Auto blog

Audi reveals facelifted A7 and S7 in Europe [w/videos]

Audi has revealed the nip/tuck and stylistic upgrades for the A7 that we got clues to in spy shots from back in January. The single-frame grille has been subtly reworked along with the lower front fascia and headlilghts. Those bulbs are underlined by a new design for the LED DRLs, and - in Europe - they can be had with Matrix Beam LEDs that come with dynamic turn signals. Out back is a tweaked bumper, as well as new exhaust tips and taillights with an LED pattern that mimics the front lights.
Cockpit inhabitants get new surface treatments like the aluminum and Beaufort walnut inlays, Valcona leather and five possible colors for the seats. The company's MMI Navigation Plus with MMI Touch is fitted with an Nvidia chip for faster graphics processing, and LTE-enabled internet connectivity is standard.
Up front, the 3.0-liter bi-turbo TDI gets a power boost to 320 horsepower and is attached to an eight-speed transmission; a seven-speed S tronic transmission is paired to the rest of the line. The revised 3.0-liter V6 TDI recently discussed at the Vienna Motor Symposium also joins the lineup, here offered in both the 272-hp and 218-hp variants, that latter "ultra" version said to return 50 US miles per gallon.

Audi leading rival BMW in worldwide luxury sales race

If you thought competition among the German luxury automakers was hot before, it looks like things are just getting started. For the first two months of the year, Audi has sold more cars than BMW worldwide by just 383 cars.
Audi claims to have sold 242,400 vehicles through February, up 9.3 percent from last year, compared to 242,017 units from BMW, up 8.9 percent, in the same period. While the advantage is tiny, its implications could be huge because Bimmer has been the leader in the premium car segment for the last nine consecutive years. Mercedes-Benz lags behind them somewhat at 229,630 vehicles through February. According to Bloomberg, at this time last year Audi had sold 429 fewer cars than BMW.
The growth is all part of Volkswagen Group's goal to become the world's largest automaker. It currently ranks in second when its heavy truck businesses are considered. The German automotive giant also wants to be the world's leading premium carmaker. "Competition in the premium segment is more intense than ever," said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler to Bloomberg.

Win an electric car and celebrate Earth Day

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. Enter to win this giveaway or any other Omaze experience now through April 23, 2021 and receive 500 extra entries into any campaign plus a chance to win $10K with code GOGREEN500. Simply add the discount at checkout. Whether you like it or not, there will come a day when most, if not all of us, will be driving electric cars. For some of us that day can't come soon enough, and in honor of Earth Day we've put together a list of our favorite car giveaways so you can save some green while being green.  Win a 2021 Porsche Taycan Turbo S and $20,000 - Enter Here If there’s one thing Porsche is good at, itÂ’s making fast, beautiful cars, and the Taycan Turbo S is no exception. Making 750 horsepower, 774 lb-ft of torque and a top speed of 161 miles per hour, punching the accelerator will surely throw you back in your seat. In fact, its 0-60 time of 2.6 seconds matches that of the quickest Porsche 911 ever made, the Turbo S. The difference between this Taycan Turbo S and that 911 Turbo S, of course, is that the only reason youÂ’ll ever need to stop off at a gas station is to fill up on snacks. That and the fact the Taycan doesn't actually have a turbo anywhere in the car. We wouldnÂ’t be reaching for a bag of FlaminÂ’ Hot Cheetos, though, because this incredibly comfortable leather interior is immaculate, and weÂ’d hope to keep it that way. Enter here for a chance to win this prize worth $220,000. Win a Himalaya Land Rover Defender 110 EV and $20,000 - Enter Here The Land Rover Defender is an icon: an intense, luxurious off-roader that turns heads and can crawl up nearly anything. The problem? For the past 20+ years it hasn't been available in the United States and it's never been what youÂ’d call environmentally friendly. But this Defender is different. ItÂ’s vintage, restored by Himalaya and itÂ’s all-electric. At 275 horsepower, you wonÂ’t be thrown back in your seat, but the 406 lb-ft of torque helps make this an incredibly capable rock crawler.