Audi’s RS3: Almost Worth Moving To Europe For

The Audi RS3 is forbidden fruit in the United States, since Audi deems it “too targeted” for the U.S. market. It’s also too expensive for a country that tends to ignore station wagons and hatchbacks, even if they are faster than a Porsche 911 Carrera S. As AutoExpress points out, the RS3’s selling price in the UK is ₤40,000, which works out to be around $65,000 on this side of the pond. That’s enough to put you in a well equipped Porsche Cayman, a BMW M3 coupe or even a loaded base model Corvette, but that’s the very reason that Audi created the car. What other choices are there for enthusiasts who like to drive fast, but also need more room than a sport coupe (even one with a back seat) provides? Read more

Audi Prices The 2012 R8 GT

If you’ve always wanted an R8 with just a bit more schnell, you’d best get in touch with your Audi dealer, pronto. Audi’s announced pricing on their new 560 horsepower, V10 R8 GT, and only 90 will be brought into the United States. The price of admission starts at $196,800, but that amount of cash buys you some impressive performance. Zero to sixty two miles per hour (or 100 kph) comes up in a mere 3.6 seconds, and the top speed is said to be 199 miles per hour (wink, wink, nudge, nudge). Extensive use of carbon fiber has shaved some 180 pounds from the car when compared to an Audi A8 5.2 quattro coupe. Read more

Audi’s A8 L Security: Mr. Bond, Your Limo Is Here

Do you have a lot of money, a lot of power and a significant number of enemies? Are you tired of rolling in the same armored BMW 7 series that every other Wall Street executive gets delivered to the office in? Want to try something new, but with a similar German pedigree? Good news, then, since Audi has recently announced their A8 L Security armored limousine. A bullet and bomb resistant version of the full sized A8 L, the car comes with an array of standard and optional features that would impress even Bond, James Bond. Read more

These Are Audi Commercials?

Audi is going head-to-head with Mercedes-Benz in their latest commercials. First they gave us the “Goodnight” TV spot, which mocked Mercedes owners as old and stodgy, more concerned with image than with content. Their latest ads take that message one step farther, occasionally crossing the line of what most Audi customers would consider to be good taste. The best part? These videos are just teasers for the actual ads, which will air during the Superbowl. I dare you to watch them and not smile, although I’ll warn you that they contain some graphic content. In the first, entitled “Startled Smart” (a spoof of the “Scared Straight” concept), high risk youth get a picture of life inside a luxury prison. If you don’t want to see a man kiss a stuffed armadillo, and if implied caviar-jar-licking or cheese fondling puts you off, look elsewhere. Read more

Audi Shakes Down The R18

When Audi switched from gasoline engined endurance race cars to diesel engined race cars for the 2006 season, racing history was made. The Audi R10s utterly dominated the competition, taking victories in the 12 Hours of Sebring, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Petit Le Mans, despite having development issues early in the year (which forced Audi to compete side by side with their previous car, the R8). By 2007, Audi seemed unstoppable, with the R10 being undefeated in North American LMP1 competition and easily winning at Le Mans. In 2008, however, the tide was beginning to turn. Audi still won at Le Mans, but was beaten by a Peugeot turbo diesel at several other venues. The R10 was no longer invincible, and was replaced by the R15 TDI in 2009. Read more

Audi Disses Mercedes In New Superbowl Ad

If you like things boring and old school, live in a mansion and throw elaborate dinners where no one eats anything, you should buy a Mercedes-Benz S63 AMG. If you still have enough income to tip your mailman in hundred dollar bills, but are younger and hipper than the “old money” crowd in the video, you should buy an Audi A8. At least that’s the message I’m getting from Audi of America’s latest video, which hits television this weekend. The ad will also run during the AFC and NFC Championship games, as well as during the Super Bowl. Read on to watch the video. Read more

Cars With Launch Control: Houston, We Have Lift Off!

