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2011 World Car of the Year finalists officially announced 
The Geneva Motor Show is now in the rear-view mirror, which means that the spotlight has now turned to the New York Auto Show this coming April, and if there’s one thing that we can all look forward to in New York, it’s that it will be the site of the 2011 World Car of the Year awards. All in all, 39 vehicles were included in the initial entry list comprising of new cars from all over the world. From these 39 cars, the list was whittled down to ten finalists with the top three contenders from these 10 cars receiving the final nominations for the 2011 World Car of the Year title. The cars that are subject for nomination are selected and voted on by an international jury panel consisting of 66 automotive journalists from 24 countries around the world. Each member of the panel has been appointed by the World Car Steering Committee on the merits of their experience, credibility, and influence within the auto industry in their respective countries and, to an extent, in the region. Eligibility for the World Car award is important in determining which cars can be nominated for the awards. This year, all candidates for the awards must become available for sale on at least two continents from January 1, 2010 to May 30, 2011. Apart from the World Car of the Year title, other awards that will be announced at the New York Auto Show include the World Performance Car of the Year, the World Green Car of the Year, and the World Car Design of the Year. Check out all the nominated cars for each of the categories after the jump. Full story Super Bowl Ad: Audi’s "Luxury Prison" campaign gets teased
Unlike a lot of automakers that have already shown their commercials for the Super Bowl, Audi is taking a slightly different approach on how their building up interest for their two 60-second ads that’s going to be shown during the game. The German manufacturer has yet to release their two commercials, instead opting for a more conservative and more interesting approach in the form of two teaser videos. Centered around the "Luxury Prison" campaign as an ode to the company’s approach in progressive luxury, the two teaser videos gives us a good look at life inside the Luxury Prison. In the first teaser video, some of the incarcerated ’felons’ of the prison talk to a group of young thrust-fund babies on the perils of their high-brow lifestyles with the hope of educating these spoiled brats from avoiding serving time at the prison. The second video features world famous saxophonist Kenny G playing the role of the prison’s official "Riot Suppressor", a title he received for having the all-important role of de-escalating riots before they blow up into a full-on caviar throwfest. These two videos serve as teasers for Audi’s two 60-second commercials that will be shown at the Super Bowl. One thing that’s worth noting about these two ads is that the Audi A8 luxury sedan will play prominent roles in both advertisements. We don’t know what kind of role capacity the A8 will have for the two commercials, but as Audi hopes, we’re dying to find out. In the meantime, check out these two teaser videos of the ’Luxury Prison’ after the jump. Full story 2011 Audi A8Audi’s full-size luxury sedan will be entering the 2011 model year with an overhaul fit to be called the vehicle’s third generation. This new model made its world debut in Miami at the Audi Pavilion in Miami Beach in 2009 with sales beginning in late 2010. The 2011 Audi A8 is based on the Volkswagen Group MLB platform, but maintains its Audi Space Frame aluminum construction as the previous generation. A new engine will be introduced for this generation as the 6.3 liter W12 engine finds a home in the A8. As far as knick-knacks are concerned, the sedan will feature all light-emitting diode (LED) headlights, an enhanced Multi Media Interface with touchscreen, and an optional 1400 watt Bang & Olufsen sound system. The 2011 Audi A8 starts off at about $78,000, but can peak at about $128,000 with all of the available options. Updated 01/13/2011: Audi has unveiled a pretty cool commercial for the new Audi A8 as a prelude to its upcoming Super Bowl ad. An evolution of Audi’s ongoing campaign to redefine luxury, the companion spot taps into viewers’ notions of old luxury with the help of an unlikely literary inspiration: Goodnight Moon, the 1947 children’s book by Margaret Wise Brown, one of the best-selling children’s books of all time. UPDATE 03/21/2011: Check out our review of the 2011 Audi A8 by clicking here! Press release after the jump. Full story Israel government orders $1 million Audi limousine for the Prime Minister
If you’re the prime minister of a country that’s been rife with unrest for as long as you can remember, it’s always a good idea to roll around on the road with a car that puts a premium on your safety. Sure, luxury’s a big part too, but since you’re the leader of your country, luxury isn’t – and shouldn’t be - the be all and end all of your choice of ride. The Israeli government knows a thing or two about assassinations – remember the late Yitzhak Rabin? – so when choosing for a new car for the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the country’s national domestic preventive security force – the Shin-bet, if you’re keeping score – has opted for an armored German limousine: a specially-built Audi A8L Security. Based on the long-wheelbase variant of the A8, the car comes with standard 6-liter W12 engine that produces 450 horsepower with a Quattro all-wheel drive. Unlike just about any A8 on the planet though, this car is going to come with some state-of-the-art features specifically included to cater to the safety of the prime minister. There’s a B6+ and B7 ballistic protection, a fire-suppression system, run-flat tires, and explosive charges on the doors. And if prime minister Netanhayu wants to relax in his custom-made A8 limo, he can do so by enjoying the added DVD entertainment system and the humidor in case he’d like to light up a stogie. The limousine is expected to cost somewhere around $1 million, which, if