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Audi unveiled one of the few concepts at the 2007 Los Angeles Auto Show, the Cross Cabriolet Quattro. This car is an attempt to combine a convertible coupe with an SUV, exploring untapped ground in the design world. The car gets Audi's off-road equipment, including Quattro all-wheel-drive and ride height adjustment, along with the latest cabin gadgets, such as navigation integrated with Google Earth and a Bang & Olufsen audio system that can play Internet radio.

Click here for photos of the Audi Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept.

Audi Cross Cabriolet artist's rendering.

(Credit: Audi)

Audi plans to unveil a two-door four-seater concept car with a soft top at the 2007 LA Auto Show on Wednesday.

The Audi Cross Cabriolet, which Audi says is a mini car/SUV, will have a 240-horsepower 3-liter engine.

But here's the neat thing. The four-wheel drive car will have an electric ride-height adjustment. Audi says it's for driving on different types of terrain, but I'm thinking it's just one of those things people won't be able to resist playing with. The car is also shown in a wild copper color.

Audi says that the car represents an entirely new "vehicle segment" for the company. Would that be the DIY hooptie segment? If so, I'm on board.

Although the car is not yet available for viewing today, here's an artist's rendering of what it looks like. Check back for photos of the actual car on display at the show once it's officially unveiled.

For more Audi ogling, check out our photos and video of the that was released at the recent Tokyo Motor Show. For more crazy-color cars, check out our SEMA highlights gallery.

(Credit: Autoblog)

Not to be outdone by its Teutonic rival, Audi has followed BMW's lead in announcing that its cars are now fully compatible with the Apple iPhone. Those lucky souls who own both an Audi and an iPhone will now be able to connect the two for Bluetooth hands-free calling, while those even luckier souls with an A5, A6, A8 or Q7 can use Audi's optional AMI music interface to play music via the phone's iPod function.

If you own neither an Audi nor an iPhone, you can still take some solace in the free Audi-inspired ringtones that the automaker offers on its Web site.

Via Autoblog

Audi TT

(Credit: Candace Lombardi/CNET Networks)

We know Audi has the fastest diesel engine in the world, but does it also have the cleanest one?

Many car companies have been touting diesel engine technology as the short-term solution to fuel prices and environmental concerns. Others are making hybrids or concentrating on improving the efficiency of gas engines.

Audi may have something that will blow them all away.

The company plans to incorporate the TDI (turbocharged direct injection) technology that was used in its Le Mans-winning R10 TDI sports car into its existing line of consumer cars. That's not surprising.

Here's the kicker.

The company claimed in its announcement that it will be selling cars with "the cleanest diesel technology in the world" by mid-2008.

It's a pretty bold statement considering Honda showcased a diesel Accord that gets 62 miles per gallon.

Of course, that Honda won't be out until 2010 and Audi said "cleanest," not most fuel-efficient, so maybe there's some wiggle room there.

The new extra-efficient versions of existing Audi models will be designated with an "e." Some of them will be diesel and some more fuel-efficient gas engine cars, with hybrids also in the works.

Audi said in a statement that its "e" cars will beat "the most stringent emissions limits that are to be applied in the future in Europe as soon as production starts." I think Audi is aiming to beat out the Mercedes-Benz E320 BlueTec, which won the next World Green Car Award, in addition to winning over consumers.

I guess winning World Car Design of the Year and World Car Performance for 2007 just wasn't good enough.

Is diesel the answer to more stringent emission standards?

Apparently it is, at least from the perspective of automakers.

Ford India announced Wednesday that it is launching a diesel version of the Ford Fiesta, the latest in a string of similar announcements in the industry.

"(This car) will dramatically change customers' perceptions about the traditional diesel vehicle. The car is designed to deliver responsive acceleration, outstanding fuel economy, and reduced emissions consistent with future norms," Scott McCormack, vice president of Ford India, said in a statement.

While environmentalists, consumers and politicians continued to discuss ethanol, hydrogen and electricity, the auto industry, it seems, had already decided and has been making plans for its short-term answer to the energy problem.

