2011 Audi S5 With Navigation Back Up Camera 19" Wheels Bang And Olufson Sound on 2040-cars

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Google poised to release Apple CarPlay rival this month

Apple and Google. They're the Michigan and Ohio State of the tech world. They're New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox, Real Madrid and Barcelona, or whatever sports-based rivalry you want to cook up. Bottom line, if one company expands into a segment, it's only a matter of time before the other follows suit. And now, that rivalry is about to carry over to your car's dashboard.
Unnamed sources are reporting to Automotive News that Google will unveil its very own challenger to Apple's new CarPlay in-car operating system later this month at the Mountain View, CA company's annual developer conference. The system, allegedly called Google Auto Link, will be the first product to come from the Open Automotive Alliance, a partnership between Google, General Motors, Hyundai, Audi, Honda and hardware manufacturer NVIDIA.
The official announcement is expected to be made on either June 25 or 26, at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco. Expect to hear a lot more about Google Auto Link then.

Audi Prologue concept goes for A9, we give it a ten

If you've been waiting for Audi to roll out a new design language, you need wait no longer as Ingolstadt is displaying just that at the Los Angeles Auto Show this year with the Prologue concept you see here.
Penned by Audi's new design chief Marc Lichte, the Prologue is earmarked to introduce a shift (if not quite a complete change) in design direction for the German automaker. The trapezoidal grille sits wider and lower than on existing models, with the wedge-shaped laser headlights positioned higher above new air intakes with blade elements. The profile rests balanced across its wheelbase to visually emphasize the all-wheel drive that is part of Audi's DNA, with flared arches inspired by the legendary Ur-Quattro. The rear section is inspired by yachts, angled forward to suggest motion, with a narrow strip of LED taillights, full-width diffuser element and twin trapezoidal exhaust tips.
Inside it's all light and surgically clean, with a horizontal dashboard integrating four touchscreen displays running its full width. The system even allows the passenger to select the route for the navigation system and swipe it on over to the driver's display. The headrests on the rear seats and the "sound spoiler" on the rear shelf deploy only when needed, unobstructing the rear view when not.

Stay caffeinated at the speed of Audi

A large portion of the world would be in trouble without a daily dose of caffeine, and some of these coffee addicts are serious about the details, especially when it comes to specialties like espresso. For them, filling up a mug of regular java before hitting the road just isn't good enough, and Audi is happy to appeal to these folks' persnickety needs with one of its accessories available in Europe. The Germany luxury brand calls it the Espresso Mobil, and the fancy device plugs into a 12-volt outlet to brew up some espresso in a claimed two minutes. The user just needs to fill the contraption with water and press a button. The gadget runs on proprietary pods from Illy, however, which means coffee snobs can't pack it with their specific choice of bean. According to the Audi accessories catalog, Espresso Mobil starts at 199 euros ($217). In addition to the device, buyers gets a carrying case, two cups, a cleaning towel and 18 espresso pads. It's everything you need to make a fresh espresso while driving. Audi actually isn't the first to jump into the mobile-espresso-maker-for-cars category. It was the Italians at Fiat who launched a similar device with Lavazza a few years ago. That gadget was even more expensive at ˆ250 (about $300 at the time). Related Video: