Audi Takes Amazon Shoppers On Unforgettable Test Drive

The automaker wants to revolutionize how we test drive cars.

Amazon is continually revolutionizing the way we shop, and now Audi has attempted to revolutionize how we test drive cars. While most dealership test drives encompass a small mundane route, Audi partnered with Amazon Go to take shoppers on a “test drive into the unknown” using the new technologically advanced 2019 A6 sedan.

Amazon Go stores use advanced technology that allows shoppers to pick up their items and leave the store without having to wait in line at a checkout as sensors detect the items. Audi filled shelves inside an Amazon Go store with key boxes, inviting shoppers to “trade their time for a test drive” in the 2019 A6 without having to visit a dealership or talk to a pushy salesperson. In return, the automaker promised the participants to give them more than they “ever expected.”

More than 100 drivers responded to Audi’s invitation. Each driver was taken on a 30-minute route to an unknown destination and activity. The surprises included a private symphony concert, a painting workshop, and an “epic” public photo session. The drivers were then asked if they wanted to continue their trip into the unknown and went on even longer three-hour drives.

To reward them for their time, Audi treated one lucky participant with a flying lesson in a helicopter above the city. Amazingly, another person willing to drop everything was flown over to Audi’s headquarters in Munich, Germany, for a five-day luxury trip, where they were given a tour of the headquarters and were able to take the A6 for a drive on the Autobahn.

It’s a very clever and innovative advertising campaign, and these unconventional test drives are apparently a sneak peek at what Audi plans to incorporate into its branding and marketing in the future, with the aim to reach buyers in new ways.

"As a brand rooted in innovation and pushing boundaries, we at Audi wanted to break category paradigms for what a test drive could be,” Loren Angelo, vice president, Marketing, Audi of America. “Locating our test drive at Amazon Go allowed us to experiment with a new kind of retail environment while transforming the test drive into an adventure. In doing so, customers were able to have a one-of-a-kind experience and make a car purchasing decision at a time and place that may be more convenient to them.”

Top Gear's Rory Reid Takes A Perfect Road Trip On A Perfect Road

Not to be confused with Top Gear's old perfect road trip.

Car enthusiasts have a very different ideal vacation than what normal people have. Most enjoy going somewhere fun and full of activities like Disney World or Universal Studios. Car enthusiasts instead like to get away from the rest of the world and find a secluded road with tons of bends and hardly anyone in sight. We have compiled some of the best roads in the US, but even we admit that they really can't hold up to Europe's best. Luckily, Top Gear's Rory Reid gets to travel to these amazing roads to show us what we are missing.

The newly refreshed Top Gear may not have gotten off to a flying start, but Rory Reid was one of the highlights. Top Gear's new season will start soon, but it has started an online mini series called "Rory Reid's Road Trips" that will hold us over until then.

Being on Top Gear allows Reid to travel to some of the most amazing locations in the world. His first stop is Furka Pass in Switzerland. This amazing section of road in the Swiss Alps was used in the James Bond movie Goldfinger. Because of the Bond connection, Reid brings an Aston Martin Rapide S for his blast on this astonishing road. Like all Top Gear films, the imagery is spectacular, and the Rapide adds plenty of exhaust music to keep it entertaining. This mini series shows that Reid is really up to the job of being a Top Gear presenter.

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Audi Takes A Billion-Dollar Hit In Dieselgate Penalty

That's about a fifth of its profits from last year.

Think Audis have big price tags? Well they do: even a base A3 will cost you upwards of $30k, and the latest limited-edition R8 with the Competition package will set you back a good $240k. But those purchase prices are nothing compared to what their manufacturer has to pay as a result of the latest ruling in the so-called Dieselgate scandal.

Public prosecutors in Munich have handed the German automaker a massive fine of €800 million for producing six- and eight-cylinder diesel engines that pollute more than they're supposed to. That works out to over $920 million at current exchange rates.

The fine breaks down to €795 million for “disgorgement of economic benefits” and another €5 million for “negligent regulatory offenses,” Audi said in statement released last week.

In accepting the fine, Audi admits culpability for its role in the scandal that resulted from it (and other members of the Volkswagen Group of which it is part) implementing a “cheat device” that would mislead regulators about how much carbon its diesel engines were emitting. While this could spell the end of the affair for Audi, there could be more to come for its sister companies.

Suffice it to say, the penalty will have a substantial effect on Ingoldstadt's bottom line. “Considering these special items,” said the automaker, “the Audi Group will significantly undercut major financial key performance indicators forecasted for the fiscal year 2018.”

Last year, the Audi Group (which also includes Lamborghini and Ducati) recorded pre-tax net profits of €4.78 billion, of which the fine would represent roughly 20 percent. Audi will continue manufacturing diesel engines and the vehicles they power, but has been putting an increased emphasis on electrification, epitomized by the launch of the all-electric E-Tron crossover.

Audi Takes A Billion-Dollar Hit In Dieselgate Penalty

That's about a fifth of its profits from last year.

Think Audis have big price tags? Well they do: even a base A3 will cost you upwards of $30k, and the latest limited-edition R8 with the Competition package will set you back a good $240k. But those purchase prices are nothing compared to what their manufacturer has to pay as a result of the latest ruling in the so-called Dieselgate scandal.

Public prosecutors in Munich have handed the German automaker a massive fine of €800 million for producing six- and eight-cylinder diesel engines that pollute more than they're supposed to. That works out to over $920 million at current exchange rates.

The fine breaks down to €795 million for “disgorgement of economic benefits” and another €5 million for “negligent regulatory offenses,” Audi said in statement released last week.

