audi
Latest
Audi unveils enviable MMI for upcoming A8 sedan
For the acronym-challenged, Audi is getting serious about its Multi Media Interface. The automaker's present system is widely regarded as the best of the best already, but it's staying one step ahead of itself with the revamped version prepped for the A8 luxury sedan. Within the whip, you'll find a 7-inch LCD with an 800 x 480 resolution alongside a DVD drive, 40GB internal hard drive, Dolby Digital 5.1 support, optional analog / digital TV tuner, Bluetooth, twin CPUs (800MHz and 500MHz), NVIDIA graphics for "genuine 3D maps" and an optional (but necessary, really) Audi Music Interface for connecting your favorite PMP. For those uninterested in the A8 (but suddenly obsessed with this new MMI), hang tight -- it will be hitting other Audi vehicles here soon.
Audi Q5 to boast NVIDIA-powered interface, gadgets aplenty
Audi is certainly no stranger to cramming some less-than-common technology into its vehicles, and it looks like its new Q5 compact crossover vehicle is no exception, with it set to roll out of the factory later this year with some NVIDIA-powered graphics. That comes in the form of the vehicle's Harman/Becker-designed MMI (Multi-Media Interface) "3G infotainment system," which relies on an unspecified NVIDIA graphics processor to provide smooth map transitions, along with photorealistic depictions of points of interest and other eye candy. As if that wasn't enough, the vehicle's in-dash system will also boast support for external USB storage media, built-in Bluetooth, satellite radio, and even a SIM card slot that'll effectively turn it into a quad-band GSM cellphone.
Audi R8 boasts LEDs aplenty
Audi has already managed to work some LEDs into a few of its cars (concepts and otherwise), but the automaker has gone all out with its latest Audi R8, which employs LEDs for seemingly every lighting function. That includes the 24-LED running lamps the R8 had before, along with some brand LED high and low beam headlights, and LED turn signals, which add up to some 54 LEDs in all. Of course, given the prices that single LED bulbs demand these days, it should come as no surprise that this is quite the pricey option, with it adding a full €3,590 (or about $5,560) to the R8's already lofty sticker price.
Audi aims to produce electric car within ten years
Although Audi isn't aiming to beat Chevrolet to the punch with an electric whip, it does plan on joining the party a bit further down the road -- according to company bigwig Rupert Stadler, that is. Based on an interview with Germany's Welt am Sonntag, Mr. Stadler noted that he expected diesel and battery technology to dominate within five to ten years, and he made mention that "by then, [Audi] would offer cars without exhaust emissions." Curiously enough, he also stated that "electric cars offer opportunities, which [the company has] already seized on," but alas, he didn't elaborate beyond that. Just to confirm, we've got you, me and a whisper-quiet ride in five- to ten-years? It's a date.[Via News]
Audi's Cross Cabriolet Quattro concept touts internet radio, B&O system
Granted, Audi's Cross Cabriolet Quattro is still a concept for now, but the proposed infotainment setup is quite swanky, indeed. Reportedly, the vehicle would include a Bang & Olufsen sound system that could stream internet radio thanks to its built-in internet link. Additionally, motorists could "judge" the tracks as they were played, enabling the system to "build up a picture of their preferences and offer individual play lists." The whip also boasts a built-in intercom system with noise cancelling capabilities, and What HiFi even has it that the internet link could be used to fetch map data from Google Earth. In case you couldn't guess, there's no definitive launch time frame or an expected price just yet, but there's no harm in hoping that its infotainment system shows up in a production vehicle sooner rather than later.[Via What HiFi]
Audi shows off concept cellphone / vehicle control device
Audi has dabbled in cellphone-to-car interfaces in the past, but it now looks to be stepping things up in a big way, with its new metroproject concept system sporting its very own, apparently self-designed cellphone / do-it-all device. In addition to doubling as a cellphone, the handset (which boasts both Wi-Fi and 3G UMTS technology) will apparently act as an MP3 player, a vehicle control system, and an input for the car's navigation system. As if that wasn't enough, it can also receive pics of any intruders snapped by the vehicle's camera system, and it'll even let you then keep watch on 'em as they speed away thanks to the built-in tracking system. That's, of course, if it ever actually makes it into a production vehicle -- a possibility that Audi so far seems to be tight-lipped about.[Thanks, David M]
iMac design vs. Audi
We've already seen the iPhone's influence on the new iMac, but the Audi? A British ConceptCar site claims the aluminum and glass casing of the new iMac reminded them of another chrome, aluminum and glass design-- that of an Audi. As you can see in the picture above, the comparison kind of works. Kind of. I especially like the coloring on the windshield.I really doubt the iMac's design was directly inspired by the car-- I don't see Apple designers sitting around a table while one of them looks out the window and is suddenly inspired by something he sees driving past. Rather, my guess is, as ConceptCar says, that they're both headed towards the same things: form mixed with function, and grace mixed with power.But then again, who knows what inspired Apple to make that logo black? The iMac certainly costs about as much as my first car did.Thanks, Christian!
