TDI
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Audi today released pricing for its 2009 model-year Q7 TDI SUV, the German carmaker's first clean diesel vehicle for the U.S. market. Featuring a 3.0L V6 diesel engine – the same unit as the Volkswagen Touareg TDI - the Q7 TDI is scheduled to arrive in U.S. dealerships later this month. Prices will start at $50,990, and buyers will also be able to qualify for a $1,150 Alternative Motor Vehicle Credit from the IRS. The prices are in line with other luxury carmaker offerings - BMW's X5 diesel starts at around $52,000 for the base model. Inside, you can expect to find 12-way heated front...
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Photo update: up close and personal with Audi's R15 TDI Le Mans racer
Diesel is fast - scary fast - as Audi's R10 TDI proved when it swept through the world of Le Mans and endurance racing by storm. Since then rule changes have dampened the flame somewhat, but it's still a competitive and formidable platform. This season, it's getting a full-scale upgrade with the...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi R15 TDI to contend three ALMS events this year
Diesel is fast - scary fast - as Audi's R10 TDI proved when it swept through the world of Le Mans and endurance racing by storm in previous years. Since then rule changes have dampened the flame somewhat, but it's still a competitive and formidable platform. This season, it's getting a full-scale...
Jeremy Weber -
Audi reveals pricing for U.S.-spec Q5, starts at $37,200
Audi first debuted its all-new Q5 midsized SUV as far back as the April 2008 Beijing Motor Show but now the vehicle is due to start rolling into U.S. dealerships next week. Audi has confirmed that it will be available with a 3.2L V6 FSI direct injection engine, quattro AWD, and a six-speed...
Jeremy Weber -
Audi confirms A3 TDI for U.S.
The horsepower wars are being supplemented by the efficiency wars now that global warming issues are being taken seriously by the world's major governments, and one of the primary weapons of the new war is the diesel engine. Audi cars have long had a close relationship with diesel fuel, and since...
Kenneth Hall -
Volkswagen rolls out Touareg Lux Limited and V6 TDI SUVs at Detroit Auto Show
Diesels are quickly joining hybrids and plug-in electrics as the new show-car theme. The reasons are simple: efficiency, both in terms of fuel and finance, is driving carmakers and consumers to give diesel-fueled vehicles another chance. In keeping with this, Volkswagen is once again showcasing its...
Alex Kaufmann -
The Los Angeles Auto Show is winding down its press events today, but this morning's first feature was the revelation of the winner of the 2009 Green Car of the Year award. Volkswagen's 2009 Jetta TDI took the honor, beating out a field of five finalists. The Jetta TDI is the first 'clean diesel' to win the award, handed out by the Green Car Journal since 2005. "The 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI epitomizes what the Green Car of the Year honor is all about," said Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of the Green Car Journal. The key facets of the Jetta's feature sheet that secured the award are its...
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VW reveals Red Bull Baja Racing Trophy Truck, launches Touareg V6 TDI in U.S.
Volkswagen showcased the breadth of its diesel powered technology today, with the unveiling of two different vehicles both carrying the Touareg nameplate. One is a new clean-diesel version, which meets the most stringent emission requirements of California and will be available in all 50 U.S...
Alex Kaufmann -
Seat launches Leon Linea R hot hatch
The Seat Leon hatch is in the midst of its second generation, with a facelift expected early next year. The all-new Linea R version of the car has come early, however, featuring a range of engines and a fresher design. Two four-cylinder petrol engines - a 1.8L rated at 160hp (119kW) and a 2.0L...
Nelson Ireson -
Report: Audi will not sell the Q7 V12 TDI in U.S.
The Audi Q7 V12 TDI was first revealed in production trim at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year but withheld key information, such as when the vehicle would eventually go on sale and what its specifications would look like, until last month. Now Audi has reportedly revealed that the Q7 V12 TDI...
Viknesh Vijayenthiran -
Volkswagen gearing up for new U.S. sales push
The downturn in vehicle sales around the world is affecting nearly every carmaker in some way or another, but not equally in each market. Volkswagen, for example, has been on a four-year downturn in the U.S., with 2008 merely marking a particularly rough spot. But the company is working to turn...
Nelson Ireson -
Audi's 60mpg A4 TDI Concept e officially unveiled
Like many other manufacturers, Audi has chosen the theme of fuel efficiency for its Paris Motor Show exhibitions, and the latest addition to the group is the Audi A4 TDI Concept e. Built around a highly efficient diesel engine that's good for 58.95mpg (3.99L/100km) in mixed driving, the car is an...
Nelson Ireson -
The Guinness World Record for lowest fuel consumption has been claimed by hypermiling power couple John and Helen Taylor at the wheel of a 2009 Volkswagen Jetta TDI. Burning diesel across the lower 48 United States, the pair averaged 58.82mpg (3.99L/100km) over 20 days. Previously the record for lowest fuel consumption on a transnational trip had been set at 51.58mpg (4.56L/100km), making the new record an improvement of 14%. The total trip distance was far from direct, totaling 9,419mi (15,070km) with an average fuel cost of 6.9 cents per mi, for a total of $653. Guinness World Records has...