2012 Audi A6 Sedan: Live Photos from Detroit [plus Video]

The Audi brand ended 2010 with a new sales record in the U.S. and is now looking forward to an even more successful 2011, as demand for luxury vehicles is high in the States. Spearheading the firm's growth in the U.S. is the all-new 2012 A6 sedan, which made its debut at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Form a design standpoint, Audi's executive saloon is a discrete evolution over the previous model. However, it does come with an array of new gizmos, such as adaptive air suspension and dynamic steering. At launch, the A6 will be available in the States with a 3.0-liter supercharged V6 engine, but Audi is considering the introduction of a six-cylinder diesel version as well.

Scroll down to check out the gallery of live pictures from the Detroit motorshow as well as a new video clip.

By Csaba Daradics

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First Videos of 2012 Audi A6 and A6 Hybrid Sedans

When Audi released the first pictures of the 2012 Audi A6 sedan, many readers found the design somewhat bland. The new model is definitely an evolution and not a revolution, sharing many design cues with the A4, A7 Sportback and the flagship A8. I must admit though that, after seeing the car in video, my opinion on the styling has nudged a little towards the positive side. Of course taste is subjective, so tell us what you think in the comments section after the jump.

By Csaba Daradics

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Video: Audi Quattro Concept Meets up with 1984 Quattro Coupe

At this year's Paris Auto Show in October, Audi celebrated the original 1980s Quattro's 30th anniversary by unveiling the Quattro Concept. Soon after, rumors started flowing around that Audi plans to develop a production version of the sports car, which is loosely based on the RS5 Coupe's architecture using a modified version of the RS3 Sportback / TT RS' 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with 408 ponies.

Even though we've yet receive any official confirmation on the production model, the German automaker continues to release new material on the Quattro concept. This time, the Ingolstadt firm has published a new promotional film showcasing the design study as well as its spiritual predecessor, the 1984 Quattro Coupe. Watch the video right after the break.

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VIDEO: New Audi RS3 Sportback 340HP

Earlier this week, we brought you a first look at Audi's second proposal in the hot hatchback segment after the 265HP S3, the new RS3 Sportback that borrows the TT RS' 2.5-liter turbocharged inline-five with 340 ponies. Now we have the first video that takes us up close and personal with the RS3. Unfortunately, the clip does not include any running footage of the car. The European market order books for the RS3 Sportback open in December with prices in Germany starting from €49,900.

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VIDEO: BMW X3 vs. Audi Q5 in an all-wheel drive man-made hill climb

Who would have thought that BMW's all-wheel drive systems were enough to shame Audi's famous quattro system? Not the average consumer, that's for sure (though BMW certainly has had enough time to get it right). BMW, which has actually been making AWD cars for the past 25 years, has decided to begin more aggressively targeting consumers who live in harsher climates.

According to this video, BMW's xDrive is vastly superior to Audi's quattro - at least when driving up metal inclines built by BMW... In the clip, we get a glimpse at what appears to be some sort of BMW press event and a hill climb-off between two small-ish diesel-powered premium soft-roaders: Audi's Q5 and BMW's X3.

Although the X3 depicted here may not be the first pick on a lot people's lists, the comparison below is just used as an example. After all, xDrive is now available on a variety of products in BMW's lineup. Could it be that BMW has bested Audi at its own game?

By Phil Alex

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VIDEO: Audi's Quattro Concept in Slow Motion and with Techno

Interested in seeing vids of the new 'anniversarious' Audi quattro concept? You know you are, and we aim to please. As a brief recap, you should know that this RS5-based concept is powered by a 408-horsepower inline-five displacing 2.5 liters that spins all four wheels through a 6-speed stick.

Below, you can check out some videos - one techno-backed and short, the other long, quiet, and mostly slow motion - highlighting some of the car's killer (checkered tail lights) and not so killer (the entire front end?) Details. Click on over to our earlier post for the full deets, but leave your opinions in the comments right down below.

From what we've been seeing in that previous post, a lot of you readers aren't too keen on it. Now that you've seen a little more, has your opinion changed? You just know Audi's listening, so do the comment thing below.

By Phil Alex

Audi Brand Promo: Nothing Sticks Like Quattro [with Video]

At the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in Canada, communications Company Lowe Roche has stuck hundreds of 1:43 scale Audi quattro models to metal surfaces as part of an ad campaign by Audi.

Fitted with strong magnets and stuck to lamp posts, newspaper boxes and the like, passers-by were encouraged to remove the die-cast models and take them home with them. On the underside of each model is a sticker that reads, "Nothing sticks like quattro."

The models include the Audi R8 coupe / convertible, Q5 SUV and TT.

"We wanted to give people a real demonstration of how great the [quattro all-wheel-drive] system is. It's also a great way to get the brand into the consumer's hand." said Geoffrey Roche, company founder and chairman of Low Roche when asked about the campaign.

Audi is also pushing its wares through magazine and newspaper ads, escalator wraps and online advertising through the festival, which is held annually each September.

By Tristan Hankins

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Mystery Audi Sports Coupe / Spyder (R4?) Filmed at Ski Resort in the Alps

Audi gone viral or someone at the right place, with... almost the right equipment at the right time? Well, we can't answer that, but we do know that a Youtube user filmed a series of videos showing a mysterious Audi sports coupe (or Spyder) in covers being transferred via helicopter to the Olympia Ski Resort in the Tyrolean Alps, close to Innsbruck, in Austria - or at least that's what we understood, so any corrections welcome. The person who filmed the car said Audi was making some sort of a promotional video.

The mysterious Audi sport coupe's shape looks very similar to the e-Tron Concept model shown at the Detroit motor show earlier this year, but that's all we could make about the vehicle from the videos we've added below.

