February 8, 2010
Super Bowl: VW and Audi
Atomicalex
Note to VW: PunchBug only works for the aircooled Beetles. There are going to be a lot of bruises on the coasts. In the midwest, not so much. A good nostalgia play by VW at a good time in the market.
Note to Audi: Hiliarious. I wasn’t even remotely thinking Audi until the end. Too busy singing along with the Cheap Trick! Best use of music in an ad for the whole game, IMO. Did anyone else catch the GEM electric thingy that the GPs were driving in the beginning? Probably the best use of a Chrysler product in an ad for the entire game, since the Charger ad was so lame.
January 12, 2010
Detroit showcar Audi e-tron Concept Unveiled
Neuwerks
Audi has recently taken to the idea of going electric, and is making a point to show just how much fun it can be. During late 2009 Audi introduced the e-tron concept at the Frankfurt Auto show, a car that was loosely based on the current Audi R8. This car featured a slightly more sculpted design, and an electric motor with an output of 313hp and 3,319 pound feet of torque.
The car unveiled at Detroit was not another version of the e-tron, and should be addressed formally as the ‘Detroit showcar Audi e-tron’ (not to be confused with e-tron), and is a completely new design and powertrain. This car features muscular shoulders, and a more compact design that houses a powertrain putting out a respectable 204 hp, and 1,900 lb-ft of torque.
January 11, 2010
Brown Audi S5 Cabriolet
Atomicalex
I’m not a big fan of brown cars. Brown paint is so hard to get right, and when (not if) you get it wrong, you either look like shiny dirt or the UPS truck. However…. this shade of metallic brown is working for this Audi R8 Cabriolet. I like it!
January 7, 2010
Volvo Driving Swedish Cops Own Audi Driving Bad Guys
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Holy cow. See the full sequence after the jump. Via VWVortex
Continue reading "Volvo Driving Swedish Cops Own Audi Driving Bad Guys" »
January 4, 2010
Fireball’s Cool Designs for the New Year
By Fireball Tim
Movie Car Design Master
Adios 2009! Welcome 2010! We don’t have flying cars. We don’t teleport our asses around the globe. And we don’t eat square Star Trek food. BUT, we do have G3 phones. We DO have bluetooth contraptions hangin’ on our noggens and WE DO…
…have bitchin’ rides. Bring it, Fireball.
1. THE AUDI AVATAR
No, not designed by James Cameron. Although, he coulda had it in the movie. Audi is poised to create future car badness with this and the ETRON. Although, I think they’re going to too many movies. Their next car is their wind-powered SUV called the RAMBLOW.
Continue reading "Fireball’s Cool Designs for the New Year" »
December 30, 2009
Mercedes Dealer’s Tactics Added To My List of Horrible Car Shopping Experiences (And I Still Need To Buy A Car!)
By Sam Barer
Apexstrategy.com
I’m here to tell you that automotive journalists do not like to car shop. Sure, we love most things on four wheels, but I, like most of my industry-mates would rather get a prostate check by a broken-knuckled rugby player-turned-urologist than to interact with on-the-prowl car salespeople.
For me, specifically, it’s because I know way too much. I spend more time researching cars than the frequently-wrong-but-never-in-doubt people who sell them. As for the business and sales tactics side, much of my life I’ve been surrounded by dealership owners, salesmen, service managers, and attorneys who represent them. Let’s just say that I know all the tricks, which would be enough to turn most people to public transportation.
My personal log of horrible car shopping experiences is longer than Danny Bonaduce’s 12-Step “people to make amends to” list.They range from the frustrating: arranging for a test drive of a Honda S2000 over the phone with a sales manager at a Honda dealership in Houston, only to be told upon arriving twenty minutes later at that I could “drive it after I bought it”…to the surreal: having a clown-shoe car salesman at Bruce Titus Chrysler in Olympia, WA challenge me and my 2002 Corvette “to a race for pink slips” first against his (meaning the dealer’s) Crossfire SRT6 and then against his “Shelby” (meaning 2.2-liter Turbo I-powered Dodge Shelby Charger) when all I was there to do was take a test drive of a 300 to see if I liked it better than the Toyota Avalon…which I didn’t.
I can’t even remember how many times I’ve been asked “what will it take to get you into this car today?” And if I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard a car salesman make a claim about a specific vehicle that was such a blatant falsehood that any kid with a car magazine subscription or Internet access could call the bluff, I feel like I could pay cash for a Maybach.
Still, my wife’s twelve-year-old Oldsmobile is in dire need of replacement. She’s going to take the 2006 Toyota Avalon, which leaves me needing another four-door sedan. Like it or not, that means car shopping and the chance of adding to the list of dealer horror stories.
Continue reading after the jump!
December 9, 2009
November 11, 2009
Thinking About Selling Your Car? Check Out eBay Local Classifieds
By Ryan Porter
IN-N-OUT Editor
When you want to sell your car you have to think about exposure. I doubt any of you would just put a For Sale sign on the window and call it good in this day and age. Of course not, we have tons of great resources that help you get rid of your car like your favorite forum, AutoTrader (various listing fees apply), eBay Motors ($125 when it sells) and now eBay Motors Local Classifieds, which is free! Yes, you can now list your car on eBay and get the increased exposure for free. On top of that, if you’re a buyer there are some cool things, too. Every car that is listed gets an AutoCheck score so you don’t have to pay for it. No other service provides this to you for every single car in the system.
Well enough of that. If you are in the market for a 2009 Audi A5 S-Line take a look at mine. It’s for sale on eBay Motors Local Classifieds! Maybe eBay will give me a badge to put on my ride page since it’s for sale!
October 27, 2009
Saab 99 Quattro
By Rob Einaudi
Editor-in-Chief
Saab 99 + C900 turbo motor + Audi 80 Quattro = 700 hp and a 9.8 second quarter? Yow. Build pics at savarturbo.se
Via VWVortex
October 8, 2009
Fireball's "Cool Designs of the Week!"
By Fireball Tim
Movie Car Design Master
Man, it’s been a crazy few days. Lots of cool cars have shown up (All in my driveway…. slight exaggeration, as in the driveway of the mind!) But, there are SO many doodads of coolness out there, it’s really hard to pick what gets the major super duper cool status of being one of of my CDW’s. (See, another acronym… I keep doing that for some reason.)
So, without further do doo… Feast in the pure bitchiness of the soul. Cars of heaven, direct to your door, yo.
1. THE AUDI LOCUS CONCEPT
Gorgeous, right. I mean, here’s a woman that knows your weakness. Although, most likely a 3D image, this Audi concept evokes style and charm with added sass. Like a woman who knows just how to get into that sweet spot of yours. ‘Course, dangling it first to get your attention until you melt like warm chocolate. Oooooo……
Continue reading after the jump!
