Electric Audi Q6 arriving by 2018
It was confirmed by Audi that they will produce an electric crossover that
should arrive by 2018. There are now a few more clues available on what to
expect from the car, most likely called an A6. Audi CEO Rupert Stadler has said
the model will be available by 2018 to coincide with the arrival of a stronger
charging infrastructure. Stadler has said that achieving a range of 310 miles,
"is a must." "Now with our engineers and our battery-cell suppliers we are at a
stage where we can say yes, this is feasible and we believe that with the
ongoing investments in terms of infrastructure development we think that
2018-2019 is the right time to come up with such a car," he noted. Audi promises
the Q6 will be sporty, sexy, and packed with utility. The new Q6 model is primed
to take on the Tesla Model X. The Q6 isn't the only crossover to be hitting Audi
dealerships. As it has already been reported, Audi has confirmed a Q8 model,
which will be offered as a sporty Q variant. And according to Audi CEO, Rupert
Stadler, it will be more expensive than the Q7.
Shop for current Audi models at Gurley Leep Motorwerks.
Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Thursday, April 30, 2015
The future of safety
Something this simple can save lives.
When it comes to automakers, there are those who will adapt their vehicles just
enough to meet required safety standards, and then there are those that go above
and beyond and continue to raise the bar every year. Mercedes-Benz is one of
those automakers that go above and beyond. They have created the Mercedes-Benz
Rescue Assist Program, because it can be a dangerous situation at the scene of
an accident when First Responders don't have the vehicle's structural
information. The application brings up pictures of the vehicle and shows exactly where some
of the most dangerous systems are located. Among the systems that are displayed
on the application are the airbags, impact zones, seat belts, fuel tank,
restraints and battery. While the Rescue Assist Application was just implemented in 2013, the goods news
is that any Mercedes-Benz dating back to 1990 can have the QR code installed.
Contact Gurley Leep Mercedes Service Department to get your Rescue Assist Application installed.
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Take it to the limit, one more time.
2015 Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG Coupe...186 mph of pure luxury
The 2015 S65 AMG coupe is among the most luxurious and most attractive vehicles
on the planet, with ridiculous levels of equipment. First and foremost, it's a
beast, a menacing and more evil one that it's V-8 powered S63 sibling.
This
remarkably beautiful and powerful two-door coupe boasts a twin-turbocharged V-12
engine with 621 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. Numbers don't do this
stunning car justice, but they are impressive nonetheless. It can sprint to 60
mph in a mere four seconds flat and it's top speed is governed at a satisfying
186 mph. The S65 is equipped with a "Curve Tilting" function, which at speeds
between 10 and 111mph actually leans the body of car into the corners like a
motorcycle. While this feature seems like it would increase corner speeds, it's
really meant to increase the fun of driving the S65.
The interior of the S65 is
just as exciting as the exterior. The cabin is drenched in cross-stitched, nappa
leather and the new sports steering wheel allows for perfect control; trimmed
with perforated leather in the grip area and a metal insert AMG lettering. The
sports seats are exclusively developed for AMG to ensure long-distance comfort.
The AMG packs in every imaginable feature from Mercedes-Benz play book and then
some. There is a 360-degree parking camera, cross-traffic alert, blind-spot
monitoring, a standard heads up display, a new touchpad COMAND system, a
Burmester surround-sound audio and a 12.2 inch color TFT center display.
No one
talks about personal luxury cars anymore, but the Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG reminds
us that they are still out there. There may not be a modern term for them, but a
distinction remains between the average luxury car and the one the is so
narcissistically over the top that it exists solely for the purpose to serve,
appease and pamper it's driver. Personal luxury is getting to choose when to
enjoy your car's performance and when the car does the traveling for you. This
car proves it.
Shop our Mercedes-Benz store for more exciting models.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Audi TTS Confirmed in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'
Audi TTS Confirmed in 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'
The biggest blockbuster expected on movie screens this year is the upcoming Avengers Age of Ultron due May 1 in theaters. It has been confirmed that the Audi TTS will also be featured in the upcoming movie. While an announcement is expected this week, possibly at the New York Auto Show, marketing materials have already begun to appear in dealerships around the country.
Materials we’ve found in dealerships, including a movie poster and cut-out cardboard kit including Avengers figures and a build-your-own Audi TTS coupé state the following.