While the possibilities are almost endless, recent reports from Germany suggest that along with the A7 Sportback and S1 hot hatch, Audi will lift the covers off a more production ready version of the e-Tron Concept called the R4 - possibly in Spyder form- at this month's Paris Motor Show.

Could this be that car or is it something different such as a concept version for a new TT? Watch the videos below and share your thoughts in the comments section.

Hat tip to Marcus!

Audi Releases Video and Photos of R8 Spyder from Iron Man 2

As you've probably already heard, Audi has once again teamed up with the creators of the original blockbuster Iron Man marketing its R8 Spyder in the sequel as the personal car of billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.).

Of course, the German firm is trying to make the best of its participation in the movie releasing a dedicated commercial as well as photos from the world premiere of Iron Man 2, which took place on Monday in Los Angeles and saw Robert Downey Jr. arriving at the El Capitan Theatre in the drop-top supercar. Hit the jump for both the video and photo gallery.

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Audi Claims New A1 will be the "First Fully-Fledged Premium Car in its Segment" [With Video]

Automakers usually make all sorts of claims about their new products, some of which are - or prove to be- true, and some of which are either false or exaggerated. Audi is no exception to the rule as the company has raised the bar high on its new A1 supermini that's due to have its world premiere at the Geneva Salon this March.

We'll have to wait a few months to see for ourselves what's true or not but for now, and aside from the brand's Head of Quality, Werner Zimmermann, claim that "the A1 will be the first fully-fledged premium automobile in its segment," (how many times have we heard that before?) here's what else Audi had to say about the A1's premium feel and quality:

"Evidence of the premium character of the A1 is found in every last detail in the interior – in the selection of the materials, in their processing and in the tight, even gaps. The surface of the instrument panel is softly backed with foam; all buttons and controls move precisely; even the pull handle that unlatches the hood release does so crisply and precisely."

New Audi A1 to get Colored Roof Arches [with Video]

More or less, we know what the production Audi A1 that will have its online premiere in early February prior to its physical debut at the Geneva Salon in March, will look like. The Germans showed the car in near production guise through the 2007 Metroproject Quattro (3door) and more recently with the A1 Sportback concepts.

We've even seen the actual production model snapped alongside Justin Timberlake. But Audi's marketing team insists on releasing various tidbits about its sporty supermini.

In this latest video interview, the A1's exterior designer, Jürgen Löffler, reveals that Audi has kept the 3door concept model's contrasting roof arches and that customers will be able to order the roof arch in a variety of colors, regardless of the body color of the car.

He also talks about the A1's shoulder line that Audi names "tornado line", which wraps the car completely around beginning up front with the single-frame grille, extending over the front lights and the side to the tail lights and the rear hatch.

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VIDEO: 2011 Audi A1's R8-Style LED Headlights Explained

The guy you see pictured above is André Georgi, light designer at Audi, and the car shadowed behind him, Ingolstadt's answer to the BMW Group's MINI hatch, the all-new A1 that will be officially unveiled in February. And yes, Audi's latest video teaser on the A1 is all about the sporty hatchback's headlamps and in particular, the LED daytime running lights.

"On the A1, the front gets its character from a completely new form of LED daytime running lights. We have given our newcomer the sportiness of the R8 and the elegance of the A8," says Georgi. You can watch the film after the jump but you won't hear us complain if you decide to pass...

Video Interview with Audi Marketing Boss on 2011 A1 Mini

Just so you know, Audi will constantly be harassing us publishing information and teaser videos/pictures on its A1 mini until the online premiere of the car that's planned for early February. Following the release of a couple of clips and a teaser graffiti back in December, the Germans came out today with a video interview Audi marketing boss, Peter Schwarzenbauer, who talks about the 2011 A1 from a sale perspective.

Among other things, Schwarzenbauer says that the company is currently expecting to sell around 80,000 units of its MINI Cooper and Alfa Romeo MiTo competitor in the car's first full year. Watch the 'self-made' interview after the jump.

2011 Audi A1 Mini: First Official Details and Video Teasers of Production Model

Audi has begun teasing its upcoming A1 premium supermini ahead of a planned world debut at the 2010 Geneva Motor Show in March next year. For now, the Ingolstadt-based automaker has shared with us a teaser film showing a graffiti artist painting the A1 on a wall and a video interview with the car's designers, Dany Garand and Stefan Sielaff.

"Our goal with the A1 is a bold one: to repeat the success that we have enjoyed with the A3 in the compact segment," says Rupert Stadler, Chairman of the Board of Management of Audi. "With the A1 we're opening another door into the world of premium cars."

Audi previewed the A1 with the three-door Metroproject Quattro study in 2007 and more recently, with the A1 Sportback Concept that was shown in Paris last year.

Exact details are scarce, but the German automaker says that the A1 will "condense all of Audi's virtues into a car that is less than 4 meters long."

It is believed that the production model will remain very close to the two concept models in terms of styling while the premium mini will most likely share its hardware with the recently launched VW Polo.

Longer and wider than a Mini, Audi's premium supermini will be offered with a raft of four-cylinder diesel and gasoline engines with direct injection including the 1.2-liter and 1.4-liter TSI turbocharged petrol units.

According to previous reports, the A1 will initially be launched as a three-door hatch with a five-door Sportback model said to follow shortly after.

There has also been speculative talk about a possible convertible version as well as a MINI Cooper S challenging S1 model with a high-performance turbo engine, but nothing's official yet.

Over the next few weeks, Audi plans to release more details and digital material on its new entry-level model that will challenge both the MINI and the Alfa Romeo MiTo. The first full-blown pictures of the premium hatch are slated to go online in early February.

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2007 Audi Metroproject Quattro and 2008 Audi Sportback Concepts