Efficiency is important these days. The government is cracking down on gas guzzlers and imposing strict regulations that force automakers into saving more fuel than ever before.

That’s why it might come as a surprise that Audi of America is opting not to offer their most efficient diesel engine in the upcoming 2013 Q5. That’s right, the German luxury brand sees fit to package the same diesel 3.0-liter V6 that they currently offer American consumers in the Q7.

Why, you might ask? The answer is simple, though less than logical. Audi is afraid of selling a 2.0 turbo diesel Q5 because it gets better milage than the hybrid-electric powertrain they are offering in the same vehicle.

In other words, the diesel engine is too efficient for the discerning U.S. palette. Now, there may be some merit to the theory, considering diesel fuel is more expensive than gasoline. People can be quick to judge at the pump and diesels still carry a somewhat sordid name among American consumers, even today.

On the other hand Hybrids evoke green imagery and environmentally friendly thoughts, which is even funnier when you realize that Europeans have been driving diesels to save fuel for decades.

Regardless of the reasoning, Audi is doing a good job of pandering to consumer egos, saying they chose to offer a more performance oriented diesel and an efficient hybrid.

Speaking of performance-oriented diesels, the company will also be offering Americans the same engine in the A8 later this year. The same logic that spoiled the chances for a 2.0-liter diesel Q5 is also keeping the hybrid A8 out of reach.

“Our current A8 with the 4.2L gasoline V-8 gets the same fuel economy as hybrids from BMW, Lexus and Mercedes” due to its emphasis on weight-saving aluminum construction, Audi of America President Johan de Nysschen said to Ward’s Auto. “Imagine now what happens when you put a diesel in the car. You have all the driveability and driving enjoyment with even better fuel economy.”

In fact, 41% of Q7 and 55% of A3 sales in the U.S. were diesel models, though the fact that Audi still ships from Germany probably restricted supply, so it makes sense that they would be rolling more models out with the oil-burning option.

GALLERY: Audi Q5 Hybrid

[Source: Wards Auto]

Audi has plenty to celebrate this year, having eclipsed their previous annual sales record of 101,629 (set in 2010) with a month to go in 2011. Sales through the Thanksgiving weekend stood at 102,055 vehicles, giving Audi an amazing year to go along with having record-setting months in each of the first 10 months of the year.

To go along with new car sales, Audi also set a new record with their Certified Pre-Owned (CPO) vehicles, besting their 2008 record of 32,108. CPO sales up to Thanksgiving weekend totaled in at 33,102 which was also a 32-percent increase over the previous year’s tally.

This is the second time Audi has exceeded 100,000 in sales since it established its brand in America over 41 years ago. They expect to have a record November month as well, and figures to close the year off with a 12th record setting month.

Much of Audi’s success can probably be credited to the more aggressive styling on the new A4 and A5 models as well penetrating BMW and Mercedes-Benz‘s luxury sedan market with their A6 and A8.

Audi has a legion of dedicated fans. In fact, a recent Visibli study found that the auto brand has more engaged social media followers than even Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber. That must mean these fans have quite a few stories to share about how the German luxury automaker gained their loyalty.

Audi wants to share these stories with the rest of the world and to do so the company launched the “Remarkable Audi Film” series. Each installment in the series focuses on real people who discuss what Audi means to them. There are no rehearsed scripts – Audi just turns on the camera and lets the story unfold.

In the first installment in the series, Audi talks with award-winning and Grammy-nominated recording artist Ryan Farish, who uses Audi to perfect his music. After burning his tracks on a CD, he listens to how they sound in his Audi TT. In the video below, you can see what happens when he takes the new Audi A8, outfitted with a 19-speaker, 1,400-watt Bang & Olufsen Advanced Sound System, out for a test drive. You can watch the video after the jump.

If you’ve got a story to tell, send it to remarkable@audi.com. You may be featured in the next installment of the Remarkable Audi Film series.

