2004 Audi Tt on 2040-cars

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Recharge Wrap-up: Nissan "religious" about zero-emissions, Tesla crashes at dealership, Formula E on-board video

Nissan is pretty darn serious about being king of the EV industry. Just see what Chief Planning Officer Andy Palmer has to say at the launch of the e-NV200: "When it comes to zero emissions, we're absolutely religious. We'll be the absolute, No. 1 leader in zero emissions. No doubt. That's our positioning." Bold words, to be sure. Toyota, on the other hand, ended its collaboration with Tesla (whom Nissan mustn't forget about in its quest to reign supreme in the EV world) to build the RAV4 EV, and will focus instead on hybrids and testing the waters with hydrogen cars. Says Jim Lentz, CEO of Toyota North America, "I would rather invest my dollars in fuel cell development than in another 2,500 EVs." Read more at Automotive News or Autoweek. To celebrate 25 years of TDI technology, Audi is releasing the A7 Sportback 3.0 TDI Competition special edition in Europe. The Competition uses Audi's biturbocharged, 3.0-liter diesel engine boosted to 326 horsepower, giving the car a 0-62 time of 5.1 seconds. It comes with the S line sport package and is offered in four exterior colors: Daytona Gray, Misano Red, Nardo Gray and Sepang Blue. The interior is black leather, with the option of Misano Red or Agate Gray contrast stitching. The Competition edition will go on sale in August starting at ˆ72,000 (about $97,700). Audi's first Turbocharged Direct Injection engine debuted at the 1989 Frankfurt Motor Show in the Audi 100 2.5 TDI. See the press release down below for more details. There was another Tesla Model S crash recently, this one at the Tesla Store. The driver apparently crashed the freshly purchased car into the Tesla sign before even making it off the lot. According to Reddit user s1lentway, who was at the Tesla Store in Fremont, California when it happened, "We believe this is someone who just got their car. They must have been driving it for less than a minute and lost control, crashing right into the sign missing the showroom glass windows only by a few inches." Wrecked Exotics suggests the driver hit the accelerator instead of the brake pedal. Probably the best comment in the Reddit post: "Edison strikes again." See the original post at Reddit for more corny jokes, speculation and similar stories from other users. Take a lap in a Formula E racecar. The video below offers up the sights and sounds of a hot, wet lap in the open-cockpit, all-electric Spark-Renault SRT_01E.

2016 Audi S6 Quick Spin [w/video]

Back in my salad days, when I was rocking a the greatest Civic Si of all time, the occasional pair of leather pants, and a yen for malt liquor and grass (both of which quickly put an end to the leather pants), a car like the 2016 Audi S6 would've made my head explode. "What's that?" I might have asked. "A roomy four-seat Audi with more than 400 horsepower and all-wheel drive, that looks like it was sculpted by Ralph McQuarrie? Pushing 30 mpg and under five seconds to 60 miles per hour? The hell you say." And that's even before Future Me showed Skinny Me an interior full of carbon fiber and aluminum, God's own quilted-leather sport buckets, and a 'radio' that would've made my Dreamcast look like an Atari 6400. (If you haven't picked up on the vibe yet, I was kind of a weird nerd in the late '90s.) Gentlemen, we live in the future; I just drove a mid-cycle-refresh Audi that proves it. Driving Notes The 4.0-liter, turbocharged V8 is tailor-made for smoothly pulling around anything less-well-endowed than the M5/E63/CTS-V set. Now up to 450 horsepower and 406 pound-feet of torque (versus the 420 hp and 406 lb-ft of last year's model), there's enough pull in the easily accessible powerband to satisfy all but lunatic drivers. It doesn't feel staggeringly fast, but that's only because 500 horsepower has become so commonplace in the new uber sedan game. It's quick enough. Remember when 250 hp was a crazy number? The car sounds like it has a V8, too. That may seem obvious, but in Generation Direct Injection things tend to get a bit clattery. You'll get some of that if you open the hood with the engine running (as I did in one of the Short Cuts above), but none where it counts: behind the wheel, windows up, stereo down, foot to the floor. That recipe delivers a hushed, baritone-sung song about understatement. Less subtle is the braking force when used at or near the top of its ability. After a moment of surprise and delight while decelerating in normal traffic, I went back-road hunting to test a few pseudo panic stops. Vented 15.7-inch front discs, with 14-inchers in the rear, provided a fast and steady haul-down from 70 miles per hour. Remember when wheels were 15 inches? I mean, you need those big brakes and potent engines to move and stop a car this hefty. With a base weight of 4,486 pounds – no doubt heavier still in my loaded, Dutchman-driven example – it still kind of blows my mind to see the 27-miles-per-gallon highway number.

Refreshed 2016 Audi Q3 starts at $34,625

The Audi Q3 only arrived in the US for the 2015 model year, and for 2016 the compact luxury crossover is already getting a new front end, plus a bump in price to go with the facelift. The cost for the base Premium Plus trim with front-wheel drive is now $34,625, which includes the $925-destination charge on all models. That's $1,200 more than last year. For the extra money, customers get a resculpted front end that features harder angles in the chrome shield that outlines the grille. The piece now extends to connect to the reshaped headlights, and the air intakes in the bumper get a larger, more aggressive look. At the rear, the taillights also have a tweaked design. Buyers get to choose from new exterior colors, as well, including Hainan Blue, Utopia Blue, Misano Red, and Cuvee Silver. In addition to the revised styling, fore and aft parking sensors and a rearview camera are now among the standard features. The higher-spec Prestige trim now rings up for $39,525 in front-wheel drive form. It adds features like a standard 7-inch MMI navigation system, power tailgate, blind-spot monitoring, a 14-speaker Bose stereo, and full LED headlights. New powertrains are not among the list of changes for the Q3. All models still come with a 200-horsepower, 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder that's hooked up to a six-speed automatic. Front- wheel drive is standard, but Quattro all-wheel drive is a $2,100-option on both trims. Audi announces pricing for the updated 2016 Q3 crossover June 03, 2015 | HERNDON, Virginia Compact crossover receives redesign of front lights, grille, and exterior fascia along with Alu-optic interior MMI controls and interior upgrades Front and rear parking sensors with rearview camera join wide array of standard equipment Full LED headlights and dynamic rear turn signals on Prestige trim Audi today announced pricing for the 2016 Q3. The redesigned compact crossover now boasts a wider array of standard features, including front and rear parking sensors with a rearview camera, as well as an updated dynamic exterior styling for a balance of luxury and functionality. 2016 Audi Q3 The 2016 Q3 boasts a refreshed exterior aesthetic, with redesigned front lights, grille, bumper, side sills and rear lights. The crossover is now offered with standard 18'' 5-arm turbine design wheels. Also available are 19" 5-double-spoke Offroad design wheels.