It's been sitting under our noses at the highway pump the whole time.

In the past month, several major car companies have announced that they are either beefing up their diesel-engine lines or partnering on technology to develop better diesel engines for both commercial trucks and cars. Some are even thinking diesel-electric hybrids.

Honda announced an Accord that will get 62.8 miles per gallon for the U.S. market by 2010. Peugeot announced earlier this month that it has a hybrid diesel-electric car in the works that should get about 70 mpg, according to reports.

Toyota has said that it will make an announcement this July concerning its much-anticipated collaboration on diesel technology with Isuzu.

DaimlerChrysler is partnering with Fiat to improve its diesel engines for light-duty commercial trucks, and then possibly move on to low-emission diesel vehicles for cars.

Audi has said it hopes its win with a diesel-powered race car at Le Mans, will help change the perception of diesel among consumers, especially in the U.S. where old diesel engines fell out of favor as emissions standards rose.

With an infrastructure already in place due to commercial trucks never leaving the diesel fold, diesel seems like an obvious solution to help fulfill automakers' immediate needs--to sell more vehicles while meeting emissions standards and consumer demand to save on fuel.

Today's diesel engines and diesel fuel itself have come a long way. Advances in turbocharging and fuel injection have boosted performance. New kinds of particle traps and low sulfur diesel fuel have reduced the emissions and soot-producing byproducts.

Whether car companies will be able to overcome the association with diesel as the sooty diesel engine trucks and cars of the 1970s and 1980s is another matter.

Audi has once again proven that diesel can win, when it comes to speed and endurance.

For the second time, the German automaker took first place at 24 Hours at Le Mans, the legendary French endurance race, with its diesel-powered Audi R10 TDI.

TDI, which, according to Audi, stands for "direct injection turbocharged diesel engine," is technology that the company introduced in 1989 and has continuously been developing. Audi claims that its TDI cars offer better fuel economy, power and performance, as well as reduced emissions.

Some speculated that Audi's win last year with the Audi R10 TDI was a fluke, or the result of an unforeseen advantage when it came to pit stops and refueling. But even with new regulations put in place by the Automobile Club De L'Ouest to level the playing field between diesel and gas engine cars, Audi still won.

On Sunday, the Audi R10 beat out second place winner Peugeot by 10 laps, according to the Automobile Club De L'Ouest's official log of the race. The second place winning car, the Peugeot 908, was also powered by diesel.

Pescarolo Sport took third place, 11 laps behind Peugeot, with its gas-powered car.

The high-profile win could help to change the perception of diesel engines among U.S. consumers.

Audi has said in the past that it hoped its TDI racecar would translate into a larger acceptance of modern diesel-engine cars, overall. The company is especially interested in changing the common U.S. association of diesel engines with the ones of yore that offered limited performance and visible pollution.

"Audi is convinced that TDI is also the strong and economical alternative vehicle power source of the future for the United States. The R10 TDI is a forerunner for the nationwide diesel offensive in the USA," Wolfgang Ullrich, the head of Audi Motorsport, said when the company won both the American Le Mans Series and 24 hours at Le Mans in 2006.

The company's second win this year at the Le Mans race brings even greater prestige.

This is only the second time a diesel-powered car has ever won 24 Hours at Le Mans. The two diesel-powered cars managed to dominate the race in spite of ACO's new regulation that restricted diesel engine cars to have 10 percent smaller fuel tanks than gas engine cars.

Audi managed to do 369 laps within the 24 hour race amidst torrential rain that began during the final phase and led to flooding and slippery driving conditions. The Audi drivers who led the victory are Frank Biela, Emanuele Pirro and Marco Werner.

"This triumph shows one more time the meaning of 'Vorsprung durch Technik,'" Ullrich said in a statement. The mantra translates to mean "progress through technology" or "taking the lead in technology."

This year marks the 75th anniversary of Le Mans--and Audi's seventh time to take the lead since the race's inception. It is now in third place overall, with Porsche and Ferrari still ahead with the most lifetime Le Mans wins for any one carmaker.