Panzer on Wheels: Audi Unveils the Armored 2011 A8 L Security

As any self-respecting luxury car manufacturer, Audi is also offering its customers BRVs or Bullet Resistant Vehicles, with the latest such model being the W12-powered 2011 A8 L Security. Set to go on sale in late summer, this...panzer on wheels will also be available with another, as of yet unspecified powerplant, starting from 2012.

To the untrained eye, the 5.27 meters (208 inches) long sedan is almost identical to the standard A8, but looks are definitely deceiving as the Security is said to comply with the strictest standards in ballistic protection and can even withstand an explosion and still offer adequate protection for its passengers.

The armored sedan is built in roughly 450 hours in a special facility at the Neckarsulm plant in Germany, where the use of cell phones is prohibited in order to prevent any technology leaks.

At the heart of the A8 L Security is the Audi Space Frame (ASF) aluminum body, which holds a safety cell built using extremely tough materials, such as hot-formed armored steel, aramide fabric, ceramics, special alloyed aluminum and multilayer glass. Many of these overlap at the joints for added protection. The safety cell alone weighs 720 kg (1,587 pounds), but engineers didn’t stop there.

The side sills have also been reinforced, complemented by the armored floor, 300 kilograms (661 lbs) of special glass with polycarbonate coating and strengthened doors that weigh an additional 360 kg (794 lbs).

In case of an attack, the optional emergency exit system, built-in fire extinguisher system and smoke extractor can provide additional protection.

The A8 L Security is powered by a 6.3-liter W12 engine, which churns out 500HP and 625 Nm (461 lb-ft) of peak torque. Despite the added weight, the direct-injected naturally aspirated unit is capable of propelling the vehicle from standstill to 100 km/h (62 mph) in a very respectable 7.3 seconds and on to an electronically limited top speed of 210 km/h (131 mph). Power is sent to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission and the company’s trademark quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.

With its projected average consumption of 13.5 lt/100 km (17.4 US mpg), the armored luxo-barge needs 3 liters of gasoline less than then the previous 450HP model. Furthermore, the second engine is said to further reduce consumption to 10-11 lt/100 km (23.5-21.4 US mpg), which could point to a diesel powerplant.

To better cope with the extra weight, the chassis, brakes and electronic control systems have been revised, while the 19-inch forged wheels are shod in high load index tires that allow the vehicle to continue traveling at speeds of up to 80 km/h (50 mph) even if tire pressure is lost.

Inside, the A8 L Security offers the same levels of quality and comfort as any 2011 Audi A8 and can be equipped with a bevy of high-tech optional features, ranging from the state-of-the-art Bose sound system to the fast UMTS Internet connection module.

Hit the Slopes in Style with Audi Carbon Ski

If you're looking to add some style to your winter-time outdoor activities, you may want to take a look at these cool skis from Audi. Initially designed and developed as a concept study at the Audi Concept Design Munich, the Carbon Ski is now heading for production with the Ingolstadt-based automaker estimating that it could be available for sale as early as this year.

As its name implies, the Audi Carbon Ski is made out of carbon fiber for reduced weight as well as optimal stiffness. More precisely, a cab of high-strength carbon fiber encloses layers of aluminum and titanium, as well as a wood core. The result is 170cm-long ski that tips the scales at 1,550 grams. According to Audi, the ski weighs 200 grams less than comparable models.

“As a long-time partner and sponsor of the German Ski Association, a ski produced by Audi is a logical consequence of this partnership. This is how the Audi Carbon Ski concept came about. And the ski’s brilliant handling characteristics have been confirmed by professionals from the sport,” said Wolfgang Egger, Head of Design for the Audi Group. “The serial-production ski was able to borrow from the concept study, and it features outstanding technical properties. At the same time, its minimalist design underscores the technical nature of the carbon.”

The Audi A8 Says, "Long Live the T-Shifter!"

When Hyundai launched the i30 small car on the Australian market, it marked the end of not only the Excel/Accent lineage down under but also the end of the automatic T-shifter. The Accent, a subcompact design available in either a four door sedan or five door hatchback body style, was the last car sold here to feature the venerable (if archaic) T-shaped automatic gear stick.

The T-shifter was born in the 1960s, as American automakers moved away from the steering column mounted automatic and towards a system that reduced complexity and design differentiation between its automatic and manual models. As the ‘80s moved into the ‘90s, automakers - for whatever reason - moved away from the T-shift and toward the semi-ubiquitous, upright “drumstick” shifter.

It seems that the T-shifter is back, at least for one car. The new Audi A8’s ergonomically friendly, chunky automatic gear shift has that distinct T-shaped that many of knew and loved from the pre-‘90s. Some bloggers believe that the automotive behemoth’s unique choice of shifter will influence other carmakers to return to the classic T. Personally, I’m not convinced. Feel free to leave your comments below if you disagree, or have some fond T-shifter memories to share.

Nielsen: Chevy's Miss Evelyn the Most Watched Ad Ever, but VW's Little Darth Varder was the Super Bowl Favorite

The numbers are in for last week's Super Bowl event and they show that the winner is General Motors with its Chevrolet’s spot, “Miss Evelyn’s Wild Ride”. According to Nielsen, an estimated 119,628,000 viewers watched two guys describing a woman’s wild ride in a silver Chevrolet Camaro making it the most-watched commercial ever. The previous record holder was a Doritos ad from 2010 with 116,231,920 viewers. GM's winning streak continued with the Chevy Cruze ad that came in second with 119.3 million views.

However, despite the record viewing number, Chevy's lovely ladies couldn't beat Volkswagen's little Darth Vader in the Passat ad for the most favorite commercial of the game with a Nieslen likability index of 186 (the average score for the Super Bowl ads is 100, meaning VW's Passat ad was almost twice as liked as the average commercial).