In accepting the fine, Audi admits culpability for its role in the scandal that resulted from it (and other members of the Volkswagen Group of which it is part) implementing a “cheat device” that would mislead regulators about how much carbon its diesel engines were emitting. While this could spell the end of the affair for Audi, there could be more to come for its sister companies.

Suffice it to say, the penalty will have a substantial effect on Ingoldstadt's bottom line. “Considering these special items,” said the automaker, “the Audi Group will significantly undercut major financial key performance indicators forecasted for the fiscal year 2018.”

Last year, the Audi Group (which also includes Lamborghini and Ducati) recorded pre-tax net profits of €4.78 billion, of which the fine would represent roughly 20 percent. Audi will continue manufacturing diesel engines and the vehicles they power, but has been putting an increased emphasis on electrification, epitomized by the launch of the all-electric E-Tron crossover.

Audi Takes A Billion-Dollar Hit In Dieselgate Penalty

That's about a fifth of its profits from last year.

Think Audis have big price tags? Well they do: even a base A3 will cost you upwards of $30k, and the latest limited-edition R8 with the Competition package will set you back a good $240k. But those purchase prices are nothing compared to what their manufacturer has to pay as a result of the latest ruling in the so-called Dieselgate scandal.

Public prosecutors in Munich have handed the German automaker a massive fine of €800 million for producing six- and eight-cylinder diesel engines that pollute more than they're supposed to. That works out to over $920 million at current exchange rates.

The fine breaks down to €795 million for “disgorgement of economic benefits” and another €5 million for “negligent regulatory offenses,” Audi said in statement released last week.

In accepting the fine, Audi admits culpability for its role in the scandal that resulted from it (and other members of the Volkswagen Group of which it is part) implementing a “cheat device” that would mislead regulators about how much carbon its diesel engines were emitting. While this could spell the end of the affair for Audi, there could be more to come for its sister companies.

Suffice it to say, the penalty will have a substantial effect on Ingoldstadt's bottom line. “Considering these special items,” said the automaker, “the Audi Group will significantly undercut major financial key performance indicators forecasted for the fiscal year 2018.”

Last year, the Audi Group (which also includes Lamborghini and Ducati) recorded pre-tax net profits of €4.78 billion, of which the fine would represent roughly 20 percent. Audi will continue manufacturing diesel engines and the vehicles they power, but has been putting an increased emphasis on electrification, epitomized by the launch of the all-electric E-Tron crossover.

Aston Martin Takes To The Skies With The Volante Vision Concept

The luxury air taxi brings Aston Martin together with Rolls-Royce aerospace.

Aston Martin is known for making some of the most splendid luxury GTs on the market. Convertibles, four-doors, the odd city car, and soon a crossover as well. And it's even dipped its toes in the water with a speedboat. But now it's taking to the air with the Volante Vision concept. Presented at the Farnborough Airshow, the Volante Vision is billed as a “luxury concept aircraft,” envisioned to be capable of taking off and landing vertically (like a helicopter or Harrier jump-jet).

The concept encompasses space for three passengers, propelled by a hybrid powertrain with autonomous capabilities for traveling between and within city centers, high above congested ground traffic. “Humans have always spent on average, one hour commuting to and from work,” notes Aston Martin CEO Andy Palmer. “The Volante Vision Concept will enable us to travel further with our hourly commute, meaning we are able to live further away from where we work.”

The project stems from a partnership between Aston Martin, Cranfield University, and Cranfield Aerospace Solutions. Rolls-Royce is involved, too – but not the carmaker whose luxury automobiles Aston's gunning for with its Lagonda line. This project involves the jet engine manufacturer that was once the automaker's parent company.

“We are at the beginning of a new generation of urban transportation, vertical mobility is no longer a fantasy. We have a unique chance to create a luxury concept aircraft that will represent the ultimate fusion of art and technology,” said Aston's design chief Marek Reichman. “We have used forms and proportions that express the same devotion to design, engineering and beauty that shape our cars.”

Audi Takes A Billion-Dollar Hit In Dieselgate Penalty

That's about a fifth of its profits from last year.

Think Audis have big price tags? Well they do: even a base A3 will cost you upwards of $30k, and the latest limited-edition R8 with the Competition package will set you back a good $240k. But those purchase prices are nothing compared to what their manufacturer has to pay as a result of the latest ruling in the so-called Dieselgate scandal.

Public prosecutors in Munich have handed the German automaker a massive fine of €800 million for producing six- and eight-cylinder diesel engines that pollute more than they're supposed to. That works out to over $920 million at current exchange rates.

The fine breaks down to €795 million for “disgorgement of economic benefits” and another €5 million for “negligent regulatory offenses,” Audi said in statement released last week.

In accepting the fine, Audi admits culpability for its role in the scandal that resulted from it (and other members of the Volkswagen Group of which it is part) implementing a “cheat device” that would mislead regulators about how much carbon its diesel engines were emitting. While this could spell the end of the affair for Audi, there could be more to come for its sister companies.

Suffice it to say, the penalty will have a substantial effect on Ingoldstadt's bottom line. “Considering these special items,” said the automaker, “the Audi Group will significantly undercut major financial key performance indicators forecasted for the fiscal year 2018.”

Last year, the Audi Group (which also includes Lamborghini and Ducati) recorded pre-tax net profits of €4.78 billion, of which the fine would represent roughly 20 percent. Audi will continue manufacturing diesel engines and the vehicles they power, but has been putting an increased emphasis on electrification, epitomized by the launch of the all-electric E-Tron crossover.