New Audi A7

A new model of Audi’s luxury four door coupé, the A7, will hit Irish showrooms in February of next year.

One of the most sleek and stylish cars on the market, the A7’s long sloping roof is a signature Audi design.

Inside, the Audi is simplistic and filled with technology. The centre console is driver-orientated, with the display pointing toward the driver. Audi has opted for a twin display to control the cars climate control, infotainment and, well, everything. The infotainment is controlled from the upper screen with the comfort, climate control and text options housed on the lower screen.

As for the engine, the new Audi A7 will be available with four and six cylinder petrol and diesel engines. As standard, the engines will come with Audi’s new mild hybrid system, MHEV. With the V6 engines, a 48-volt electric motor is included to power the hybrid. Audi claim that 0.7l/100km of fuel is saved by using this technology.

This car is likely to have a hefty price tag when it arrives next year and will be beyond the budget 0f most, but it will be a treat just to see these gorgeous cars on the road.

Tesla firing and hiring

Tesla, the Californian electric car giant has culled around 700 staff following a performance review at the company.

It is believed that the move is due to the fact that orders for the company’s new Model 3 have already reached 450,000 units. The re-organisation reduced workers in administrative and sales jobs, in addition to manufacturing operations. It is also believed that others in the company received bonuses.

A quick look on the Tesla website reveals that they are currently on the hunt for hundreds of new employees. It looks like a fresh start and a serious push to get production up to the required level of 100,000 cars this year across its entire range of vehicles. It will take the company a number of years to clear the backlog of orders for the Model 3.

Michelin claim that new tyres will go further

Michelin, who are about to launch their Primacy 4 tyre range, claim it could dramatically cut costs for car owners after independent testing showed the new rubber lasted on average 11,000 miles longer than those manufactured by direct competitors. Michelin claim that during wet braking tests with a VW Golf Mk7 running on popular 205/55 R16* size tyres, the Primacy 4 was found to brake, on average, 0.9m shorter than the average of competitor tyres. And when worn, it was shown to brake 2.8m shorter than the average of other manufacturers’ tyres. If these claims are true the this is a major step forward in tyre technology form the French tyre giant.