The German firm's second TV spot starring the Beetle was the 6th most favorite ad [146 score], while Chrysler's 200 with Eminem, 8th [138 score] and Audi's A8 10th [127 score]. You can watch the ads after the jump.

Geneva Preshow: ABT Adds Style and Power to New Audi A7 Sportback

Less than month after ABT announced its plans to unveil its tuning take on the new Audi A7 Sportback at the upcoming Geneva Motor Show, the Volkswagen Group specialist has shared the first photos and details on its available packages.

The rather modest cosmetic upgrades include a front apron along with discreet side skirts and a rear apron that makes space for the new rectangular-shaped quad tail pipes. The luxury fastback's stance can be further enhanced with a lowering kit and a choice of various alloy wheels available in sizes from 19- to 21 inches.

ABT Sportsline also offers a variety of power kits for the A7's range of engines. Starting with the popular in Europe 3.0-liter V6 TDI, after the German firm's engineers tweak the turbo diesel unit, power jumps from 245HP to 282HP, while a second stage kit that brings an in-house turbo charger can boost the TDI's output to 310HP and 610Nm or 450 lb-ft of peak torque. For the gasoline lineup, ABT's offerings are limited for the time being to the 3.0-liter supercharged V6, which gets a jump from 300-horses to 410HP.

VIDEO: New Audi A5 Sportback in Motion

Here's the first video of the all-new Audi A5 Sportback that joins the ever-expanding cast of the so-called four-door coupes or if you prefer, sport sedans with coupe-like styling details such as slick rooflines and frameless doors. Scheduled to arrive in European showrooms in September, the latest addition in Audi's A4 - A5 family will offer buyers an initial choice of six engines - three diesel and three gasoline, ranging from 170HP to 265HP. At least for now, Audi says that the A5 Sportback won't be coming to the U.S. market. Watch the video after the jump.

Audi A5 Sportback Photo Scans from French Mag

Hopefully our second batch of photos on the Audi A5 Sportback won't turn out to be another photoshop job as was the case with the picture of the five-door coupe we showed you earlier today. According to our reader Florent who sent us these images, the article on the A5 Sportback was scanned from the latest issue of French Car magazine L'Auto Journal (allegedly No781). There's a good chance that the pics are official since Audi said it will reveal a new model during this Thursday's 100th anniversary celebrations but we'll let you be the judge of that by checking out both scans in our high-res gallery after the jump.

Audi A5 Sportback Officially Revealed: Mega Gallery with 60 High-Res Photos

The wait is finally over for the all-new A5 Sportback as Audi unleashed a full photo gallery of its high-anticipated five-door coupe which will be formally introduced this fall at the Frankfurt Auto Show. The German firm claims that new member of the A5 family "combines the best of various vehicle genres such as the emotion and elegance of a coupe, the comfort of a sedan and the practicality of a station wagon." Of course most will see a five-door, liftback version of the A5 Coupe with a sleek roofline, but still, we must admit that our first reaction on the Sportback's styling is positive.

Aside from the low-slung roofline and the rear hatch, the Sportback also boasts a unique C-Pillar design with a dramatic kink as well as frameless doors.

Without doubt, the A5 Sportback looks even better with the optional S-Line sport package that combines a tauter suspension setup and lowered body with larger alloy wheels, specific bumpers, distinctive features on the side air intakes, on the diffuser and on the tailpipes along with color keyed side sill trims.

Moving on to the interior, Audi's styling experiments pretty much come to an end with the new door trims and the four-seat layout as the dashboard is no different than the one found in the rest of the A4 and A5 family.

Even though the Sportback is 36mm (1.42 in) lower than the A4 Sedan, the German automaker supports that the four-seater model offers comparable headroom and legroom space with the more conventionally styled A4.

Furthermore, Audi says that the Sportback's compartment volume of 480 liters (16.95 cu ft) is nearly as much as the A4 Avant, and it can increase to 980 liters (34.61 cu ft) with the rear seats folded down.

There are no surprises under the hood as the Sportback will roll into European showrooms in September with a similar engine lineup to the A4 and A5 models. The initial range will consist of three gasoline units, a 2.0 TSI with 180HP and 211HP and a 265HP 3.0 FSI V6, and three diesels, a 2.0 TDI with 170HP, a 2.7-liter TDI delivering 190HP and a 3.0- V6 TDI that makes 240HP.

All models are equipped with a recuperation system that recovers energy during braking and deceleration and stores it temporarily in the battery while the three gasoline and the top diesel variants are offered with Audi's quattro permanent all-wheel drive system.

Audi said that the A5 Sportback's range will be enhanced with three more engines by mid-2010, one of which will surely be the new 3.0-liter supercharged V6 TFSI that develops 290HP in the A6 and 333HP in the S4 Sedan and Avant models.

In Germany, prices for the A5 Sportback range from €33,650 for the 180HP 2.0 TSI to €47,950 for the 3.0 TDI.

For the time being, Audi claims that the A5 Sportback won't be heading to the United States, but something tells us that the automaker may change its plans in the very near future.

Audi A5 Sportback Prices at Launch (Germany)

2.0 TDI with 6-speed manual transmission - €36,050

2.7 TDI with 6-speed manual transmission -€39,300

3.0 TDI quattro with 7-speed S tronic - €47,950

2.0 TFSI (132 kW / 180 hp) with 6-speed manual transmission - €33,650

2.0 TFSI (155 kW / 211 hp) quattro with 7-speed S tronic - €42,150

3.2 FSI quattro with S tronic - €47,000