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Notes from day one of the Rolex 24 at Daytona

We came to Daytona Beach, Florida where you can drive on the beach, gun shops outnumber doughnut shops and you can putt-putt and fish for alligators at the same place. But we're not here for any of that - we've made the trip with Audi in order to experience the Rolex 24 at Daytona, the first race in the 2013 Grand-Am season and the only 24-hour race in America.
Three teams are racing four Audi R8 Grand-Am cars - WeatherTech Racing, Rum Bum Racing and APR, which is running two cars. Shown to the world two years ago, the R8 Grand-Am is part of Audi Sport's R8 LMS customer racing program that was commenced in 2008, and ever since 2009 has been nabbing success all over the world: In four years it has taken 154 victories and 17 series titles. That is with less than 100 cars sold to customers throughout the world, and the trophies - either class wins or overall victories - have been gathered from all of the major endurance races except one: Daytona.

US-bound Audi A3 Sedan spied testing

As the Audi A3 sedan gets closer to its debut, Audi has camouflaged prototypes to take it on the streets for final testing. Last time we saw the A3, it was testing almost in the buff, but it was on a closed track so our spy shooters were kept at quite a distance.
Now that the newest Audi sedan is testing on public roads, our latest batch of spy shots gives us a more detailed look at the entry-level luxury player despite the swirly camo. Except for the oversized wheels and the fancy exhaust outlets and door mirrors, the production version of the car should look almost identical to the A3 sedan concept we saw in Geneva a couple years ago. Some of the details we can see include a good-sized panoramic roof that stretches almost halfway into the rear passenger space and signature Audi LED-accented headlights and taillights.

Choose your own adventure in Audi's next Super Bowl commercial

Audi has a 60-second spot planned for this year's Super Bowl to promote its S6 sedan, but exactly which spot will air is being put in the hands of Internet users. The ad follows a high schooler as he "embarks on one of the most pivotal moments of his adolescence: prom night." The spot is fixed up to the pivotal moment when he steals a kiss from the prom queen. From that moment, there are three possible endings.
Today, up until 11:59 pm, Audi is running three different versions on its YouTube channel and you can vote on which ending you'd like to see during The Big Game. The winning spot will run on YouTube before the game and then run in the first ad break after kickoff during the Super Bowl. Coca-Cola is running a similar interactive campaign, although its potential endings will involve cowboys, showgirls and a post-Apocalyptic badass, none of which we expect to make it into Audi's prom night spot. Scroll below to view all three alternate ending videos and cast your vote.

Audi commits two R18 E-Tron Quattros to final Sebring race for LMP1 cars

We were baffled a few weeks back when the American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series announced new classes that will make up their combined racing program in 2014. Gone from the list is the Le Mans Prototype class, otherwise known as LMP1. The LMP1 class has long been the top dog of endurance racing, both in Europe and the US, so we couldn't figure out why this newly minted racing series was jettisoning it like yesterday's donuts.
It appears as if Audi is confused by the move as well. The German brand has announced it will participate in this year's ALMS opening round, the famed 12 Hours of Sebring, as it does every year, and bringing two Audi R18 E-Tron Quattro hybrid race cars with which to compete. Unlike every other year, Audi is treating this year's race as its potential swan song in this famous Florida race.
There's a good reason that Audi is so fond of the 12 Hours of Sebring, as it debuted the gas-powered R8R there in 1999 that kicked off its participation in the upper echelon of endurance racing. The R8R preceded the R8, which debuted at Sebring in 2000 and won that race, starting an amazing career for that car that included five more wins at Sebring. The R8 was followed by the R10, then the R15 and R18, and finally we wind up at today's R18 E-Tron Quattro - all winners, all dominant, all exciting to watch.

2014 Audi RS7 is a 189-mph terror

If you have a burning desire to take yourself and four friends to 189 miles per hour, the 2014 Audi RS7 Sportback can help you out. The luxury hatchback bowed at the 2013 Detroit Auto Show today, complete with a 560-horsepower twin-turbocharged 4.0-liter V8 engine thrashing under the hood. Getting to 62 mph takes a shave under 3.9 seconds thanks in part to the 553 pound-feet of torque on hand from just 1,750 rpm. While the base car comes with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph, customers can request the governor be removed by purchasing the dynamic package plus, upping the V-max to 189 mph.
Ludicrous? Sure, but Audi says the RS7 can also yield up to 25 mpg on the US scale. With a cylinder-on-demand system, the V8 can deactivate up to four cylinders by closing their valves. Once the driver gets frisky with the throttle, the engine automatically kicks from four-cylinder to eight-cylinder mode in a few hundredths of a second. The engine is bolted to an eight-speed automatic transmission, which pushes power to all four wheels. You can read the full press release below for more information, but we think you'll have a better time viewing our live shots from the show floor..

