Audi Exhibits Futuristic “e-Den” Charging Station at Design Miami 2010

Audi's e-den futuristic charging station

Will charging stations become "the hangout" for future electric car owners? Well, Audi envisions the futuristic service station containing wood furniture and fresh potted herbs, organic food, magazines and coffee-table books.

For Design Miami 2010, Audi created a wellness oasis featuring fair-trade products and sustainable materials. It's being dubbed the "e-den", where "e" stands for electromobility.

This e-den is a far cry from what we experience now with gas stations.  No junk food and dirty restrooms.  To me, it sounds more like the coffee shop of the future.  All they need now is free wifi.

Audi Q5 Commercial - Man vs. Machine

This time the machine emerged victorious right on "Cue"...5...



What's your interpretation of this latest Audi Q5 commercial?

Audi at the 2010 L.A. Auto Show: Thoughts, Video, and Photos

We weren't able to make to L.A.'s Auto Show this weekend, but here are links to other auto writers/bloggers who were there:

EuroTurner: Audi introduces quattro concept, A7 and R8GT at LA Auto Show

Josh of QuattroWorld: Gallery: Audi at the L.A. Auto Show

egmCarTech: 2010 LA: 2011 Audi A7 makes stateside debut

Auto Spies: 2010 LA AUTO SHOW: Check Out The Audi R8 GT In DETAIL

Here is a video of Stefan Sielaff, head of Audi design, discussing the key features of the R8 GT and the A7 at the show...

Is America Really Ready for Audi Diesel Cars?

2010 Audi A3 TDI

There was some talk of Audi bringing a diesel version of every model to the U.S., but according to this article at The New York Times ("Audi Hedges on New Models"), it's not necessarily true.

Audi of America's president, Johan de Nysschen, is quoted as saying, "We’re considering the A1, but the U.S. luxury car buyer is not ready for compact luxury...When lighter, smaller vehicles become the norm, it’s a possibility."

Well, that may take years and years because most Americans love everything BIG. The cost of gas is rising and people would much rather fill up their gas-guzzlers than go small and save a ton of money.  It would be great if Audi was the car company that could knock some sense into the American public. Why not create a commercial educating us about the benefits of buying a smaller, luxury car?

Current Audi diesel products sold in the U.S. include the A3 and the Q7 (read our review the Q7 here).

Sidenote:  If you're wondering how Audi's smaller vehicles stacks up against other luxury car brands in terms of sales (October 2010), check out the graph over at the Good Car Bad Car blog.

Audi Snapshot: Best Ever October U.S.Sales

Our beloved Audi continues to gain ground and is on pace to set an all-time sales record in 2010. Here are some of the highlights:

• October marks seventh record-breaking month of year and three consecutive months of record-setting achievements for the brand
• October 2010 new sales of 8,128 vehicles surpasses previous October record set in 2008 with 7,443 Audi vehicles sold; Audi A3, Q5 sales jump significantly.
• Certified Pre-Owned sales of 2,400 vehicles marks the best October for Audi CPO in the last six years, since 2004.

Here's a chart with a breakdown of sales per model:

What's interesting to note is that Audi A3 sales jumped 144.9% from the previous year as more people are embracing TDI clean diesel.

The U.S. isn't the only place that Audi continues to grow. According to an article posted at German Car Scene last month, Audi sales are surging in Germany and other countries as well.