The Latest Super Bowl Ads from Audi, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes, Subaru, Toyota and VW

During the time we were offline, a number of carmakers released a whole new string of ads that will run prior to kickoff and during this Sunday's Super Bowl game between the San Francisco 49ers and Baltimore Ravens in New Orleans.

There's a little something for everyone, from Mercedes-Benz's new CLA spot with Kate Upton and Kia's Space Babies, to the re-appearance of Big Bang star Kaley Cuoco in Toyota's 2014 RAV4 spot and Subaru's dog friendly commercial for the 2014 Forester crossover.

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Audi R8 Coupe Burns to the Ground During Mumbai Supercar Meeting

As it appears, Ferraris and Lamborghinis aren't the only mid-engine supercars to go up in flames. The same happened to an Audi R8 coupe that was trailing a phalanx of other supercars participating in the 'Parx Supercar Show 2013', in the city of Mumbai in India.

Predictably, many by-standers and passengers of other cars were filming the ride and were able to capture the moment when the Audi R8 started to smoke and the driver and his co-passenger jumped out to save themselves. Fortunately, no one was hurt.

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Audi Quattro Boss Confirms RS6 Avant Plus with Around 600-Horses!

If there's one thing German carmakers love more than premium pricing and over-complicated features, it is power. It wasn't always like this, but in past two decades, Germany's auto brands are constantly pushing the limits.

The Audi RS6 Avant is a prime example of this love; it's a roomy and practical, mid-size station wagon model with all the comfort features you could wish for and then some more, which is motivated by a 4.2-liter twin-turbocharged V8 generating 552hp (560PS) and 516 lb-ft (700 Nm) of torque.

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Audi UK Bids Farewell to A3 Cabriolet with Final Edition Versions

The appearance of the first pre-production prototypes of the next generation A3 Cabriolet based on the longer platform of the upcoming sedan version of the series means that the current open-top model is breathing its last.

In Britain, Audi made it official that it will soon withdraw the A3 Cabriolet from its lineup as it prepares to make room for the new model, but not before it releases a limited run of the car.

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Hofele-Design Turns the Audi Q7 Facelift Into the STRATOR GT 780

We don't know if anyone would actually refer to their Audi Q7 as the "STRATOR GT 780" after Hofele-Design transforms the facelift version of Ingolstadt's full-size luxury SUV, but in any case, that's the name given to the tune by the German-based shop.

The aesthetic treatment encompasses a new front bumper with larger intakes and four additional lamps on the corners, front and rear wheel-arch extensions with matching side skirts, a roof spoiler, front fender air vents, and a wide rear apron with a diffuser.

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Spy Shots: Meet the All-new Audi S3 Convertible with a Sleeker Booty, Four Seats and 296HP

The launch of the new generation of the Audi A3 in three door, five-door "Sportback" and S3 trims over the past year is only the beginning for the brand with the four-ring badge from Ingolstadt, which has more in store for the premium compact segment.

Last week, we shared scoop pictures of Audi's upcoming Mercedes-Benz CLA-rivaling A3 four-door sedan, and now, our spy photographers have nabbed the first images of the open top version of the series testing in Europe.

And mind you, this isn't just any A3 Convertible but the range-topping (unless Audi surprises us with an RS edition) S3, as evidenced by the quad exhaust tips and the design of the air-vents on the corners of the front bumper, which are identical to the S3 hatchback.

Unlike the current A3 Convertible that’s shares its platform with the previous hatchback, the new model is based on the upcoming A3 sedan's longer wheelbase MQB architecture, something that will not only help improve rear passenger and luggage space, but also affords the car a sleeker look with more balanced proportions.

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Watch a Kawasaki ZX-10R Chase an Audi RS6 ABT 700HP on the Autobahn

Yes, you read that correctly and we did not place the models in the wrong order; it's the almighty Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R that's doing the chasing most of the times in this crazy meet up with an Audi RS6 Avant ABT on Germany's largely speed-limit free Autobahn.

We're told that the tuned super-station wagon makes 700-horses, but we wouldn't be surprised if it was more, and you won't be either after you watch the Audi overtaking the Kawasaki, which was travelling at a speed of 300km/h (186 mph), with ease in the second video at the 12-second mark.

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Updated Audi A5 Sportback Receives the Tuning Treatment from ABT

Audi came out with the refreshed A5 Sportback back in the summer of 2011, making it available for sale in most countries before the end of the same year. It's been a while in car-months, but ABT Sportsline has released a comprehensive package for Ingolstadt's sleek liftback model.

The German tuner offers performance upgrades to the handling and engine departments along with cosmetic upgrades for the A5 Sportback's exterior.

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First Scoop Shots of the New Audi A3 Sedan, will Compete Against the Mercedes-Benz CLA

After setting foot on the compact hatchback segment, Germany's premium car brands are now eyeing the sedan category, with Mercedes-Benz being the first to present its proposal in the form of the CLA sports saloon.

Even though Audi told us it would launch an A3-based sedan at the end of 2012, that never happened. Instead, we're now waiting for the premiere of the A3 Sedan to take place at a major international auto show in the coming months before it begins to arrive in showrooms at the end of the year or for some markets, in the first quarter of 2014.

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Premium Brands Move into Mass-Market Territory with US$30k Offerings

There are 75 million 30- to 40-year old consumers in the U.S. right now and, according to Mercedes-Benz USA head of marketing Bernie Glaser, “they have big expectations for products and brands”.

The problem for automakers like Mercedes, Audi and BMW is that these buyers are not able and/or willing to pay the US$40,000 sticker price attached to premium vehicles. Yet they want to have their cake and eat it, too – or, as Glaser puts it, demand “attractive styled cars and the right technology”.