you’re Israel, is a pretty small price to pay for the safety and well-being of your leader. Audi releases online configurator for the 2011 A8 Online configurators are a good way to burn some time on an otherwise boring and idle day at work. You can probably figure out how much we enjoy playing around with these configurators because when stories are dry, we spend a lot of time tinkering around with our would-be cars, fine-tuning them to our own personal liking. We rarely make a purchase on any of these cars, but these configurators are still a fun way to dream about what our cars would look like if we had the money to make a purchase. To that, we’re thankful for Audi for releasing a new online configurator; this time, it’s for the new Audi A8. In this configurator, you can set up your virtual A8 with a pair of engine options, a number of interior and exterior stylings, a choice of tires, and a number of different packages that cater to specific needs and preferences of the customer. We invite you to play around with the configurator if you’ve got nothing else to do. If for nothing else, it’s a good way to run your imaginations and construct your ideal A8 to cater to your every whim. Luxury Machines: 2010 Mercedes-Benz S-Class, BMW 7-Series, Jaguar XJ, Audi A8
There are much better ways to drive around without getting noticed and driving around in cars that cost well over what any of us make isn’t one of them. Our cars - a Mercedes-Benz S600 AMG, BMW 760Li, Jaguar XJ and the Audi A8 - are dressed in their best colors with the waxed paint job glimmering in the evening sunlight. Driving through the heavily used highways around the Cleveland area is prime gawking time for motorists. At first, the stares and pointing fingers can make you feel a bit uncomfortable, but can you blame them? It isn’t everyday that you see a luxury barge roll through a relatively poor city, especially now that LeBron James is gone. These four sedans might be large in stature, but one nudge or poke in the wrong place and its goodnight in one impressive display. So, with more onlookers than a Thanksgiving Day parade, we are obliged to find the best luxury sedan among the four. Hit the jump to continue. Full story . 2011 First promotional taste of the Audi A8L W12Audi revealed the first video for the 2011 Audi A8L W12 that made its world debut at the Beijing Auto Show in April 2010. The promotional video provided by Audi shows the Audi in its entirety. The video allows the viewer to see the interior up close and personal as the camera zooms in. The Audi A8L W12 has a longer wheelbase with an extra 130mm of legroom which is clearly illustrated as the gentleman in the video stretches out his long legs in the back seat. Of course, we know how well Audi does with its videos considering the mini-series they have created with Justin Timberlake and Dania Ramirez which stars their newest hatchback, the Audi A1. Back to this Audi. The Audi A8 L W12 uses a twelve cylinder engine that consists of four rows of three cylinders with a 15-degree included angle between the two offset rows of cylinders in each broad cylinder block. The engine is primed to deliver 500 hp and 460.98 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm. The result is a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while top speed remains limited to 155 mph. Audi introduces wireless Internet access for the A8
We’re pretty surprised that it has taken so long for an auto manufacturer to come out with a factory-installed WLAN hotspot inside a car. We figured with the way the Internet was going, somebody would have it done by now. Well, just in time, Audi has finally taken to making the term ’mobile web surfing’ to where we’ve always wanted it to be: inside a car. The Ingolstadt-based car maker is giving their new Audi A8 luxury sedan an option of having a WLAN hotspot inside it, which can then be connected to up to eight mobile devices while the car is moving. Users can activate the WLAN by just inserting a data-capable SIM card into the A8’s Bluetooth online car phone and they’re all set to go and enjoy connection speeds of up to 7.2 Mbit/s, which is pretty fast considering that this is a new in-car technology for Audi. Press Release after the jump Full story 2011 Audi A8 L
Audi unveiled the long wheelbase version of the A8 luxury sedan today at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show. Compared to a standard A8, the L version is 130 mm longer. It is built on an aluminum chassis using the Audi Space Frame (ASF) that helps reduce the weight by about 40% compared to a comparable steel body. The top version, the Audi A8 L W12 quattro, uses a twelve cylinder engine (four rows of three cylinders with a 15-degree included angle between the two offset rows of cylinders in each broad cylinder block) that delivers an impressive 500 hp and 460.98 lb-ft of torque at 3,250 rpm. The result is a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in 4.9 seconds, while top speed remains limited to 155 mph. The L version is distinguished by a single-frame radiator grille with integral grid structure painted in high-gloss black finish and special chromed horizontal bars, chromed inserts of new design in the air inlets, and chromed applications on the exterior mirrors, W12 badges displayed on the single-frame grille and at the rear of the car and the exhaust system with two trapezoidal-pattern tailpipe trims integrated into the rear bumper. Press release after the jump. Full story ABT AS8
While Hofele Design was the first one to reveal a tuning kit for the luxury sedan Audi A8, Abt Sportsline brought there own version to Geneva Motor Show. Abt focused their attention to the 4.2 TDI engine. With a few trick it has been tuned to deliver 385HP and an impressive 880 NM of torque. Next to the engine modification the tuner also added new front spoiler, side sills, the rear aprons with the tailpipe cover and the three-piece rear spoiler. The car sits on 20 or 21 inch sizes wheels, depending on customer’s desire. Press release after the jump. Full story | Audi A8 latest reviews:
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