The biggest blockbuster expected on movie screens this year is the upcoming Avengers Age of Ultron due May 1 in theaters. It has been confirmed that the Audi TTS will also be featured in the upcoming movie. While an announcement is expected this week, possibly at the New York Auto Show, marketing materials have already begun to appear in dealerships around the country.
Materials we’ve found in dealerships, including a movie poster and cut-out cardboard kit including Avengers figures and a build-your-own Audi TTS coupé state the following.
Playing a starring role in Marvel’s Avengers: Age of Ultron, the all-new Audi TTS provides the kind of performance and advanced technology a Super Hero needs to save the day.Given the placement of a new red TTS on the materials, that would suggest the car in the movie will be a new red Audi TTS coupé. Interestingly, as we researched more on this story, we learned that a Nimbus Grey Audi TTS and possibly a limited edition TTS competition was used in the filming of a scene involving Captain America.
Friday, March 13, 2015
Mercedes-Benz C-Class and S-Class: Finalists for World Car Awards 2015
Owners and aficionados have long known that Mercedes-Benz has stood apart from the rest because of its fine craftsmanship, powerful performance, and sophisticated elegance. So it comes as no surprise that Mercedes-Benz made the short list for the 2015 World Car Awards. Twice. The C-Class is a finalist for the World Car Awards Design of the Year 2015 and the S-Class is a finalist for World Luxury Car of the Year 2015. If you have driven one, you understand. If you own one, you know.
A panel of five narrowed the field down to the short lists this year. Composed of Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK, each highly respected designer brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design.
Bracht shares his strategy with WCOTY: “At first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.” Baruffaldi has a different approach: “I start deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
Judging the quality of a vehicle’s design comes down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
The finalists for the 2015 World Car Awards were announced earlier this year, a diverse representation across a wide range of vehicles. The design panel eagerly awaits the final results from the jury’s vote in April at the New York Auto Show in April. What makes the awards so significant, notes Matano, is that “the jurors come from a truly global scope. It’s truly global and very neutral.”
The only thing left to do is experience the C-Class or S-Class for yourself. Take a ride in a vehicle as distinctive as you are. Make your statement.
A panel of five narrowed the field down to the short lists this year. Composed of Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK, each highly respected designer brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design.
Bracht shares his strategy with WCOTY: “At first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.” Baruffaldi has a different approach: “I start deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
Judging the quality of a vehicle’s design comes down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
The finalists for the 2015 World Car Awards were announced earlier this year, a diverse representation across a wide range of vehicles. The design panel eagerly awaits the final results from the jury’s vote in April at the New York Auto Show in April. What makes the awards so significant, notes Matano, is that “the jurors come from a truly global scope. It’s truly global and very neutral.”
The only thing left to do is experience the C-Class or S-Class for yourself. Take a ride in a vehicle as distinctive as you are. Make your statement.
VW Passat nominated World Car of the Year 2015
To drive a Volkswagen is to experience passion. Engineering and fueling passion is at the heart of Volkswagen. And it caught the eye of the panelists at the World Car Awards 2015, landing the Volkswagen Passat as a finalist for World Car of the Year 2015.
To get to this point, a panel of five of the most highly respected designers in the industry had the formidable task of narrowing the field for the jury to vote for. Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK. Each brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design. Bracht explains that “at first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.” Conversely, Baruffaldi says she starts “deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
The panel says that the final decisions come down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
...
Continue reading at Gurley Leep Volkswagen
To get to this point, a panel of five of the most highly respected designers in the industry had the formidable task of narrowing the field for the jury to vote for. Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK. Each brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design. Bracht explains that “at first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.” Conversely, Baruffaldi says she starts “deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
The panel says that the final decisions come down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
...
Continue reading at Gurley Leep Volkswagen
3 Audis make final World Car Awards list
2015 World Car Award Finalists
The short lists are now in for the 2015 World Car Awards.
To get to this point, a panel of five of the most highly respected designers in the industry had the formidable task of narrowing the field for the jury to vote for. Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK. Each brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design.
Bracht: “At first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.”
Baruffaldi: “I start deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
Judging the quality of a vehicle’s design comes down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
When it comes to “genres” and car design – from SUV to sport coupe to luxury limo – this is not something the panel focuses on when judging candidates. The same criteria applies for all candidates, the panel agrees. “I do not pay much attention to categorization, because it is not important for customers,” says Arimoto. “…Good design can be done in any category. People fall in love with a car not because of its categorization but its design.”
