• R8 V10 wins for 2010 in the general free-form category
• Winning criteria include excellence in speed, luxury, and commuting
• R8 V8 won in 2008 within the “instant classic” category

August 2009, a newly introduced engine variant for the R8 went on sale with a 525 hp V10 FSI direct injection, making a rare sports car once again eligible for another round of “Most Wanted” votes. The R8 once again raised the bar for performance and refinement in the supercar category and attracted the attention of enthusiasts of a new kind – the gaming industry. Featured prominently as the star of the Forza Motorsport 3® for XBOX 360®, its quattro® all-wheel drive propels the vehicle from 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds for both the manual and single-clutch R tronic transmissions.

Every car and truck for sale in the United States is eligible for the six “Most Wanted” awards without a price cap or limitations on a new model or a redesigned nameplate.

“Just as the name says, these are the six vehicles that the editors of InsideLine.com want in our driveways the most,” said InsideLine.com Editor in Chief Scott Oldham. “They’re the ones we personally lust after. The ones we desire. Our personal favorites. These are the cars and trucks we like best.”

LOS ANGELES — The Audi e-tron is to electric cars as dynamite is to fishing. There’s no other way to explain an EV with all-wheel drive, impressive power and an absolutely absurd claim as to its torque.

“Here it is – the future of electric mobility,” Peter Schwarzenbauer, marketing and sales board member of Audi, said as the e-tron made its North American debut at the Los Angeles Auto Show.

With four motors producing 313 horsepower and, ahem, 3,319 foot-pounds of torque, the future looks very bright indeed. And it could be here by 2012.

Although the e-tron looks like a converted R8, Schwarzenbauer says it was designed from the ground up as an electric vehicle. Simply ditching the R8’s engine and installing a battery pack and a motor (or four) wasn’t an option, he said, because different propulsion technologies require different platforms if you are to maximize performance and handling.

The e-tron uses two motors per axle; they get their juice from a 42.4 kilowatt-hour liquid-cooled lithium ion battery with a claimed range of 154 miles. That’s it as far as specs go – Audi isn’t saying anything more. Asked why the car has such ridiculous torque, Schwarzenbauer smiled and said, “We want to have fun.”

As a commenter noted, Audi also wants some headlines. Automobile magazine reports Audi is measuring torque at the wheel when everyone else in the world measures it at the output shaft of the motor or engine. Big difference. By Audi’s way of thinking, Automobile reports, a Toyota Corolla with a 1.8-liter engine would produce 3,115 foot-pounds.

Regardless of Audi’s spin — which we admit being duped by — electric cars are all the rage right now with just about everyone working on one. Audi is the latest to join the party, but Schwarzenbauer says the company has been working on it for awhile now. “It’s not something we started yesterday,” he said. “Five years ago we began to dream of this car. It shows what is possible, and that an electric car can be very, very emotional.”

Schwarzenbauer says the e-tron will see “limited production” by the end of 2012, though he would not say how many cars Audi might build. It remains to be seen how closely such a vehicle will hew to the concept, and whether Audi will retain the four-motor set-up or use something more conventional. Whatever the case, the e-tron will be the first of several electric vehicles we’ll see from Audi, with another model coming by 2013 or 2014.

“This is our first electric vehicle and a stepping stone to our first series production EV,” Schwarzenbauer said. “We are going to have a whole range of electric cars, including small electric cars.”

UPDATED Dec. 3: Thanks to the readers who schooled us on how torque is properly measured, and to reader tsport10 for sharing the Automobile link.

Photos: James Merithew / Wired.com

HERNDON, Va., Dec. 2 /PRNewswire/ –

• A5 honored in two categories: Top 10 Model overall and Best Luxury Car

• Awards recognize projected retained value by 2015

• A5 is an established leader in the luxury performance coupe segment

The 2010 Audi A5 emerged as a double winner in the 2010 Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards Tuesday night, demonstrating that the true value of Audi engineering remains apparent years after the initial sale.

Each year, the Kelley Blue Book Best Resale Value Awards recognize vehicles that are determined by a panel of expert automotive analysts to maintain the greatest proportion of their original list price after five years of ownership. It’s an assessment Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com is uniquely positioned to make as a leading provider of new and used car information.

Among all 2010 model-year vehicles, the Audi A5 received multiple honors. It earned a spot on the overall “Top 10 Model” list, and the A5 won Best Resale Value in the “Luxury Car” category.

The Audi A5 is an established leader in the luxury performance coupe segment. While the hours spent by Audi engineers perfecting the A5 ownership experience directly translate to its initial value, the benefit ultimately extends to resale owners as well.

