2001 Audi A6 Quattro Base Sedan 4-door 4.2l on 2040-cars

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Audi reveals Prologue Allroad concept ahead of Shanghai

Audi kicked off the Prologue series of design studies with the coupe concept unveiled in LA, then followed up with the Prologue Avant wagon at the Geneva show. Now, we're seeing the third iteration in the form of the Prologue Allroad concept. Set to be unveiled next week at the 2015 Shanghai Motor Show, the Prologue Allroad picks up where the previous two left off, but takes it in a more rugged direction. At 16.8 feet, it's longer than both of the previous concepts, and stretches out to the same length as a standard-wheelbase A8. It also rides three inches higher than the Prologue Avant concept. Not only is it larger than the preceding showcars, it's also more powerful. Under the hood sits a hybrid powertrain that pairs a 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 to an electric motor integrated into eight-speed automatic transmission. Together they produce a whopping 738 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque, driven to all four wheels to send the concept to 62 miles per hour in a scant 3.5 seconds – all the while returning a claimed equivalent of 98 miles per gallon. If that's not the best of both worlds, we don't know what is. Plus, the car packs an inductive charging system that Audi says it's developing for production. Massive 20-inch brake discs keep that performance in check, sitting inside 22-inch wheels, all mounted to an adaptive air suspension and four-wheel adaptive steering. Other exterior features include door lock sensors integrated into the window frame, Matrix laser headlights and LED taillights. Inside it's all angular yet elegant, swathed in dark blue, beige and brown. Display screens abound, stretching across the dashboard with a deployable OLED infotainment display in the center console. There's another OLED screen for the passengers in the pair of rear seats, who can also dock OLED tablets in the front seatbacks. A pop-up "sound spoiler" promises to envelop the cabin in music, and there's inductive charging for mobile devices as well. Together with its conceptual stablemates, the Prologue Allroad concept points towards a stylish and technologically advanced future for Ingolstadt, and we're looking forward to seeing this show car transition into production as the next A6 Allroad. In the meantime, you can scope out all the details in the press release below and view the concept from every angle, inside and out, in the slideshow above.

Your guide to vehicle subscription services

They might be extremely limited in scope because of location availability, but vehicle subscription services are a growing trend that most luxury manufacturers are jumping on. Plans are expensive, but you're paying for much more than just the car typically. We highlighted four of the larger plans with a few more listed at the end. Care by Volvo Volvo launched its subscription service last year with its brand-new XC40. It was the only vehicle available for a time, but subscribers can now get an S60 sedan as well. Subscriptions are for two years, with the monthly price including insurance, a concierge service, wear-and-tear item replacements and all maintenance. You'll be able to drive 15,000 miles per year with whichever Volvo you choose, and although there are no options to extend that mileage, you can swap cars after a year. Pricing for the XC40 is $650 per month in base trim, while an S60 can be as expensive as $850 for the R-Design. Volvo's plan is to offer more cars soon through the service, but it's relatively limited compared to others right now. Porsche Passport Porsche has two levels in its subscription service: Launch and Accelerate. Launch will cost $2,000 per month and give you access to the Cayman, Boxster, Macan and Cayenne. All of those but the Cayenne can be had in "S" trim as well. Accelerate is where the fun really starts. For $3,000 per month you can choose from a fleet of 911s, including the S, 4S, Cabriolet and Cabriolet S. If those aren't enough, you can also get the Panamera 4S, Macan GTS and Cayenne S. There are no mileage limits and you can change vehicles as often as you'd like. Also included in the price is insurance, repairs, detailing and any maintenance. It might be extremely expensive and limited to Atlanta only, but this subscription service is second-to-none for what you get. Audi Select Audi just launched its subscription car service, and it's offered in one version for a flat fee of $1,395 per month. For that you'll have access to five different cars including the A4, S5 Coupe, A5 Cabriolet, Q5, and Q7. Not a bad range of vehicles, but it would've been neat to see the recently updated A7 in there too. Maybe in time. Like the others, insurance and maintenance are wrapped up in the price. Audi is allowing for unlimited miles and two car swaps per month here. In addition to that, you'll get two days of free rentals through Audi's Silvercar rental agency should you go on a trip.

Audi takes cars that park themselves to a whole new level

Autonomous cars are impressive displays of in-car technology, but what exactly would the benefit of such systems be for the average driver? Audi has answered that question by showing off its Piloted Parking system for the Audi Connect at CES 2013.
Installed on this Audi A7, Piloted Parking allows a driver to drop themselves off and have the car autonomously drive away on its own and find its own parking spot. The car can then later be retrieved by "calling" it back with a specially designed smartphone app. We'd be lying if we said this didn't bring back memories of Michael Knight summoning KITT with his wristwatch. The most impressive part of this car might be the fact that the car is fully autonomous but doesn't have any obvious sensors or monitors on the exterior of the car like many other self-driving cars have.
Check out a video of the this innovative technology in action after the jump.