Car Throttle

Acura is definitely in a difficult place right now. It's struggling to have a true identity in the competitive luxury field. Honda has set high goals for it but is apparently not following through on giving the brand the tools it needs to succeed. I don't see FWD vehicles cutting it if it wants to really compete with Mercedes and BMW (and that goes for Cadillac). If it doesn't want to, that's fine - but then go after Lexus or something. The NSX was an amazing (and out of character) vehicle for Acura. It put Acura's name up there with true supercars, V6 power and all - a car befitting of the higher aspirations that Acura had. What happened? It was left to die with no replacement. Audi

The Audi R8 has proven to be a hit vehicle with enthusiasts. It has all the right ingredients: V-8 power, mid-engined layout and most of all, a more attainable $114,200 price tag compared with it's Italian competition. It's surprising that the car was even able to make it to production, especially given any feared overlap with the R8 and the Lamborghini Gallardo. They must have figured the halo effect of having the R8 was important to the Audi brand. It certainly has worked out well in that regard! While I'm not a fan of the car's styling, I can appreciate the car for what it is. For those looking for something even closer to the power of most exotics, Audi is happy to oblige with a higher

Audi is coming off a record year in 2008, with over 1,000,000 cars sold for the first time. While the company is likely to give up those gains this year, the brand is poised for more success in the future. The goal is for 1.5 million units by the year 2015 or 2016 (originally the goal was 2015 but they delayed it by a year just recently). With that in mind, Audi is working on expanding their lineup with a lot of new models, and is trying to play every release for maximum sales. Cadillac needs to do the same thing; right now their lineup is looking pretty bare. Some of the all-new models and model lines to be released include the A5 Sportback, A7 Sportback, R8 Spyder, Q3 Crossover, A1, potentially

BMW vs Audi. A fight that has brewed for years, and continues with a fervor as time goes on. Witness the Audi vs. BMW advertising war. While Audi's response was paltry in my opinion, the vehicle they were using was not.  The Audi R8 has garnered many fans who are fascinated by the car's (Gallardo-lite) mid-engine orientation and great performance. I think the R8 is very unique and interesting but I find it's styling to be a bit lacking. It's edgy, but not beautiful. Performance is what really counts though to many people, so it's not really an issue for Audi in selling the car. It's fitting then that the proposed BMW response is similar in styling reaction. I'm not a huge fan of the overall design, but the quality of the

Test Vehicle: Audi R8 4.2L V8 with 6-speed R-Tronic Automated Manual Gearbox This car feels to me like its been around forever, and I don't know why that is.  Maybe every magazine extolling its virtues has overloaded my brain with it so much, that it just feels like it. This isn't the first time I've seen one in the paint, but it is still small.  Wow.  Its a great looking car from the front, and the back, but the side view looks awkward to me, in the same way that the Cayman looks awkward from the side.  I love the sideblades, and wish this one didn't have them the same colour as the rest of the car.  The LEDs around the headlights make a real statement and