Audi

The Geneva Motor Show is one of the auto industry’s best-known rites of Spring. Every March, the motoring world converges on the lakeside Swiss metropolis to gawk at all the new models (vehicular and otherwise) on neutral ground. It’s absolutely one of the crown jewels of the international auto show calendar.

And because it’s such a prestigious show, the manufacturers tend to bring their best production and concept cars to the Geneva Palexpo. This means picking out the best of the best is a mighty daunting task, which is why we’ve decided to expand the field to 25. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover, so let’s hop to it.

Earlier this year, we brought you news of Toyota's return to Le Mans with its TS030 Hybrid prototype. Audi has now announced that it too will field a hybrid-powered car at this year's Le Mans race - the R18 E-tron Quattro. Similar to last year's Le Mans winning R18, the e-Tron Quattro will also be powered by a V6 TDI diesel engine producing 510HP. But like Toyota's TS030, it will also feature a hybrid powertrain. 

‘Game over’ is not an expression generally used in the automotive realm. And though we’re hesitant to use it in this case, we feel justified when referring to the likes of the new 2012 Audi A7. We’ve driven everything from electric roadsters to $100,000+ sports cars (which oddly enough sometimes fit both categories), but Audi’s new five-door hatchback sedan coupe has emerged as an uncontested winner without ever really playing the game. And it’s done so by operating in a little bit of an automotive gray area.

The 2012 Audi A7 is a fascinating amalgamation of 2 distinctly different styles. The first is a nod to the 2004 Mercedes CLS, a four door fastback saloon style “coupe” with its sweeping roofline tracking all the way to the rear of the car. Though these cars initially sold like hotcakes (and raised quite a few eyebrows) the auto manufacturers that tried to follow suit were less successful and the segment eventually cooled off. The second style harkens back to the upscale hatchback which really hasn’t seen any successful action since the days of the Sterling 827 and Rover SD1. So it’s interesting that Audi chose to create a car that mixes in strong elements from both classes, but with its own skillfully interpreted design esthetic and brand language.