One way to attract those buyers is to lower the entry price: only last week, BMW announced that, starting this spring, it will offer a 320i sedan priced at US$33,445 (including destination) – that’s US$4,300 cheaper than today’s entry-level 328i.

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New Audi RS7 Sportback Envisioned as a Ferocious Group B Rally Car

The spanking new Audi RS7 Sportback is one of our favorite cars from the ongoing Detroit Auto Show.

With a sleek-looking body and a masculine 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8 pumping out more than 550-horses to all four wheels, what's not to like? Well, you could say its price tag, which will certainly be more than the $78,800 Audi commands for the 420hp S7 Sportback, but that's another story.

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NAIAS 2013: New Audi RS7 Sportback is a Stylish but Powerful Beast [Updated]

While the U.S. won't be getting the new RS6 Avant, its brutally powerful 552hp (560PS) twin-turbocharged V8 engine will make it on this side of the Atlantic, as Audi has just unwrapped the new RS7 Sportback at the Detroit Motor Show.

The 4.0-liter unit also makes 516 lb-ft (700Nm) available constantly between 1,750 and 5,500 rpm and is connected to a standard eight-speed tiptronic and the brand's quattro permanent all-wheel drive.

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Audi Dips Into its Tech Bag and Shows All Sorts of Goods at 2013 CES, Including OLED Lights

The brand with the four rings from Ingolstadt has always strived to be more than just another luxury carmaker placing a heavy emphasis on technology.

That said, it's only natural that Audi would participate in the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), which is held in Las Vegas from January 8 to 11, and is considered as the world’s most important electronics trade show.

Audi welcomed show-goers with a host of current technologies and future solutions ranging from its autonomous driving and networking systems to the latest developments in lighting and customizable digital instrument panels.

Of particular interest are Audi's experimental lighting solutions, including the laser tail light generated by a laser diode, said to provide drivers behind with a bright, clear signal, which changes shape according to the weather and lighting conditions.

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New Audi SQ5 with 349hp 3.0-liter TSI to Debut at Detroit Auto Show

Last summer, Audi introduced its first ever S model powered by a diesel-engine, the SQ5 SUV sporting 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged V6 TDI with a power output of 308hp (313PS) and peak torque of 650 Nm (479 lb-ft).

At the time, the Ingolstadt-based brand said that the TDI will only be offered in Europe. Audi hasn't changed its mind about the availability of the SQ5 TDI, but at the upcoming Detroit auto show, it will reveal a second iteration of the SQ5, this time powered by a supercharged gasoline engine.

Audi says this model was created specifically for the following markets: United States, Canada, China, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile and the Ukraine, and will not be offered in Europe.

At the heart of the new SQ5 lies Audi's 3.0-liter supercharged V6 with a compressor featuring two rotors that spin at over 20,000 rpm. The TSI unit generates 349hp (354PS) between 6,000 and 6,500 rpm, and delivers 470Nm (347 lb-ft) of torque to the crankshaft between 4,000 and 4,500 rpm.

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Business Class: Corporate Sales Help German New Car Market and Domestic Manufacturers

The new car Market in Germany dropped by 2.9 percent last year, to 3.1 million vehicles, compared to 2011. In 2013, it's forecasted to slip to 3.0 million units, according to data provided by the VDA trade group.

Despite the sales plunge, the German market is holding its own against the crisis that’s sweeping the European car market as a whole and has resulted in the worst sales for the past two decades.

One might think that German citizens are more affluent than their neighbors in the Old Continent are, so they can afford to replace their cars with new ones. The truth is, it is business fleets, not private sales that keep both the German market and home car manufacturers afloat.

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Audi is First Automaker to Gain Permit to Operate Driverless Vehicles in Nevada

Following in the footsteps of technology giant Google, Audi today became only the second company and the first in the automotive industry to be granted a license from Nevada that allows it to operate autonomous vehicles on the state’s public roads. Read more »

Audi Sells More Than 400,000 Cars in China for the First Time in 2012

The brand with the four rings set a new sales record in the Chinese market last year delivering 405,838 vehicles in China and Hong Kong, representing a 29.6 percent increase over the previous year.

Of the 400,000 vehicles sold, 322,700 were built locally, including 89,488 examples of the Q5 SUVs (+64.9 percent), 132,872 A6L sedans (+17.3 percent) and 100,340 units of the long wheelbase version of the A4 (+18.7 percent), with the rest being imported from Europe.

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Audi Confirms RS5 Cabriolet, R8 Facelift and "More Models" for Detroit Auto Show

There are only 10 days left for the grand opening of the 2013 edition of the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, and for the most part, Audi is still being secretive about many of its debut vehicles. Read more »

U.S. Auto Market Records Nearly 14.5 Million Sales in 2012, Ford F-Series is No 1

As far as the U.S. automotive industry is concerned, 2012 was a great year. Scratch that: it was a great year and the best since 2007, thanks to nearly 14.5 million light vehicle sales, representing a 13 per cent increase over 2011’s 12.7 million units.

Ford’s F-Series pickup truck was, once again, America’s best-selling vehicle with 645,316 deliveries.

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Future Audi Models will Differ More in Design from Each Other, Says R&D Boss

Things are looking great for Audi: in the first 11 months of the year, its sales have already exceeded 2011’s total, recording a 12.7 percent increase and it’s nigh impossible to find a niche in which it doesn’t compete.

Alas, in their efforts to create a family look its designers have taken things a bit too far. In fact, in certain cases, it’s difficult to distinguish one model from the other, especially from the front…

That’s not nitpicking but a fact that even Wolfgang Dürheimer, the ex-Bentley boss who since September is Audi’s board member responsible for research and development, acknowledges.

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