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Audi A8 and S8 get another video tease

If there was any doubt before about which car(s) Audi recently teased in a video, now we know for sure. Audi has released another teaser video that confirms we'll at least be seeing the 2015 Audi S8 (and very likely the A8 as well) in the near future, but the big surprise is just how soon we'll see the new flagship sedan. We originally expected to see the sedan receive its official debut at the Frankfurt Motor Show, but now Audi says that the car will be presented about three weeks before the event on August 21.
How do we know this is the S8? Well, aside from it obviously being a large sedan, the true tell that this is its A8/S8 is the front license plate, which clearly shows "S8" on it - we've been doing this long enough to know that Audi's promotional license plates have the model designation in the plate number. As for other details, Audi's trick Matrix headlights shine through the thin veil in what should be the crown jewel of the sedan's new face. There's a little more than a week to go until the car is unveiled, but for now, check out the video below.

Audi Q7 plug-in hybrid spied, Porsche powertrain possible

It's no secret that a new Audi Q7 is on the way. The replacement for the aging, three-row luxury CUV has already been spotted once, in December of 2013. Now, though, we have images of the second-generation model lapping Germany's Nürburgring Nordschleife, and it just happens to be showing a feature we reported on at the end of July - a plug-in-hybrid powertrain.
Given away by its high-voltage stickers on the window and a spare door to hide the charger - note how both the driver and passenger sides sport an access point - our spies snapped a series of photos, and put forth the compelling idea that the new Q7 would use the PHV system from the Porsche Cayenne S E-Hybrid.
If that's the case, that should mean at least 320 horsepower from a 3.0-liter, supercharged V6, while an electric motor chips in a further 95 ponies for a total system output of 416 hp.

Audi Self-Driving Car Gets First Permit In California

Computer-driven cars have been testing their skills on California roads for more than four years - but until now, the Department of Motor Vehicles wasn't sure just how many were rolling around. That changed Tuesday, when the agency issued testing permits that allowed three companies to dispatch 29 vehicles onto freeways and into neighborhoods - with a human behind the wheel in case the onboard computers make a bad decision. The German automaker Audi was first in the state to receive a self-driving car permit and already has plans to test drive an autonomous A7 around the Bay Area, according to the Los Angeles Times. These may be the cars of the future, but for now they represent a tiny fraction of California's approximately 32 million registered vehicles. Google's souped-up Lexus SUVs are the biggest fleet, with 25 vehicles. Mercedes and Volkswagen have two vehicles each, said Bernard Soriano, the DMV official overseeing the state's "autonomous vehicle" regulation-writing process. A "handful" of other companies are applying for permits, he said. The permits formally regulate testing that already was underway. Google alone is closing in on 1 million miles. The technology giant has bet heavily on the vehicles, which navigate using sophisticated sensors and detailed maps. Finally, government rules are catching up. In 2012, the California Legislature directed the DMV to regulate the emerging technology. Rules that the agency first proposed in January went into effect Tuesday. Among them: - Test drivers must have a sparkling driving record, complete a training regimen and enroll in a program that informs their employer if they get in an accident or are busted for driving under the influence off hours. - Companies must report to the state how many times their vehicles unexpectedly disengage from self-driving mode, whether due to a failure of the technology or because the human driver takes over in an emergency. They also must have insurance or other coverage to pay for property or personal injury claims of up to $5 million. California passed its law after Nevada and Florida and before Michigan. The federal government has not acted, and national regulations appear to be years away. It's impossible to know the total number of self-driving cars being tested on public roads because, unlike California and Nevada, Michigan does not require special permits to test self-driving cars on public roads.