IAA 2011: Audi Launches A8 Hybrid, W12 LWB Limited Edition and New 4.0 TFSI Engine

Audi has chosen the 64th Frankfurt Motor Show to present two new versions of its A8 large luxury sedan as well as the brand-new 4.0 TFSI engine which will power the “S”-badged versions of its line-up.

The A8 Hybrid will go on sale on 2012 and unusually for such a big car, it features a relatively small-capacity four-cylinder gasoline engine coupled to a hybrid system. In reality, the A8 Hybrid is anything but underpowered: The 2.0-liter TFSI and the electric motor develop a combined output of 245 HP and 480 Nm (345.03 lb-ft) of torque for short periods of time.

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Posted on 05.35 / 0 comments / Read More

Official: New 2013 Audi S8 gets 4.0-liter Twin-Turbo V8 with 520-Horses

Audi's third and final "S" model heading to the Frankfurt Motor Show is the luxurious S8 that will be launched on the market along with the S6 and S7 Sportback in the spring of 2012.

As it holds the title of being the 'Big Daddy' of Audi's S range, it was only appropriate that the S8 receive a more powerful version of the newly revealed 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 engine than on the S6 and S7 models.

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Posted on 17.38 / 0 comments / Read More

Audi Reveals New A8 Hybrid with 2.0-liter Four-Pot, Sales Start in 2012

A little over a year after the presentation of its A8 Hybrid Concept at the 2010 edition of the Geneva Salon, Audi is introducing the final production version of its frugal four-cylinder limousine, which goes on sale in 2012.

Confirming our suspicions that the concept label was misleading, Audi made very few changes to the production model such as the smaller (18" instead of 21") but same design alloy wheels and the more conventional looking engine cover.

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Posted on 15.52 / 0 comments / Read More

10 Luxury Cars of the Past You Can Afford to Buy Today

No matter what car you buy, its price will start depreciating from the moment you turn the ignition key and roll out of the showroom. Of course, not all models lose value at the same rate. But there are some cars that stand out more than others and Popular Mechanics has compiled a list with some of the most heavily depreciated vehicles in the luxury car segment.

And while this may not be the kind of news a seller wants to hear, it's music to the ears of buyers in the market for snazzy set of wheels. Just remember that regardless if the car is new or used, running costs remain the same, and when it comes to luxury models, be prepared to dig deep into your pockets.

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Posted on 17.51 / 0 comments / Read More

Polk Reports BMW, Mercedes and Lexus Losing Large Luxury Sedan Market Share to Audi, Jaguar and Porsche

In the large luxury sedan stakes, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus have been the long-time leaders. Five years ago, each brand’s flagship model – the 7-Series, the S-Class and the LS – collectively owned 82% of the U.S. market and Merc’s offering could claim 30% of that.

Between June 2010 and May of this year, however, their collective market share has dwindled some 68% while that of three newer models have grown.

There’s the Audi A8, up 5% and the Jaguar XJ, up 12%. Both of these models could claim next to nothing of the market when they were launched but now look at them.

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Posted on 15.03 / 0 comments / Read More

SCOOP: 2012 Audi S8 Brings New V8 Turbo Power

We knew that Audi was working on a more spirited version of its "new luxury" A8 flagship sedan and now we have some fresh spy photos as the Germans put the final touches on the S8 before its official premiere later this year, possibly as early as the Frankfurt Motor Show in September.

The big news is that VW Group is hushing in a new generation of engines for its performance orientated models and the 2012 Audi S8 is no exception.

The new sporty limousine will drop the previous model's naturally aspirated 5.2-liter V10, which was shared with Lamborghini, in favor of a newly developed 4.0-liter turbocharged V8.

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Posted on 16.40 / 0 comments / Read More

UK Insurer Parts the Most Unreliable and Costly Car to Fix

In an article on a BMW-faced Honda Accord we found for sale on Craigslist back in 2008, we wrote that in a perfect world, our ultimate car would be “designed by Italians, engineered by Germans, built by Japanese and marketed by Americans”.

So, what’s the worst car one could imagine? Well, if we played around with the above statements, we’d say one designed by Japanese, engineered by Americans, built by Italians and marketed by Germans.

But UK insurance firm Warranty Direct had something a little bit different in mind. Instead of playing the origin card, the company decided to check out its database of 50,000 live policies on cars aged five years on average to part the UK’s most unreliable vehicle that would break down every other month and cost an average of £2,050 (equal to US$3,270 - €2,330) to fix each year.

