that are either good or acceptable. Vehicles that have good or acceptable headlights across the full range, regardless of trim level, are eligible for the Top Safety Pick+ award. The Hyundai Group (which includes Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis) earned more awards than any other carmaker, with 12 standard Top Safety Pick distinctions and five earning a Pick+. Volvo led the Pick+ chart with its entire lineup of nine vehicles. At the other end of the spectrum, Mitsubishi still hasn't earned a single award, and General Motors only nabbed one of each. Safety is spreading across market segments, according to the IIHS. It pointed out that, in 2020, there were no minivans or pickup trucks on the list of Top Safety Pick recipients. Fast forward to 2021, and the list includes the Honda Odyssey, the Toyota Sienna, and the Ram 1500 crew cab; the first two earned a Pick+. The full list of 2021 award winners is on the IIHS website. Note that, for some models, only units built after a certain date earned an award. This distinction reflects a change (usually in headlights) during the production run. Cars sold in the United States are safer than ever, but automakers still sell vehicles with a zero-star crash test rating in many global markets. Suzuki's 2020 S-Presso flunked a reasonably basic round of tests in 2020. Featured Gallery 2021 Hyundai Palisade View 12 Photos Audi Hyundai Volvo

2015 Audi A8 rises to meet the challenge [w/video]

It's turnover time in the extra large premium sedan segment. With Mercedes having stuffed HAL 9000 in its new S-Class, other luxury marques are quickly updating their own super sleds to keep up with this persistent march of technology. While far from a full redesign, the Audi A8 has changed enough for 2015 in terms of styling, powertrains and new technology to keep it in the conversation.
For starters, the A8's exterior design has been redone, with the most noticeable changes happening up front. The trademark 'gaping maw' grille is a little less gaping, while the headlights now feature a straight lower edge of LEDs, excising the old model's droopy-eyed look. Speaking of headlights, Audi now offers optional Matrix LEDs, the latest in headlight tech, with 25 individual elements per side that can be turned on or off and dimmed as the situation demands. The rear of the A8 has also been resculpted and looks very much inspired by the derrière of the A7, with a single chrome strip connecting the new LED taillights.
The A8's full suite of powertrains has also been upgraded, with the supercharged 3.0-liter V6 now producing 310 horsepower (up 20 according to Audi, though down 23 compared to the US-spec 2013 model). The twin-turbo 4.0-liter V8 is now rated at 435 hp, a solid 20-horse increase that lowers the car's 0-62 time to just 4.5 seconds. That's within spitting distance of the 520-hp S8's time of 4.1 seconds. That aforementioned super sport sedan's engine remains unchanged, as does the 6.3-liter 12-cylinder powerplant in the A8 L W12, but Audi's two diesel engines have both improved, with the 3.0-liter V6 producing an extra eight horsepower (256 total) and the 4.2-liter V8 gaining an extra 34 hp (385 hp) to go along with its more-than-adequate, though unchanged, 626.93 foot-pounds of torque.

Is this the Audi C-BEV Concept?

The head of R&D at Audi, Ulrich Hackenberg, used part of his comments at the company's annual conference to broach the subject of an all-electric SUV. He didn't give many details, but he said it would be based on the same MLB 2 platform as the Q7, would have a range of more than 311 miles, and perhaps use a battery rated at 90 kWh. German publication Auto Motor und Sport has just published sketches of what that SUV, supposedly codenamed C-BEV internally, will look like when we see it in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show. Autocar's sources say this is a five-seat, "production-relevant zero-emissions concept" that offers hints about the coming Q6 and how Audi plans to battle the BMW X6 and Tesla Model X. Autocar says the lithium-ion battery, placed inside the platform, could hit that 90 kWh number, and power three electric motors. One of the motors is mounted in the transmission, two more at the rear axle, and combined output is reportedly 500 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque. Styling will aim for something coupe-ish, the company expecting it to be so sleek that it will have a coefficient of drag under .30. For comparison, the Audi A6 has a Cd of .28. All-out luxury is the word here, with interior architecture shared with the next A8, and "Range Rover rivaling ride quality." We're not sure if this has anything to do with Audi's announcement that it will show a concept with OLED matrix lighting at Frankfurt, but the production vehicle that the Frankfurt concept leads to will go on sale in late 2018.