Audi has launched a car-sharing pilot program for condominium properties and other multi-unit housing projects.

Known as “Audi at home,” the initiative allows residents of participating properties to have exclusive access to a small fleet of Audi vehicles. The cars and crossovers are managed at the property, kept prepared and ready to drive on short notice.

The program currently includes a broad range of models including the S7, S5 Cabriolet, SQ5, TT, Q7 and RS5 Cabriolet. Notably, the offerings do not include Audi’s core models, such as the A4 and Q5; instead, the service is intended to serve as supplementary transportation for residents who already own a primary vehicle.

“It provides residents a truly premium experience that suits their daily life and needs, whether it’s a car for a quick getaway out of the city or an extra vehicle for visiting guests,” said Audi of America COO Mark Del Rosso.

Residents simply reserve a specific vehicle through the property’s concierge, or via a dedicated mobile website. Rates are charged either hourly or daily, covering all services such as fuel and local tolls, though specific prices were not listed in Audi’s announcement.

The service will initially be available at Miami’s Four Seasons Residences, along with San Francisco’s Lumina — a 655-unit development claimed to be the city’s largest luxury condominium project currently under construction.

The program is similar to General Motors ‘urban mobility‘ initiative, which offers a fleet of vehicles for residents of the 479-unit Ritz Plaza in Manhattan. Both automakers are attempting to explore their potential future roles as the concept of vehicle use continues to shift away from traditional ownership, particularly in cities. The German automaker earlier this year launched “Audi on demand,” providing access to its full lineup — from the A4 to the R8 — to people living in the broader San Francisco Bay Area.

General Motors’ diesel-powered Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon have finally received fuel-efficiency ratings from the Environmental Protection Agency.

The stablemates have received city/highway/combined estimates of 22/31/25 mpg in two-wheel-drive form, or a slightly lower 20/29/23 mpg when equipped with four-wheel drive.

Both have been outfitted with the same 2.8-liter Duramax four-cylinder engine, producing 181 horsepower and 369 lb-ft of torque. Owners can haul up to 7,700 pounds with the 2WD model, or 7,600 pounds behind the 4WD package.

The company claims the duo represents the most fuel-efficient new pickups in the US market. The larger Ram 1500 diesel received a maximum 20/28/23 mpg rating, claiming the title of most fuel-efficient full-size pickup. Its 3.0-liter V6 is more powerful than GM’s four-cylinder oil burner, bumping the Ram’s tow rating to 9,200 pounds.

GM’s diesel-sipping midsize pickups appear to have been among the first vehicles to face the Environmental Protection Agency’s more stringent testing regimen, implemented as Volkswagen’s diesel emissions scandal first came to light. The agency reportedly stalled certification of both pickups until its laboratory dynamometer tests could be validated via real-world measurements.

Both the diesel-powered Canyon and Colorado are slated to arrive in showrooms this fall, with respective starting prices approximately $3,730 higher than a comparably equipped 3.6-liter V6 model.

Cadillac has released new details on its upcoming XT5 crossover utility vehicle. The Cadillac XT5 will greet the pubic for the first time in the United States at the Los Angeles auto show.

The 2017 Cadillac XT5 will be roughly the same size as the SRX it replaces, but the automaker has managed to slash 278 pounds from the crossover’s curb weight. Cadillac says the XT5 will undercut the smaller Audi Q5 by 100 pounds.

Despite a similar footprint, the XT5 will offer an additional 3.2-inches of rear seat legroom over the outgoing SRX. That should boost the CUV’s appeal in an ever growing market segment.

Powering the 2016 XT5 will be a new 3.6L V6 that debuted in the Cadillac ATS and CTS earlier this year. The new mill is tuned to produce 310 horsepower and 270 lb-ft of torque. Although fuel economy figures were not released, the new 3.6L should be more efficient than the engine it replaces, thanks to a new eight-speed automatic transmission, automatic stop/start and cylinder deactivation.

Cadillac will offer a version of the XT5 with a 2.0L turbocharged four-cylinder in China, so it’s possible that engine could eventually be offered here. However, Cadillac hasn’t announced official plans for the turbo-four in the U.S.

The XT5 will usher in Cadillac’s first-ever electronically controlled transmission shifter. Known as Electronic Precision Shift, the new shifter promises to reduce noise and free up a little more cabin space.

The XT5 will also use a new Rear Camera Mirror system. Set to debut not he XT5, as well as the flagship CT6, the system replaces the typical rearview mirror with a Liquid Crystal Display linked to a camera at the rear of the vehicle. The system is designed to enhance rearward visibility by removing the vehicle’s rear pillars and rear passenger’s from the driver’s like of sight.

following its LA debut, the 2017 Cadillac XT5 will go on sale during the spring of 2016.

The Environmental Protection Agency has already launched a broad real-world testing program to determine if Volkswagen is the only automaker using ‘defeat’ technology to cheat emissions regulations.

The agency is said to be cooperating with Canadian regulators to perform real-world tests of all diesel-powered vehicles from the 2015 and 2016 model years.

“We are very anxious to find out if there are any other programs out there,” EPA transportation and air quality director Christopher Grundler said in a statement published by The New York Times.

The agency appears to have been caught off guard by VW’s emissions-cheating system, which appears to have allowed non-compliant diesel vehicles to be certified for years before the problems were discovered by West Virginia University researchers and the International Council on Clean Transportation. Tests showed that offending vehicles were emitting up to 40 times the allowable levels of nitrogen oxide.

Further tests quickly identified similar problems with V6 oil burners used in Audi, VW and Porsche models, though VW has denied the allegations.

The EPA testing program presumably started with other VW Group vehicles before moving on to other automakers. Investigators have not yet identified evidence of defeat devices, aside from the alleged discrepancies with VW’s V6 mills, however it will take the agency several more weeks of tests before clearing all diesel models from rival automakers.

VW appears to have taken advantage of the EPA’s lab-focused validation process, which allowed defeat software to be fine-tuned for detecting the predictable test conditions. The agency is now using a mobile setup, packed into a vehicle’s trunk, to gauge tailpipe output while underway.

“Manufacturers have asked us what the test conditions would be, and we’ve told them that they don’t have a need to know,” added Grundler.

Despite the current focus on diesel, the EPA is also expected to begin performing real-world tests of gasoline-powered vehicles to screen for defeat devices or other violations of federal emissions regulations.

Honda has issued another recall for the 2015-2016 Fit after discovering an airbag problem.

The company warns that certain vehicles were built with rear grab-handle brackets that were improperly manufactured, potentially causing a puncture in the side-curtain airbag in an accident.

“If the side curtain air bags are punctured upon deployment, the outboard seat occupants may be at a higher risk of injury during a crash,” the recall documents note.

Honda first tested the side-curtain airbag with a pre-production rear grab-rail bracket, which performed as expected before the vehicles began rolling off the assembly line. A follow-up test using the actual protection parts resulted in a failure, however.

The problem is said to be limited to LX-trim models without a sunroof, equating to 25,367 units in the US market. The company claims to be unaware of any accidents or injuries related to the defect.

Image by Drew Johnson.