Audi A8 prototype electronically mimics Lotus, Mercedes
The engineers over at Audi have either been eating some serious brain-food, or they've got those extra bright light bulbs floating over their heads, because the company's new A8 concept car is kind of amazing. The idea behind the the vehicle is satanically simple: what if you could "tweak" a car electronically so that it drives like other makes and models? The A8 achieves this function by tacking on additional hydraulics and an active steering system (including hardware to steer the rear wheels), which allows the car to emulate the feel of an E-Class Mercedes-Benz, a VW GTI, the Lotus Elise, and strangely enough the supermini Hyundai Getz. Audi calls the system HORST, or Handling Online Research Simulation Tool, and uses the single prototype in operation exclusively for developmental purposes. As it stands, the automaker probably won't be taking this project mainstream (certainly not at its cost of ten times the sticker price on the A8, which is between $70,000 and $120,000), but the possibilities it suggests for modern vehicles makes the future of driving seem a little more interesting.[Via AutoBlog]
SXSW: ARG! The Attack of the Alternate Reality Games
Ever since the success of The Beast, the alternate reality game created to help pimp Spielberg's A.I. back in 2001, alternate reality games (ARGs) have been popping up left and right, most notably the I Love Bees ARG that was used to launch Halo 2. Based on what the panelists were telling us, there are a lot more coming down the pipeline.However, one of the problems was that the panel promised to help define the term "alternate reality game," but that never happened. Wikipedia calls it "an interactive narrative that uses the real world as a platform, often involving multiple media and game elements, to tell a story that may be affected by participants' ideas or actions." Which is quite a mouthful. But that makes us wonder, does it have to use the web as a medium to be an ARG? When people used to play T.A.G. or Killer on college campuses, that was definitely an ARG ... but where did those games go?
iPhone photo leak? No, just a calculator that looks like an iPod.
Confirmed -- It isn't a phone.Reader "Space Taker" pointed us to fourtitude.com's gallery of images from a recent Audi advertising shoot rife with Apple gear (iPod, MacBook Pro, Cinema Display) and noted an interesting object sitting in the desktop paper tray. With only 41 hours until showtime, why not indulge in some visual speculation? Not to mention, the Audi Q7 is niiiiiiice.OK, it is white, and vaguely phone-shaped... to my eyes, it looks more like a programmable remote control than a Jonathan Ive-designed phone, but I may be jaded, skeptical and cranky. Perhaps it's a placeholder for the real iPhone and they'll just fix it in post.Update 8:24 am ET: Thanks to sharp-eyed reader Brian, we have a leading candidate for the ID of the mystery bar: a Brookstone calculator, which just happens to come with the pen holder and calendar also visible in the full image. The design of the calculator appears strongly iPod-influenced, but a cellphone it ain't.Thanks Space Taker and Brian!
iTunes Users Prefer VW and Audi Over Other Car Brands
In keeping with our poll theme today, a Nielsen/NetRatings survey found that users of iTunes and the iTMS are more likely to buy VW's or Audi's. Maybe this shouldn't be much of a shock seeing as both of those brands are set up for iPod integration. My favorite quotable from the post about this poll on edmunds.com is:While it may seem like a small market to corner, iTunes users are seen by many ad firms as one of the most desirable segments as they tend to be young, educated and flush with disposable income.Why thank you! *blush* Oh wait a minute, that means they're going to market to me. I guess I'll just avoid those pesky commercials by getting my TV from the iTMS.[also at the BBC NEWS thanks iFelix!]
