Mar 282013
 

At the New York auto show, Audi exposed details of its long-awaited A3 update, a completely redesigned car with tech features inherited from its big luxury brothers in the Audi lineup.

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Audi showed off the cabin tech for the new A3 model at 2012 CES, setting the first milestone for what looked like a highly expected update. And while Audi put the updated A3 in sedan and Sport back form on the stage in Geneva and Paris last year, it is only now that we get to see the U.S. version of the car.
Audi equips the new A3 with the same cabin electronics, and more, as its bigger vehicles.

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The sedan looks to be Audi’s main model, presented with both turbocharged gasoline and diesel engines. The Sport back version, more closely similar to the current A3 model, will come out as a plug-in hybrid, likely using a similar drive train configuration to the new Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid. And will also offer an S3 sedan version with a high output 2 liter engine.

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Audi A3 uses a new take on Audi’s MMI controller, keeping the dial and four button arrangements but embedding a circular touch pad on top of the dial. Drivers will be able to trace letters on the touch pad for alphanumeric input to the infotainment system.

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The Audi A3 will get an always-on 4G LTE connection to power Google Earth combination with its navigation system. The current A6, A7, and A8 models use a 3G connection for their navigation systems, which show spectacular satellite imagery for the terrain through which the cars drive.

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One of the most moving features in the new A3 is app integration, something that Audi has been lacking. With a phone connected to the car’s Wi-Fi, drivers will be able to access certain apps, such as social media, through voice command. Expect that feature to roll out in updates to other Audi models, as well.

Mar 262013
 

Vehicles that are powered by different energy sources and they should eventually replace all the gasoline-powered vehicles and become a normal thing, instead of being amazing that only the environmentally awake or those who can pay for it choose to buy. Most common fuels are bio fuels, natural gas, electricity, and hydrogen. In recent years, hydrogen fuel has attracted the large car manufacturers, focusing their attention to increasing hydrogen fuel cells that could be mass produced within a couple of years. Honda, Toyota, Ford and Nissan are the companies that are at the fore front of increasing hydrogen fuel cell technology.

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Toyota has announced to start selling hydrogen fuel cell vehicles as 2015, which is earlier than other car makers working on the same technology. They have been working on it intensively for quite some time and made important progress in the last 3-4 years, with the FCV-R concept estimated to be ready for mass production by 2015. It’s a full size sedan, with a fuel cell mounted underside the body. The fuel cell system consists of 70MPa high pressure hydrogen tank, which allows you to travel up to 400 miles per charge.

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Another Japanese car maker is also making some serious advances in this division. They have unveiled the FCX Clarity concept, which is powered by a hydrogen tank joint with a lithium ion battery and an electric drive motor. The battery stores electricity and the hydrogen tank stores hydrogen, while electricity is generated thanks to the V Flow fuel cell stack. The electric drive motor is there to push the vehicle. It provides 134 horsepower and 189 lb-ft of torque, and travel 240 miles with no need of refueling.

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It’s clear that we will be seeing a lot hydrogen fuel cell vehicles in the future, and while they are a bit too luxurious for the middling consumer now, they should become more reasonable as people start viewing increased interest for more energy efficient and environmentally and friendly vehicles, and car makers see that mass-producing hydrogen fueled cars may be economically feasible.

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