audi

We look at a real swagger wagon from Toyota, find some cool-looking Honda hybrids, sit in a new supercar from McLaren, and drive the lowest tech car we've seen this year.

• SEMA 2010

• Toyota debuts Swagger Wagon Supreme

• Honda CR-Z concepts and special editions

• Sneak peek: McLaren's most lust-worthy supercar

• Aston Martin transponder watch

Audi announced today at its first appearance at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas that it has developed and is bringing to market one of the first OEM applications of wireless device charging for its vehicles. With this charger, Audi claims that people will be able to charge their smartphones in their Audi vehicles without connecting a charging cable, cord, or adapter.

The system was developed in collaboration with Electronics Research Lab, Qualcomm Incorporated, and Peiker and works similarly to the inductive charging mats that we've seen enter the market over the last year or so (such as the … Read more

Correction: We incorrectly reported that the Consumer Reports survey predicted the 2011 Chrysler Town & Country would rank as the least reliable car. In fact, Consumer Reports predicts that the 2011 Audi A6 3.0T will be the least reliable car for that model year. Chrysler brand vehicle are predicted to be the least reliable overall. We have changed the photo at the top of this blog to reflect our correction.

Consumer Reports published predictions for reliability of 2011 vehicle models based on what car owners told it of previous model year performance. Consumer Reports' survey asked 1.3 million … Read more

Audi of America has announced that it will be exhibiting at the 2010 SEMA Show, which is significant because this will be the first time that the premium automaker has participated in this very aftermarket-focused event.

Now, we've seen more than a few R8s and S5s at the SEMA Show in years prior, but these vehicles have always been brought by third-party purveyors of parts and accessories, not the automaker itself. This time it's personal, as Audi of America will have a presence on the show floor--alongside the likes of Ford, Hyundai, Honda, and others--unveiling new dealer-installed accessories, … Read more

When Audi accepted Green Car Journal's 2010 Green Car of the Year award, it may not have realized that a road trip was part of the prize package. Next week, two Audi A3 TDIs will travel down the California coast as part of the magazine's Green Car of the Year Tour, using Rentech's synthetic RenDiesel fuel to power their 2.0-liter diesel engines.

RenDiesel is an advanced biofuel made from renewable feedstock (in this case, woody green waste), but it meets the petroleum diesel transportation fuel specification, ASTM D975, around which automotive manufacturers develop their diesel engines. … Read more

During the 2010 Paris Motor Show, Euro NCAP presented nine awards to automakers for new, advanced safety technologies. The awards covered crash prevention and mitigation technologies as well as emergency telematics services.

Here are the nine winning technologies:

Audi Side Assist A blind-spot detection system, Audi Side Assist shows a warning light when a car is detected on either the right or left rear quarter of the Side Assist-equipped vehicle.

BMW Assist Advanced eCall When onboard sensors show that a BMW has been involved in an accident, this system dials a BMW call center, sending data about the severity of … Read more

No stranger to the Consumer Electronics show, Ford CEO Alan Mulally returns for a keynote at 11 a.m. on Friday, January 7, in Las Vegas, marking his third straight appearance. Less expected was the announcement that Audi Chairman Rupert Stadler will deliver a keynote at CES on Thursday, January 6, also at 11 a.m.

In past appearances, Mulally announced Ford Sync's expansion into a telematics service, the new MyFord Touch interface, and smartphone app integration. Ford has not specified the content of the 2011 keynote, although the company seems committed to introducing new tech features on a … Read more

With a mix of new models and concept cars at the 2010 Paris Motor Show, automakers showed off some fine sleds. We found a lot of cars we wanted to jump in and drive away right there on the show floor. Being a European show, names such as Jaguar, Lotus, Audi, and BMW stood center stage with drool-worthy vehicles.

Some of the cars touched an aesthetic nerve, works of automotive sculpture such as the Lamborghini Sesto Elemento. The Ford Focus ST looked like affordable fun, and had us eager for the U.S. launch. While the Jaguar C-X75 tweaked our … Read more

Remember that Audi e-tron we showed you last year? Y'know, the electric R8? Audi's only gone and lopped the roof off to create a spyder version. Somebody pass us a Tena Lady.

Unlike the hard-top e-tron, which was purely electric, this model is a plug-in hybrid. It uses a lithium ion battery plus a pair of 88 bhp electric motors mounted to the front axle which, altogether, can drive the car for up to 31 miles at a speed of 37 mph.

When that energy's depleted, it can be replenished from a household electrical outlet or the … Read more