Audi diesel

2012 Audi A6 Arrives in the New Year

Audi AG has taken the covers off the 2012 Audi A6, which will go on sale early next year.

The German automaker also announced that both hybrid and diesel versions of the luxury sedan will be produced.

The redesign of the A6 has been done to fit into the new design family at Audi, exemplified by the 2011 A8 sedan. Among the interior changes to the new A6: a new interior with a wrap-around dashboard, wood paneling and seats that are heated, cooled and able to massage the driver whilst driving.

The diesel engine choices will include a 2.0-liter turbo diesel that Audi is claiming will get 48 miles to the gallon. Audi will also continue to offer the 3.0-liter TFSI engine from the current A6 with 300-hp and 27-mpg.

The new A6 will also be available with a hybrid drivetrain. The 2012 Audi A6 hybrid will be Audi's second hybrid model after the Q5, and will be powered by a 2.0-liter gasoline engine coupled to an electric motor and an eight-speed transmission.

Tags: Audi, Audi A6, Audi A8, Audi diesel, Audi hybrid

Mercedes-Benz Launches 4-Cylinder S Class

by David Kiley (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos

Are you ready for a four-cylinder Mercedes Benz S Class?

It seems unthinkable. The same number of cylinders in the big Mercedes that is in a Volkswagen Golf?

The German automaker is rolling out an S-class sedan called the S250 CDI, which has a four-cylinder diesel engine. Mercedes developed the car for Europe, which counts diesels about 40%-50% of new car sales, but so far does not plan to sell it in the U.S.

But that could change in future. Mercedes, BMW and Audi, as well as Volkswagen, have all brought diesels to the U.S.

The German car companies have long been champions of diesel for the U.S. But American consumers have stubbornly long memories of terrible defect-ridden diesels from General Motors in the late 1970s and 80s. The legacy of those cars is that politicians and regulators remain hostile or indifferent to diesel cars in terms of lowering taxes on diesel fuel at the pumps, as Europe did, and ease CO2 standards for diesels.

Tags: Audi Diesel, BMW Diesel, Diesel, Jetta TDI, Mercedes Benz, Mercedes Benz S Class, Mercedes S250 CDI

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