The A3 took top honors in the “Best Economy Car” category, while the A8 L won the “Best Luxury Car” category. The award winners were named after a six-week online poll conducted by AutoWeek magazine.

The A3 is Audi’s entrant in the premium compact class, starting at $25,340. It is available with a 200 hp 2.0-liter turbocharged engine with direct injection, or a 250 hp 3.2-liter narrow-angle V6 with Audi’s revolutionary S tronic transmission and quattro® all-wheel drive.

The A8 model line received new powertrains for the 2007 line-up. The 2007 S8 features a direct gasoline injected V10 FSI engine producing 450 hp, and can sprint from 0-60 mph in 4.9 seconds. A8 and A8 L models also get direct injection for their 4.2-liter V8 engines which now produce 350 hp. The A8 L W12 has a 450 hp 6.0-liter W12 engine. All A8/S8 models come standard with quattro® all-wheel drive.

About Audi

Audi’s history in America dates to 1969, when the brand was first introduced to the U.S. market. Today, a network of over 260 Audi dealers currently offers a line of premium vehicles that include the Audi A3 compact; the sporty A4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high performance S4 sedan, Avant and Cabriolet models; the high-revving RS 4 sports sedan; the design-leading A6 sedan and Avant; the all-new Audi Q7 performance SUV; and the all-aluminum Audi A8; and the new V10-powered S6 and S8 performance sedans.

About AutoWeek

AutoWeek is the only weekly auto enthusiast magazine in North America. It provides passionate auto enthusiasts with the latest on vehicle reviews, trends, new products, racing, personalities, auto show coverage and more. AutoWeek‘s frequency provides readers with up-to-date news and stories like no other automotive magazine.

Ok, I know you’ve been anticipating the pictures of my dream car from the 2006 San Diego Auto Show. I was giddy with excitement when I approached the Audi display. A midnight blue A8 sat there beckoning me to come in and have a seat, so I obliged.

Here are a few pictures from the inside of the car. Sorry for the bad photography – I was just a little bit too excited to care about camera settings 😉

I was browsing through AudiWorld and found out that Audi was named the “Car Company of the Year”. I believe they received the award for Europe…The company is making record figures this year and is expected to grow even more in the next year. Read the article here…

You can find a wealth of resources and news at the AudiWorld website, including this forum where people can chat about the A8/A8L/S8.

On a side note, I’ve seen three A8’s this past month 😉 Whenever I see one, I feel like I’ve just seen some celebrity or something! Yeah, I’m a nerd 😉

I was downtown tonight walking to the train station (we call it the “trolley” here in San Diego) when I saw something shiny out of the corner of my eye. I looked to the side and caught a glimpse of a silver Audi A8 cruising by on Broadway.

Now, for me an Audi A8 is quite the rare sight in my corner of the world. To see an A8 cruising down the street is like seeing Halley’s comet. You would have thought I had just seen “Brangelina” or something!

I scrambled to get my camera out to take a picture, but it was too late….

I received this email from Audi today….

We have just unveiled our new Audi web sites. You’ll experience a more robust, information-rich and engaging audiusa.com and audicanada.ca. In addition, you will find all of the latest 2007 model information from our exciting product line-up.

As part of our web site updates, we have temporarily removed the MyAudi section and will re-launch our owner area in the future. In the meantime the enhanced Audi web sites still provide the essential Audi information you desire, with fast and easy access for signing up for the latest product and Audi news. And we’ve made the navigation even more intuitive for your convenience. You need not re-register for any current eNewsletters that you receive from Audi.

Test drive our new audiusa.com and audicanada.ca web sites soon. We are sure that it will provide you with the definitive e-experience.

We thank you for your interest in Audi.

I love the new site jam-packed full of information and enjoyed watching the video on the A8, of course! They say you have to visualize your dream!

BusinessWeek came out with an article reviewing the Audi A8… I like this part of the article:

“All in all, it’s not the money look of Mercedes or BMW’s fancywork. Instead, Audi is carving out a niche that exudes elegance, of the slightly understated, less self-conscious sort. In the flesh, it really is a remarkable looking car and affirms the brand’s general design direction…”

Via AutoSpies.com, where you can read some comments from supporters of the A8 😉

For those of you who know me, you know that customer service is one of my passions in life. At my other blog, Customers Are Always, I ask readers for feedback on Audi customer service. Last week I received this comment which made me question my own investment in the company.

Do I base my decision to buy an Audi on one experience? I’m a little torn because I do feel for this couple who endured great stress because of their bad experience with Audi.

Do you have any feedback on Audi that you’d like to share? Your comments are welcome!

I received my “Audi News” via email today….

“As referenced in a July 10th article from BusinessWeek, a recent quality report for the German market shows Audi made big gains in vehicle quality and customer service, and scored high in vehicle appeal. BusinessWeek mentions ‘Audi’s quality ranking alone jumped 21 points in Germany from 2005, while the industry as a whole improved by only 6 points.’ The report is based solely on the opinions of current car owners. But when Germans are asked to vote on which brand they like the most regardless of what they drive now, Audi fared even better. BusinessWeek adds ‘In the 2006 reader survey by German magazine Auto Motor & Sport, Audi swept the rankings, overtaking both BMW and Mercedes for best car in the compact (A3), executive sedan (A6), and luxury sedan (A8) categories.’“

I know, it’s been awhile since I’ve posted, but rest assured that I haven’t forgotten about my dream car 😉 The car I dream about everyday when I wake up. I’ve made up my mind that it’s going to be champagne colored like the one pictured here (via this website). Oh, what a beauty [wiping drool off my chin]…

I close my eyes and picture myself cruising to wherever. I claim this car and it will be mine 🙂

By the way..no recent A8 sitings ;(

The Truth About Cars has an interesting thread on an article titled Audi: Losing the Plot? …It’s a pretty long thread and I don’t have the time to read all the 120+ comments from many people who seem to know more about Audi cars than I do! All I really care about is that the car has style, doesn’t break down on me, and gets me from point A to point B.

To be quite honest, I’m most attracted to Audi’s symbol – the four interlocking circles. I’ve always been fascinated with circles and have paintings using the circle. For me, the circle represents unity. I also like Audi’s motto “Never follow”. That’s been my mantra since the day I was born 😉 I guess you could say that I would be driving my A8 more for what it symbolizes.

Dan Lienert of ForbesAutos.com compares and contrasts the 2006 Audi A8 and the 2006 Lexus SC 430. Both are fabulous cars, but you already know my choice!

“But both sedans rank among the world’s most luxurious cars, with powerful engines, lots of legroom and tasteful styling. Both are premier status symbols, and among the most desirable cars out there.

Not surprisingly, the price difference means the LS 430 handily outsells the A8 — 19,000 versus 3,000 models in the U.S. this year. Audi does offer a more affordable A8; the entry-level model starts at $67,310, which is still 20% higher than the price of the Lexus.”

Read more…

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Audi A8 sightings this week: none

Audi A4 sightings: ton

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