“We believe the superior level of quality built into Audi vehicles is apparent several years after purchase,” said Johan de Nysschen, President, Audi of America. “We are honored that Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com recognizes that value in the A5.”

As vehicles are an important investment for most buyers, resale value is a critical factor in their purchase decisions. Kelley Blue Book’s Web site, kbb.com, provides access to information that can facilitate smarter vehicle purchases.

“Depreciation is often one of the greatest expenses incurred by drivers during the first five years of vehicle ownership,” said James Bell, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com. “This reality underscores the progress that Audi has achieved in developing the 2010 A5. It is a vehicle poised to defy the discouraging resale statistics and that feat deserves recognition. We are proud to honor the 2010 Audi A5 among this year’s Best Resale Value Award winners.”

ABOUT AUDI

Audi of America Inc. and its 270 dealers offer a full line of German-engineered luxury vehicles. The Audi lineup is one of the freshest in the industry with 23 models, including 12 models launched during model years 2008 and 2009. Audi is among the most successful luxury automotive brands globally. In selling one million vehicles worldwide in 2008, AUDI AG recorded its 13th consecutive record year for sales growth. Visit www.audiusa.com or www.audiusanews.com for more information regarding Audi vehicle and business issues.

SOURCE Audi of America Inc.

November 13, 2009.
Audi released the final social media video installment documenting behind-the-scenes considerations that shaped its entries in this year’s Los Angeles Design Challenge, a competition associated with the upcoming L.A. Auto Show involving Southern California automotive studios.

Audi eSpira front

Audi eSpira side rear

Audi eSpira rear

Audi eSpira chassis

Audi eOra side

Audi eOra front

As part of the design process, the Audi design team leveraged social media as an interactive forum through which to solicit consumer insights. Using the Audi Facebook page as a central hub, the team was able to engage Audi fans – and regular Facebook users alike – in a variety of ways, including discussion threads, polls and feedback on photos and videos. This resulted in an active conversation between the Audi designers and the consumers they were targeting.

With its nearly 400,000 fans, the Audi Facebook audience is composed of passionate brand enthusiasts who have a mutual affinity for automobiles. They yielded feedback for the design team that proved uniquely thoughtful. Additionally, the broader Facebook community was welcome to participate as well, increasing the potential input. Collectively, Facebook participants played a key role in shaping the design and functionality of the Audi models submitted for the competition.

Case in point: the prevalence of communications tools in the final Audi designs. When engaging with Facebook users for input on the topic of connectivity, the Audi Design Team received overwhelming demand to stay in touch with users’ digital worlds – even behind the wheel. Taking this insight to heart, the design team developed a driving experience that, while solitary, enabled seamless communication through a host of channels including messaging and social networking integration via mobile broadband.

In fact, a large number of design elements in the final products can be credited to Facebook users.

“Often, we’d encounter decisions in which both options had merit from a design perspective,” said Jae Min, Chief Designer, Design Center, California. “In those instances, it was especially useful to field input from the Facebook users. After reviewing the feedback, we would eventually notice a consensus formed among the community which shaped our final designs.”

The theme of this year’s competition, titled “YouthMobile 2030,” asked design teams to envision automobiles appealing to young people of the future. Many major automakers participate in this annual competition that challenges their respective California design studios to push the limits of their expertise and imagination.

The Audi Design Team developed two complementary models meeting these criteria: the accessible Audi eOra and the aspirational Audi eSpira. Both cars function as extensions of one’s body and its senses. Using next generation vehicle control logic, they take even the smallest body movements and gestures of the driver into consideration to provide an unsurpassed command of the drive. The sportier eOra has a smaller footprint has unmatched agility.

Participating Facebook fans said having a stake in the design of these groundbreaking vehicles was empowering and rewarding. While engagement through social media is nothing new, transcending the virtual world to create something tangible is more novel for brands.

“It was really nice to see that Audi cared enough to listen, “ said Joe Zamani an active member of the Audi community on Facebook who participated in the regular Design Challenge queries on the page. “The fact that they felt our opinions were worth taking to heart was encouraging. It shows what a valuable resource social media can be when ideas are turned into something real.”

The Los Angeles Design Challenge results will be revealed on December 3, 2009 during the L.A. Auto Show.

The latest Audi web video captures the final stretch of the Los Angeles Design Challenge and the Audi design team’s creation process. Audi partnered with entertainment and marketing production agency Trailer Park to create the video.

(source: Audi)