[original post date: 02/10/2009] I honestly believe that the new Nissan GT-R has sparked quite an interest and crave for launch control. Many cars way before the Nissan GT-R have had their own system for a launch control either in a SMG transmission in the E46 BMW M3 or the Volkswagen’s early DSG found in the GTI.

The ultimate crave for launch control baffles me but you have to understand that I would take a full manual transmission any day over a, what Jeremy Clarkson calls them, floppy paddle gear box. Even with Nissans woes with grenaded transmissions in the GT-R, launch control is still a big hit. Even Hitler “had to launch it”.

Ever since the introduction of drive-by-wire, auto manufacturers have been toying with new electronics that improve upon the over-all safety of a vehicle. New systems come standard in many vehicles now such as dynamic skid control or also known as vehicle dynamic control or electronic stability control (name varies from each manufacturer). Many of these new systems utilize a combination of computer operated units from the ABS braking, traction control and accelerator control. I am sure if manufacturers thought they could play with these systems and make a car safer then why not develop a precise method for accelerating a vehicle with a computer to make it faster.

It is all a numbers game if you think about it. I am sure many car enthusiasts, including yourself, may have experimented with dropping your clutch at a certain RPM to get the full potential out of a launch from a dead-stop. Even you guys with automatics have almost perfected holding the brake pedal while stomping on the accelerator in preparation for a ‘launch’. What if your car could do this for you? Well, many new exotic and sports cars can but it does take the use of a special transmission or a manual transmission that is controlled by a computer, except in Porsches’ case with their newest launch control system on a full manual transmission.

Where did this idea and technology come from?

If you think about it, F1 cars among other racing cars were already using a type of the technology that we see in today’s cars fitted with dual clutch transmissions and SMG (Sequential Manual Gearbox) units. Racing is where it begins… most times. From the F1 cars now shifting well under 60 milliseconds to the Nissan GT-R’s dual clutch shifting time of around 200 milliseconds, computers have taken cars to a new level of performance where a human just simply cannot match yielding a much higher level of performance.

Cars with Launch Control

Many of the baby boomers know ‘launch control’ to be something only NASA quotes in the control room during a space shuttle launch. Now we can all experience a ‘horizontal’ launch in many of today’s technologically advanced performance vehicles.

So which cars have launch control? Below is a short list that we have compiled of all vehicles with an available launch control. If we missed any please post a comment below and let us know.

Please note: Some of the vehicles included on the list may only have a staging RPM setting which some may call “launch control” but it is not as involved as a fully automated launch control or uses a sequential shifting transmission (paddle shifter) such as in the Nissan GT-R.

• Audi R8
• Audi TT
• BMW M3
• BMW M5
• BMW M6
• Bugatti Veyron
• Chevrolet Corvette/ZR1
• Ferrari 360cs
• Ferrari 599 GTB/GTO
• Ferrari F430/Scuderia
• Ferrari 458 Italia
• Lamborghini Gallardo/LP560
• Lamborghini Murcielago/LP640
• Lexus LFA
• Mercedes Benz McLaren SLR
• Mercedes Benz SL63 AMG
• Mercedes Benz SLS AMG
• Mitsubishi Evo Lancer Evolution/MR
• Nissan GT-R
• Porsche 911/Carrera/S/GT2
• Volkswagen GTI/Golf/Rabbit/R32

Various videos demonstrating launch control below after the jump…

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Nissan Takes Off The Gloves, Throws Down On Porsche And Audi

Nissan is getting bold with their advertising in the U.K.; so bold, in fact, that Porsche has already threatened litigation for unapproved use of their trademark crest. A billboard sponsored by Nissan, displayed at this year’s Goodwood Festival of Speed, featured a 370Z with the Porsche crest, the Audi rings and the BMW roundel. Next to each was chalked up numbers, indicating “kills” by the Nissan. Porsche was none too happy about this, and sent Nissan a cease and desist order in regards to use of the logo. Audi and BMW, meanwhile, just smiled and enjoyed the free advertising.

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