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Posted on 08.34 / 0 comments / Read More

Ward's Auto Announces the 10 Best Car Interiors of 2011

Like every year, Ward's AutoWorld magazine picks the best interiors the automotive industry has to offer. For 2011, the publication chose 10 the ten best interiors the offer after editors analyzed 51 vehicles that were all-new or featured significantly upgraded interior. Ward's Auto picked the 10 winners from all segments, with the finalists including three luxury brands, three economy cars, a sport sedan, a minivan, an SUV and a family sedan.

If you’re still with us, the top 10 winners for 2011, in alphabetical order, are:

Audi A8
BMW X3 xDrive35i
Chevrolet Cruze 2LT RS
Dodge Charger Rallye Plus
Ford Focus Titanium
Honda Odyssey Elite
Hyundai Elantra Limited
Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit
Kia Optima EX
Volvo S60

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Posted on 08.23 / 0 comments / Read More

Audi: 38 Percent of all Models Sold in 2010 were Equipped with Quattro Drive

In 2010, the year that Audi celebrated the 30th anniversary of the quattro, it sold an impressive 437,792 quattro-equipped cars, or about 38 percent of its total production. The brand with the four rings said it sells more all-wheel drive vehicles than any other premium manufacturer in the world.

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Posted on 16.51 / 0 comments / Read More

Panzer on Wheels: Audi Unveils the Armored 2011 A8 L Security

As any self-respecting luxury car manufacturer, Audi is also offering its customers BRVs or Bullet Resistant Vehicles, with the latest such model being the W12-powered 2011 A8 L Security. Set to go on sale in late summer, this...panzer on wheels will also be available with another, as of yet unspecified powerplant, starting from 2012.

To the untrained eye, the 5.27 meters (208 inches) long sedan is almost identical to the standard A8, but looks are definitely deceiving as the Security is said to comply with the strictest standards in ballistic protection and can even withstand an explosion and still offer adequate protection for its passengers.

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Posted on 09.59 / 0 comments / Read More

The Audi A8 Says, "Long Live the T-Shifter!"

When Hyundai launched the i30 small car on the Australian market, it marked the end of not only the Excel/Accent lineage down under but also the end of the automatic T-shifter. The Accent, a subcompact design available in either a four door sedan or five door hatchback body style, was the last car sold here to feature the venerable (if archaic) T-shaped automatic gear stick.

The T-shifter was born in the 1960s, as American automakers moved away from the steering column mounted automatic and towards a system that reduced complexity and design differentiation between its automatic and manual models. As the ‘80s moved into the ‘90s, automakers - for whatever reason - moved away from the T-shift and toward the semi-ubiquitous, upright “drumstick” shifter.

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Posted on 16.31 / 0 comments / Read More

VIDEO: Audi Says Goodbye to 'Old Luxury' with Super Bowl Ads

As you may have guessed, this year's edition of the Super Bowl football extravaganza will be jam-packed with automotive advertisements. Following the 2012 VW Passat and Beetle TV spots we showed you earlier today, we now bring you two teaser commercials from Audi, both centered around the 'Goodbye to Old Luxury' campaign for the new A8 limo. Click past the jump to watch for yourself.

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Posted on 13.40 / 0 comments / Read More

VIDEO: 2011 Audi A8 Commercial Mocks the Mercedes S-Class

With its new commercial for the 2011 A8, Audi of America is opening a fresh chapter in the advertisement wars. Taking inspiration from the 1947 children’s book Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown, the ad portrays S-Class owners as gluttonous people with an excessive lifestyle, representing the age of “old luxury”. The 60 second clip is said to be a prelude to the upcoming Super Bowl TV spot, set to air in the first break on Super Bowl Sunday, February 6, 2011. Hit the jump to watch the video.

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Posted on 14.30 / 0 comments / Read More

Unholy Tuning: Audi R8 Sedan Based on A8 Limo

If you were ever wondering what an actuall Audi R8 sports sedan would look like, sorry to say, you're out of luck. However, if by any twisted chance you're interested in finding out what would happen if a first-generation A8 and R8 got naughty in bed, scroll down and check out the rest of the photos. According to the forum members of the Audizine site, the R8-wannabe sports sedan was snagged outside Hooters (now, why aren't we surprised...) in Montreal, Canada.

