audi

Photos: Audi S cars at the Paris Motor Show

Audi had us drooling over the S-line cars at the 2008 Paris Motor Show, but of the three we cover here, only one will be available in the U.S. Audi showed off the new S4, based on the redesigned A4 launched last year, which has some very interesting changes over the previous S4 model. We also got a look at the S3 and RS6, the latter billed as the most powerful production sedan in the world.

Click here for photos of the Audi S3, S4, and RS6 at the 2008 Paris Motor Show.

See all coverage of the 2008 Paris Motor Show. … Read more

Photos: Small, premium concepts from the Paris Motor Show

Although we've seen a trend toward small cars at the Paris Motor Show from traditional economy car companies, entrants from BMW and Audi signify that the trend is important enough to interest these premium car companies. BMW showed off the X1 small SUV concept, while Audi came to the show with its A1 city car concept. Mini also enters a new small car at the show, but its concept is actually bigger that its current model line-up, showing Mini has nowhere to go but up.

Click here for photos of concepts by Audi, BMW, and Mini at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. … Read more

New S4 gets smaller engine, better efficiency

On the heels of this year's Audi A4 redesign comes the new S4, which Audi announced will appear at the 2008 Paris Motor Show. The 2006 Audi S4, the sport version of the A4, impressed us enough in 2005 to clinch an Editors' Choice. This new version, a 2010 model, shows some radical changes. Where the 2006 model had a 4.2-liter V-8 engine, the new model drops displacement, going down to a 3-liter V-6; but this V-6 is fitted with an intercooled supercharger, which, along with Audi's direct injection technology, pumps up the horsepower to 333. Audi'… Read more

Travolution enables traffic lights to talk to cars

Waiting at traffic lights is one of the primary reasons why city mpg is so much lower than highway mpg. Automakers have attempted to address this issue with start-stop technology, but what if you could eliminate the stop altogether? The experimental "Travolution" system, developed with Audi support by traffic management experts in the brand's German hometown of Ingolstadt, aims to do just that and make long traffic light waits a thing of the past.

The system consists of a network of 46 "intelligent" traffic lights (with 50 more light installations planned) installed in the center … Read more

Cars for your iPod

More automakers are offering iPod integration in their models, sometimes as a standard feature. With this type of integration, you can bring your iPod into the car, leave it in the glovebox or console, and access all of your music through the car's stereo interface, listening to your tunes through a full audio system. You can select your music by artist, album, genre, and playlist just as you would on your iPod. And the number of automakers offering this integration varies widely.

Of course there are BMW and Infiniti, but would you believe Ford and Hyundai, too? Take a … Read more

Audi race preps the R8 with new GT3 model

As fast as Audi's R8 is, there will always be someone who wants to go faster. According to Audi, the company has been inundated with requests for a race-prepped version of its halo car. Come fall 2009, Audi will deliver in the form of an Audi Sport-developed racing sports car specifically developed for customer use: the GT3 version of the Audi R8.

The GT3 R8 eschews Audi's Quattro all-wheel-drive system in favor of a GT regulation rear-wheel drive transmission. The R8's 500-plus horsepower is delivered via a newly developed six-speed, sequential, sports gearbox. A modified front end … Read more

Audi and iPhone, together at last, sort of

Audi got us all excited Thursday morning with a press release titled "Audi announces first automotive OEM iPhone application." We were thinking Audi cars would integrate with the iPhone in ways we never thought possible. Maybe you could display your iPhone screen on the car's LCD, viewing Web pages and e-mail. Maybe the iPhone would work with the navigation system, giving you Google address searches in place of the car's standard points-of-interest database. Audi already has good iPod integration and Bluetooth cell phone support, two things of which the iPhone can take advantage.

But then we … Read more

77: Is Ford about to become a line of "foreign" cars?

Ford says it will gets lots of its future cars from Europe... Jetta diesels get a green light from the IRS... and XM and Sirius are that close to getting merger approval. Listen now: Download today's podcast

Review: 2008 Audi A8 L W12

The 2008 Audi A8 L W12 rests in a premier echelon of cars that combines extreme luxury with exceptional driving performance; these cars make it difficult to decide whether you'd rather be reclining in the back seat while a chauffeur drives, or up there where the action is, with your hands on the wheel. The back seats tempt with a DVD-entertainment system, power adjustment, and a refrigerator. The driver's seat offers control over the 6-liter 12-cylinder engine and superb all-wheel-drive handling for such a large car. All seats get treated to stellar sound from the Bang & Olufsen … Read more