The only time categorization becomes more pertinent is as we move forward, into the future. Boundaries with car categories are becoming increasingly blurred. “Broadly I see more ‘mash-ups’ of existing genres,” observes Livingstone, “particularly those that sit around the lifestyle end of the crossover/SUV space…”
When inquired about the potential of a new “autonomous drive” category within the World Car Design of the Year Award, Baruffaldi commented, “Autonomous driving is definitely the issue of the future: It will be interesting to see, for example, how the on-board space will be reorganized… But probably, at the beginning, the autonomous features will simply be added to the cars as they are today, so adding an additional category won’t be immediately necessary.” Tom Matano agreed, adding “I still believe that the criteria for what is good design doesn’t need to change. If an autonomous vehicle changes proportion due to what it does, inside and so on, we will be judging the correctness of that proportion.”
The finalists for the 2015 World Car Awards were announced earlier this year, a diverse representation across a wide range of vehicles. The design panel eagerly awaits the final results from the jury’s vote in April at the New York Auto Show in April. What makes the awards so significant, notes Matano, is that “the jurors come from a truly global scope. It’s truly global and very neutral.”
Click here for the full 2015 WCOTY report
NEXT STEPS
View Audi Finalists:
2015 Audi S1: Contact Audi Michiana
2015 Audi S3
2015 Audi TT
The short lists are now in for the 2015 World Car Awards.
To get to this point, a panel of five of the most highly respected designers in the industry had the formidable task of narrowing the field for the jury to vote for. Masatsugu Arumoto of Japan, Silvia Baruffaldi of Italy, Gernot Bracht of Germany, Tom Matano of USA, and Sam Livingstone of the UK. Each brings a unique strategy and strength to the task at hand as well as a passion for automotive design.
Bracht: “At first, it is a spontaneous ‘like’ or ‘don’t like’ decision. There are cars you would never vote for because they are against your own design philosophy.”
Baruffaldi: “I start deleting the less significant models first, in order to narrow the selections. Then comes the more difficult part, to pick up only five of the remaining nominees.”
Judging the quality of a vehicle’s design comes down to a certain balance between proportion and shape, as well as between form and function. In addition to these key elements, notes Arimoto, “being consistent with the brand’s identity.” Matano adds “I always look for a ‘newness’, indicating a new direction in design, or the innovative approach of blending function/technology and aesthetics.” For Livingstone, standout candidates are “the ones that move the discipline of car design forward in useful, relevant (for today and tomorrow) ways, and that are well executed.”
When it comes to “genres” and car design – from SUV to sport coupe to luxury limo – this is not something the panel focuses on when judging candidates. The same criteria applies for all candidates, the panel agrees. “I do not pay much attention to categorization, because it is not important for customers,” says Arimoto. “…Good design can be done in any category. People fall in love with a car not because of its categorization but its design.”
The only time categorization becomes more pertinent is as we move forward, into the future. Boundaries with car categories are becoming increasingly blurred. “Broadly I see more ‘mash-ups’ of existing genres,” observes Livingstone, “particularly those that sit around the lifestyle end of the crossover/SUV space…”
When inquired about the potential of a new “autonomous drive” category within the World Car Design of the Year Award, Baruffaldi commented, “Autonomous driving is definitely the issue of the future: It will be interesting to see, for example, how the on-board space will be reorganized… But probably, at the beginning, the autonomous features will simply be added to the cars as they are today, so adding an additional category won’t be immediately necessary.” Tom Matano agreed, adding “I still believe that the criteria for what is good design doesn’t need to change. If an autonomous vehicle changes proportion due to what it does, inside and so on, we will be judging the correctness of that proportion.”
The finalists for the 2015 World Car Awards were announced earlier this year, a diverse representation across a wide range of vehicles. The design panel eagerly awaits the final results from the jury’s vote in April at the New York Auto Show in April. What makes the awards so significant, notes Matano, is that “the jurors come from a truly global scope. It’s truly global and very neutral.”
Click here for the full 2015 WCOTY report
NEXT STEPS
View Audi Finalists:
2015 Audi S1: Contact Audi Michiana
2015 Audi S3
2015 Audi TT
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