2014 Audi SQ5 ditches diesel, still packs a punch

Over in Europe-land, the Audi SQ5 is a diesel-powered monster capable of sending a whopping 479 pound-feet of torque to its wheels. Naturally, this beast isn't coming to the States, but that doesn't mean we're missing out on the whole SQ5 experience altogether. At the Detroit Auto Show this week, Audi is debuting a new gasoline-powered version of the hot crossover, and while it's not quite the oil-burning dreamboat we've lusted after from afar, we certainly wouldn't kick it out of bed.
Instead of a diesel, we get a boosted version of Audi's supercharged 3.0-liter V6, good for 354 horsepower and 346 pound-feet of torque. Running through an eight-speed automatic transmission, the SQ5 will reportedly be able to fire off 0-60 times in the low-five-second range and will top out at an electronically limited 155 miles per hour. Suspension upgrades are on hand to improve road-going prowess, but also lower the Q5's stance a bit, too.
Because this is an S model, there are plenty of visual upgrades on hand, including a more aggressive front fascia, 20-inch wheels and some pretty new colors including Estoril Blue and Panther Black. Interior upgrades like Alcantara trim and aluminum brightwork add to some sportiness from the cockpit view, as well.

Volkswagen breaks 40-year-old sales record in 2012

The last time Volkswagen moved this many vehicles in America in one year, Richard Nixon was still a President in good standing, Let It Be was a radio hit and each car wearing the VW badge boasted an air-cooled engine. That's right, with a grand total of 580,286 vehicles sold in the US last year, the VW Group has broken its own four-decades-old sales record by 2,899 vehicles.
Of that 580k total sold, 438k were Volkswagens and 139k were Audi products - increases of 35.1 percent and 18.5 percent, respectively, in year-over-year sales. The ultra-premium members of the VW group also fared well; Bentley delivered 2,315 vehicles for a 23.3-precent increase, and Lamborghini delivered 520 units for a 52.9-percent jump. Bugatti, we're told is "right on track."
Jetta (pictured) sales paced the marque with 170k models sold, and Passat also finished very strong with sales of 117k total. Tiguan also racked up its best year on file, with 31,731 models shifted.

Audi replaces Mercedes as official vehicle supplier to the IOC

The automotive sponsor of the International Olympic Committee for the past 22 years has been Daimler-Benz. No more, as Audi has just signed a four-year deal to be the official auto supplier to the folks who keep the torch alight and on the move. Audi will supply vehicles for the IOC's headquarters in Lausanne, Switzerland and the organization's international events.
In case you're remembering all the stories about BMW and the London Olympics last summer and wondering where Mercedes-Benz was in all of that, the answer lies in the numerous mouths at the Olympic trough. The IOC is the organization and oversight body of the Olympics - much like the way the FIA oversees world motorsport. BMW, though, sponsored the London Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games, so during the games IOC reps rode in Benzes, LOCOG and its guest dignitaries rode in BMWs.
The Volkswagen Group has other ties with the Olympics as well: The Group will be the official vehicle partner for the winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia in 2014, and Audi currently partners the national Olympic federations of Germany, Finland, Russia and Switzerland. The press release below announcing the partnership has all the official details.

Justin Bell laps Willow Springs... in the dark... using only night vision

Night vision has made its way into quite a few luxury cars as a night-driving safety feature, but eBay Motors wanted to see if the technology could be used to actually drive the car. Former racer and World's Faster Car Show host Justin Bell grabbed the keys to an Audi A7 and headed to Willow Springs Raceway to find out.
As if driving in the dark of the desert night wasn't hard enough, the car's windshield and side windows were blacked out, so Bell's driving relied completely on the three-inch night vision display located in the gauge cluster. In addition to navigating the track, his producers also threw in a few surprises for Bell on the track. We don't want to spoil too much for you, but based on the speeds exhibited in the video, we don't think 24-hour endurance races will be adding this tech any time soon; that being said, he probably drove the car faster and better than we could have.
Scroll down to watch how Bell does lapping the track using only the car's night vision.

Audi takes cars that park themselves to a whole new level

Autonomous cars are impressive displays of in-car technology, but what exactly would the benefit of such systems be for the average driver? Audi has answered that question by showing off its Piloted Parking system for the Audi Connect at CES 2013.
Installed on this Audi A7, Piloted Parking allows a driver to drop themselves off and have the car autonomously drive away on its own and find its own parking spot. The car can then later be retrieved by "calling" it back with a specially designed smartphone app. We'd be lying if we said this didn't bring back memories of Michael Knight summoning KITT with his wristwatch. The most impressive part of this car might be the fact that the car is fully autonomous but doesn't have any obvious sensors or monitors on the exterior of the car like many other self-driving cars have.
Check out a video of the this innovative technology in action after the jump.