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Audi prices 2014 A8L TDI from $82,500*

During the Los Angeles Auto Show last November, Audi told us that it would be bringing four new diesel-powered models to the United States this year. The first to arrive is the 2014 A8L TDI you see here, and we've now learned that the big oil-sipper will be priced from $82,500, (*excluding $895 for destination).
The whole new range of diesel models will be powered by Audi's 3.0-liter TDI V6, good for 240 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque in this application. Of course, Quattro all-wheel drive is standard, and even in the big A8, the diesel grunt will be enough to propel the long-wheelbase flagship to 60 miles per hour in 6.4 seconds (almost a full second slower than the A8 3.0T we reviewed last fall). That said, the A8 TDI should still be a pretty engaging steer, and considering the fact that this thing will reportedly return fuel economy figures of up to 36 miles per gallon on the highway (24 in the city), a slightly slower launch time is well worth it. (The A8 3.0T tops out at 28 mpg highway.)
Elsewhere in the segment, Mercedes-Benz offers a diesel version of its S-Class flagship, retailing for $93,000 and good for fuel economy figures of 21/31 mpg city/highway. By comparison, the A8 TDI seems like a steal, and we'll be interested to see where the forthcoming BMW 7 Series diesel falls into the class of huge oil-burning barges.

2015 Audi A3 Sedan priced from $29,900* [w/video]

One year after the all-new Audi A3 bowed in Europe, the US finally will get the 2015 A3 sedan in 2014, and the German automaker announced yesterday that it's priced from $29,900 (*not including destination, and we've reached out to Audi asking for the price of delivery). A bit later in 2014, the A3 Cabriolet will be released along with the S3 sedan. The A3 Sportback will be a 2015 model, though it will only be offered as a gasoline-electric hybrid. Prices weren't given for those models and, sadly, the three-door hatch isn't slated for US consumption.
The A3 sedan will be offered with three engine choices, all of them featuring direct-injection, turbocharging and four cylinders: a 1.8-liter TFSI, 2.0-liter TFSI and 2.0-liter TDI - that last one's a diesel. If you count the S3 sedan, that's another engine in the lineup - a 296-horsepower version of the 2.0 TFSI.
As we were told at the 2014 A3's "unofficial" world debut in New York City earlier this year, Audi says US customers won't get the option of a six-speed manual transmission, as the Europeans do. All engines will be mated exclusively to a six-speed dual-clutch transmission.

Audi gets into tablet market with Android-powered Smart Display

Relatively small in newsworthiness compared with laser-equipped hybrids and all-new cockpit concepts, Audi has also announced a branded, Android-powered tablet called Smart Display at CES this week.
Audi has partnered with Google for its in-car computing software for years now, so it's hardly surprising to hear that its first foray into the world of tablets runs a Google OS (which one is still unclear), and has Android guts. Sorry, iPad users. The 10.2-inch tablet wears a lovely aluminum chassis that seems right in line with Audi's typical industrial design, and is packed with Nvidia's Tegra T40 processor.
Smart Display is meant to highlight the upcoming cleverness of Audi's newly announced in-car LTE connectivity (by way of continued partnership with AT&T). Users can, in theory, access the Google Play store while on the go, and then download and fiddle with Android-based apps until their very hearts are content. By "users" we mean "passengers" here, and so does Audi, though we're not exactly sure if there are measures in place to keep a driver from tableting while driving.