Auto News 5

I really admire the Volkswagen CC's premium interior, practical-yet-engaging powertrain, and reasonable price. Well equipped in its base trim and starting at $28,560, I think of the CC as an Audi A4 with a $5000 discount. The slick-shifting six-speed manual and willing-to-rev 200-hp four-cylinder are a joy to work quickly. There are some interior bits here shared with $18,000 Golfs, but they still meet the class standard in a $30,000 sedan; this is how VW earned that reputation for fabulous interiors, by creating shared parts that are at-home in the most expensive vehicle they're used in.

Much as we car enthusiasts like to whine about being underappreciated and underserved by profit-driven automakers, there are a ton of really good sports cars to choose from these days. That's good for enthusiasts but might be a problem for the Audi TTS.

Audi is determined to become the world's number one premium carmaker, and the only way the brand can reach this goal is by entering new segments of the market which generate plenty of added volume. True, there is still some potential to be drawn from new niche models such as the A7 Sportback, but the big numbers are created elsewhere-for example, by extending the A3 family (with a sedan that should do well in the U.S. market), by getting the new A1 range on the road (sales start this summer in Europe), and by reviving the A2.

Audi is determined to become the world's number one premium carmaker, and the only way the brand can reach this goal is by entering new segments of the market which generate plenty of added volume. True, there is still some potential to be drawn from new niche models such as the A7 Sportback, but the big numbers are created elsewhere-for example, by extending the A3 family (with a sedan that should do well in the U.S. market), by getting the new A1 range on the road (sales start this summer in Europe), and by reviving the A2.inline_mediumwraptextright0027738455/green/news/1005_2013_audi_a21005_05+2013_audi_a2_illustration+front_three_quarter_view.jpgtrue