Audi Fleet Shuttle Quattro Makes Movie Debut; We Get a Better Look at it [w/Video]
The Audi fleet shuttle Quattro is not a real car, and the only way to see it outside of a screen is if you happen upon the 1:4 model that was displayed at the concept’s movie premiere in Ender’s Game – it will probably be paraded around though, so it’s not out of the question to see it.
Looks-wise, it does capture the vibe of the movie well yet retains the common Audi styling cues all around the body – the glass canopy is one of its highlight features, as are the completely covered wheels. These are detailed in one of the photos you’ll find in the gallery below.
I like the fact that the team behind it didn’t just design it to look cool and suitably futuristic, and actually took the time to figure out how it would all realistically work – we’ll have to actually see the movie to gauge just how well it all came together. Still, the video also found below does at one point show the car stripped down to the bare chassis - it’s nice to know that it was thought up with it in mind.
The interior is also designed to be/look functional, and it’s digitally grafted onto actual interior shots from aboard an A7 – Harrison Ford drove the series car during the filming; what you see around him in the film is CGI.
By Andrei Nedelea
Audi Releases First Driving Footage of Sport Quattro Concept
To celebrate its first 100,000 fans on its corporate Facebook page, Audi has issued the first driving footage of the Sport Quattro Concept. The study was one of the highlights of this year’s Frankfurt Auto Show and is expected to spawn a production version that would be a tribute to the original Audi Quattro.
The short video shows the Sport Quattro climbing a winding mountain road and revving its twin-turbo V8 engine. It sounds cool, but I would have preferred the turbocharged 2.5-liter 5-cylinder engine that was fitted on the 2010 Quattro Concept.
As a reminder, the 2013 study features a hybrid powertrain consisting of 552hp (560PS) 4.0-liter twin-turbo V8 engine and an 148hp (150PS) disc-shaped electric motor which draws its energy from a liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery. The hybrid system’s total output is 691hp (700PS) and 800 Nm (590 lb-ft), with a modified eight-speed tiptronic transmission sending power to all four wheels via the quattro powertrain.
The Audi Sport Quattro Concept sprints from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 3.7 seconds and reaches a top speed of 305 km/h (190 mph).
By Dan Mihalascu
2015 Audi A3 Sedan Starts from $29,900, Same as Mercedes CLA – Which One Would You Get?
[Updated with Poll and Video]
Audi will launch its all-new A3 Sedan in the U.S. early next year with prices starting from $29,900 (€21,700 at the current exchange rates), the automaker announced today. Even though it's not mentioned in the release, usually base MSRPs do not include destination and handling, unless noted.
Unless Audi is referring to a launch model with a bigger engine, one can only assume that the entry price is for the base 177hp (180PS) 170hp 1.8-liter TFSI model that will come with standard LED DRLs and taillights, Bluetooth technology, Audi pre sense basic, a panoramic glass sunroof, leather seating surfaces and a 6-speed S tronic automatic transmission.
The range will include two more gasoline powerplants, a 2.0-liter TFSI (we don't know the output yet) and a higher output 2.0-liter TFSI for the sporty S3 with 296hp (300PS), along with a 2.0-liter TDI diesel, all of which will be paired to a standard 6-speed S tronic transmission.
The A3 sedan's base price is the same as the entry-level Mercedes-Benz CLA 250, which sports a 208hp 2.0-liter turbocharged four-gasoline unit and just $3,900 less than the Audi A4 Sedan with a 220hp 2.0-liter turbo. We're using the word "just", because if the price does indeed concern the 1.8L TFSI, then the 2.0L TFSI A3 Sedan should logically cost almost as much as the bigger A4…
Audi said that the A3 Sedan will be joined later in 2014 by the recently announced A3 Cabriolet, A3 TDI clean diesel, the high-performance S3 sedan and in early 2015, the A3 Sportback e-tron gasoline electric hybrid (PHEV).
Note: We contacted an Audi spokesperson who confirmed that the base price is indeed for the 1.8-liter TFSI engine, which in U.S. specification will produce 170hp. He also added that the A3 Sedan series "will go on sale in the spring of next year. The $29,900 price does not include D&H – that’ll be $895. We have not announced the final hp numbers on the 2.0 L motor as of now."
Poll: At $30,000, which one would you buy?
Spied: New 2015 Audi TT Mk3 Photographed and Filmed on the 'Ring
Just the other day, we brought you the very first spy shots of an actual prototype of the next Audi TT, and now, we can enhance your view of the coupe model with a fresh batch of pictures as well as a video of the car, the latter courtesy of France's L'Automobile magazine.
Before it entered the Nürburgring circuit for some quick laps, the 2015 TT tester was spotted with Audi's engineers driving along in three of its rivals, including the BMW Z4 and Mercedes-Benz SLK hardtop roadsters and the Peugeot RCZ.
Despite Audi's efforts to hide the car's styling under wraps with scribbly shapes, it's pretty clear that the designers have followed an evolutionary path with the third generation model that's expected to arrive next year riding on the VW Group's longer-wheelbase MQB platform with a new generation of engines on offer.
Photo Credits: CarPix for CarScoopS , Video Credits: L'Automobile