Continue Reading…

Audi has just released official details on a new hybrid version of its A8 luxury flagship sedan, powered by a 4-cylinder engine. The 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder (what else?) is mated to an electric motor and makes a total of 245-hp with 345 lb-ft of torque while achieving an average fuel consumption of 36.75-mpg (on the European test cycle). Even more impressive is that the luxury sedan can travel up to 62-mph on the electric motor alone and can cover 1.86-miles at a speed of 37-mph with zero local emissions.

Separately, the 2.0L TFSI produces 211-hp and 258 lb-ft of torque, while the electric motor puts out 54-hp and 155 lb-ft of torque. Combined, this helps power the A8 hybrid to a 0-62 mph time of 7.7 seconds – a reasonable though hardly impressive time. Three driving modes are available to the A8 hybrid driver, an EV mode that gives priority to the electric drive, a “D” mode that efficiently controls both the electric and gas engine and an “S” mode can be combined with the tiptronic gate to provide a sporty driving experience.

On the outside, the hybrid version sports subtle differences than its gas-only counterpart. The 10-spoke wheels are unique and come in an 18-inch sizing as standard, with a 19-inch upgrade available as an option. Hybrid badges adorn the body while Arctic Silver is an exclusive paint finish to the hybrid model. Standard to the model are metallic paint, three-zone automatic air conditioning, LED headlights and a Bose sound system.

No pricing was announced for the A8 hybrid.

GALLERY: Audi A8 Hybrid

Somebody in Audi management is busting out the champagne and Hoyo Monterrey Excaliburs. This past March gave them a series of sales records, including the best March US sales and the best overall first quarter of all time.

This was the third month in a row where Audi sales have set records, and in the U.S. March sales were the third-best monthly sales overall.

You want numbers? We got numbers, bucko. 25,383 vehicles were sold this first quarter, a 19.1% increase over the previous year’s. The record-setting March 2011 saw 9,818 vehicles moved out of Audi showrooms, an increase of over 1,000 vehicles from March 2010—or 14.3%. From February, sales increased a not-insubstantial 25%. Five Audi models saw sales increases of 20%: the Q7, Q5, TT, R8, and the 2011 Audi A8, which was the biggest winner—compared to sales from 2010, the flagship sedan increased its sales by an overwhelming 788.9%. From just 68 models in March 2010 to 1,371 this past month, the uber-sedan owes its success to its redesign this year.

Hear that sound? It’s somebody at Audi probably getting a promotion. Or another cigar.

Each spring, a jury of 66 automotive journalists from around the globe get together to pick a winner for the World Car of the Year title. The journalists are asked to vote by secret ballot, selecting the winner from 10 cars that have made the final cut.

For the 2011 awards, those finalists have now been announced. They are:  Audi A1, Audi A8, BMW 5-Series, BMW X3, Jaguar XJ, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG (shown above), Nissan LEAF, Porsche Cayenne and Volvo S60/V60.

And yes, the much hyped Chevrolet Volt didn’t make the cut this time around, perhaps next year when it becomes more widely available.

Now that the finalists for this year’s awards have been announced, the jurors will ‘re-evaluate’ each vehicle on merit, value, safety, emotional appeal, significance and environmental impact. Once the findings of these evaluations have been tabulated, the shortlist will be whittled down to three vehicles, which will be announced at the Geneva Auto Show next month. The actual World Car of Year winner, will be announced at the New York International Auto Show on April 21st; the final ballots being tabulated by international accounting firm KPMG.

The World Car Awards were first instigated in 2003 to reflect a more global automotive landscape and complement existing national and regional Car of the Year award programs.

Past WCOTY winners have generally been cars that have proved popular in many countries around the world. The first car to actually win the accolade, back in 2005, was the Audi A6, while past winners have included other top selling cars such as the BMW 3-Series; Mazda 2 and Volkswagen Golf.

Audi is getting ready to launch an A8 Hybrid with a four-cylinder engine that will compete with the upcoming Mercedes-Benz S250 CDI, which uses a 4-cylinder diesel motor, and the S400 Hybrid.

With a front-drive only V6 version of the A8 already on sale, the 4-cylinder hybrid model is a naturally progression for that brand, while still maintaining the premium positioning that luxury hybrids enjoy.