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Posted on 07.28 / 0 comments / Read More

ABT Treats New Audi A8 with 385-Diesel-Ponies and Styling Kit

Not quite the Audi S8-alternative we were expecting from ABT, but the diesel-powered AS8 appears to be a promising start. Using the 2011 A8 with the 4.2-liter V8 TDI as a base, ABT Sportsline tweaked the turbo diesel engine boosting output from 350HP and 800Nm to 385HP and 880Nm / 649 lb-ft of peak torque.

As no ABT conversion would be complete without the usual styling upgrades, the German tuner bundled a body kit comprising of a front spoiler, side skirt, a somewhat discreet boot lid spoiler and a new rear apron housing a diffuser and the new quad tail pipes.

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Posted on 10.00 / 0 comments / Read More

New Audi A8 L with Long Wheelbase and 500HP 6.3-liter W12

This here is the long wheelbase version of the all-new, fourth-generation Audi A8 that will debut at the this month's Beijing Motor Show in China with a new 6.3-liter W12 engine.

Ingolstadt's flagship limo has an overall length of 5,267 millimeters (17.28 ft), meaning it's 130 mm (0.43 ft) longer than the regular version. The wheelbase has grown by the same amount, to 3,122 mm (10.24 ft) while the height has increased by 2 mm (0.08 in) to 1,462 mm (4.8 ft). Width remains unchanged at 1,949 mm (6.39 ft).

All that extra length benefits rear-seat passengers who also get longer rear doors to further ease access.

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Posted on 06.02 / 0 comments / Read More

Geneva Show: New Audi A8 Hybrid with 2.0-Liter 4-Cylinder Engine

Making its debut at the Swiss international auto show is the Audi A8 Hybrid. Even though its officially billed as a study, the gasoline-electric hybrid version of the 2011 A8, which itself just broke cover a few months ago, is scheduled to enter production next year.

The A8 Hybrid is a good example of Audi's downsizing philosophy mating a 2.0-liter TFSI four-cylinder gasoline engine with 211HP and 350 Nm (258.15 lb-ft) to an electric motor delivering 45HP and 211 Nm (155.63 lb-ft) of torque.

Audi says that the system's combined output is 245HP and 480 Nm (354.03 lb-ft) of torque. Since the numbers don't add up, we're assume that the electric motor's output is limited when combined with the TSI.

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Posted on 09.04 / 0 comments / Read More

Audi Reading Real-World Hybrids: New A8 Hybrid with 2.0-liter 4-Cylinder TSI to be Unveiled in Geneva

Not to be a one-trick pony, Audi has more than a few more realistic cars up its sleeve for the near future. Most important for consumers' immediate future will be Audi's Q5 hybrid, set to go on sale late 2010 or early 2011.

It's touted as "the first Audi with a combination of gasoline engine and electric motor". Cool, but far from thrilling. Next up, for the executive hippie segment, is the world debut of the marque's A8 hybrid "engineering study" at the Geneva Show on Tuesday. People will be able to order Audi's green luxo-cruiser sometime come late 2011.

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Posted on 13.48 / 0 comments / Read More

2011 Audi A8 Receives its First Tuning Job by Hofele Design

The new generation of Audi's A8 limo, codenamed D4, was only just presented at the end of 2009, but the tuning industry has already started cranking out performance and styling mods for the German automaker's flagship sedan.

One of the first (if not the first) tuners to launch a dedicated programme for the 2011 A8 sedan is Germany's Hofele Design that will present its proposal to the public at next week's Geneva Motor Show.

Hofele Design has readied power kits for both engines that will be available at the new A8's launch. The 4.2-liter V8 petrol gets a jump from 372HP and 445Nm to 400HP and 475Nm, reducing the 0-100km/h sprint time from 5.7 seconds to 5.3 seconds.

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Posted on 12.00 / 0 comments / Read More

VIDEO: Audi Releases First Footage of 2011 A8 Limousine

Being a new model and all, we thought that, aside from our comprehensive photo gallery, you'd also enjoy some video footage of the 2011 Audi A8 limo that was unveiled on Monday night in Miami. Audi's flagship model that will challenge the BMW 7-Series, Mercedes-Benz S-Class and Lexus LS will begin arriving at European dealers in early 2010 while North American consumers will have to wait until the end of next year. Watch the video after the break.

Posted on 13.15 / 0 comments / Read More