Interestingly, BMW denied that they were interested in introducing an engine smaller than 6 cylinders in their 7-Series flagship. “I like selling 7-series cars with six- and eight- cylinders,”BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer said  at the Paris Motor Show. “What we need to offer with these cars in the future is electrification.”

[Source: Automotive News]

Throughout it’s 62 year history, Israel has had an uneasy relationship with German cars. While Israel and Germany have strong diplomatic relationships, its government agencies have stayed away from using Mercedes-Benz or Volkswagen cars, even though they comprise most of the Israeli taxi fleet. Instead, Skodas and Volvos have been popular, in recognition of the respective countries efforts to provide arms to Israel and save Jews during the Holocaust.

It looks like that trend will be coming to a close, as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be the first Prime Minister to enjoy a fleet of three bulletproofed Audi A8L W12 sedans. Netanyahu’s current fleet of Toyota Land Cruisers and Chevrolet Suburbans are apparently being replaced by the Audis, which will also be used to ferry other VIPs around while in the country.

As you might expect, the A8s will have the best available armoring, since Netanyahu is what the American military would call a “high value target”. Israel’s security services allegedly blew up a prototype A8 to test the various safety features of the car, which should be capable of protecting occupants against gunfire, roadside bombs, grenades and even rocket attacks. Inside, the usual luxury features, like leather seats and a sunroof will go along with more opulent ones like a fridge, DVD player and a humidor.

The three A8s will cost a total of $3 million dollars, replacing the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG as the most expensive model for sale in Israel. Audi’s Israeli importer quoted a base price of $685,000 for a comparably equipped A8 W12, not including the 110% sales tax, so we can only assume that the government got a wholesale discount.

[Source: Ynet News]

Cadillac‘s current flagships, the DTS and STS sedans are overpriced and underwhelming in today’s marketplace. The proposed XTS concept is a sharp looking vehicle but is apparently not premium enough to compete with the big dogs, like the Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 750i and Audi A8.

Soon-to-be-departed GM CEO Ed Whitacre apparently ordered Cadillac to get to work on a flagship capable of returning the brand to its former standing as “Standard Of The World”. But with the XTS slated to arrive in 2014 or later, we could be waiting a long time for a big Caddy.

[Source: Autoblog]

Audi has confirmed via a Twitter messgae to enthusiast blog SpeedSportLife that they will be bringing the A7 Sportback to North America by August 2011.

The A7, unvieled today in Munich, will be a four-seater coupe/hatchback/sedan designed to take on the Mercedes-Benz CLS and possibly the BMW 5-Series GT. A four-seater only, the A7 will be powered by a range of 6-cylinder engines, with direct-injection, stop-start technology and brake energy recuperation, which sounds suspiciously like a hybrid car for our tastes. Look for the familiar 3.0L TFSI supercharged V6 to be the sole engine for North America, as it is already certified here and Audi is unlikely to bring the lesser 2.8L V6. Diesels are a slim possibility, but unlikely. With the 7-speed S-tronic dual clutch gearbox, the A7 3.0TFSI can hit 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. The A7 is some 220 lbs lighter than the CLS350, allowing it to get away with forgoing a V8 gasoline engine. The A7 will also share the new quattro all-wheel-drive system that debuted in the RS5, featuring a decidedly rearward bias. Front-wheel drive and a CVT gearbox will be offered in Europe, but again, don’t expect them to show up in North America.

While the A7 Sportback does not share a platform with the A8, the car is designed to slot in just below it, with its swoopy styling acting as a contrast to the more staid, discreet A8. It’s not hard to imagine the A8 as a car that European government ministers (and low key wealthy folks in the Americas) would be driven in, while the A7 is for people who still have a performance itch that needs to be scratched.

Pricing hasn’t been announced for North America but “more than an A6, less than an A8″ is likely a safe bet. An S7 and RS7 pair of performance variants were also announced, likely taking aim at the Porsche Panamera, Aston Martin Rapide and Maserati Quattroporte.

[Source: Twitter, Audi]

Gallery: Audi A7 Sportback

Continue Reading…