Bosch European Motors

The 2019 Audi A7 finally broke cover Thursday in Germany, the second generation for the sleek luxury sedan that set the world on fire with its daring silhouette. The 4-door fastback likely goes on sale in the U.S. A higher performance turbo-6 may make an appearance in a higher-spec S7 model that will surely follow. An RS 7 is almost certain at some point soon, which may sport a high-output V-8 or a performance-focused hybrid powertrain. The new A7's wheelbase is roughly half an inch longer, even though the overall length is half an inch shorter than the outgoing model. Large, 21-inch wheels are available to fill out the wheel arches, but the overall height has stayed the same. The most expressive exterior feature may be the solid strip of LED taillights at the rear that, at least in European markets, cascade toward the corners. Inside, the A7 takes a larger departure from the outgoing model with a utilitarian horizontal dash layout with touchscreen controls for nearly every function, including climate control. Eschewing the last-generation's screen on top of the dash and rotary controller, the new infotainment system is a touchscreen-only affair highlighted by a 10.1-inch top screen.

Underneath the infotainment system is a secondary 8.6-inch touchscreen that controls climate functions, seat settings, and Audi's Drive Select controller. Audi's Virtual Cockpit will make an appearance and offer 12.3 inches of configurable display in the instrument cluster that includes map, speed, and trip information. The A7 rides on parent-company Volkswagen's MLB platform that has been modified in recent models. The same platform underpins the current Q7, Q5, and A8, although the A7 will be most closely related to the next-generation A6, which is also due next year. The lighter weight platform should be a boon to fuel economy and performance with stiffer, higher strength steel used throughout and aluminum components to shed weight. The next-gen platform likely will mean that the A7 will likely sport the latest in self-driving hardware, which made its debut in the A8. Audi's self-driving system, dubbed Traffic Jam Pilot, is Level-3 capable at speeds lower than 37 mph. Audi says that a Level-3-enabled version of the A7 will eventually hit the road, but a date hasn't yet been set.

UPDATE 5/27/2016, 1:00 p.m.: Honda is recalling an additional 2.2 million cars in the U.S. Takata passenger-side front airbags, as well as 2701 motorcycles for possibly defective optional handlebar airbags. The vehicles previously not involved in this recall are: 2006-2011 Civic, 2006-2010 Gold Wing, 2007-2008 Fit, 2008-2011 Accord, 2009-2011 Pilot, 2009-2011 TSX, and 2010-2011 Accord Crosstour. They have been added to the list below. UPDATE 5/31/2016, 11:30 a.m.: Ferrari is recalling 2820 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. This is the first time Ferrari has been involved with this defect. Fiat Chrysler is recalling 4,322,870 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. Mazda is recalling 731,628 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. Newly added models include 2005-2006 MPV, 2007-2011 CX-7 and CX-9, and 2009-2011 Mazda 6 and RX-8. Mitsubishi is recalling 38,628 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls.

Newly added models include the 2007 Lancer and Lancer Evolution. Nissan is recalling 402,450 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. Newly added models include 2006-2008 Infiniti FX35 and FX45, 2007-2010 Infiniti M35 and M45, and 2007-2011 Versa. Subaru is recalling 383,101 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. Newly added models include the 2006 Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza and Tribeca, and 2009-2011 Legacy, Outback, and Forester. The 2006 Saab 9-2X, built by Subaru, also is included in this total. Our list below has been updated accordingly, but the recall totals for each brand haven鈥檛 yet been recalculated because some individual vehicles have already been accounted for in previous recalls for driver鈥檚-side airbags. UPDATE 6/1/2016, 10:00 a.m.: Ford has nearly doubled the number of vehicles it is recalling for defective Takata-sourced airbags, adding 1,287,726 vehicles to its count, all for passenger-side airbag inflators. The models are as follows, and they鈥檝e been added to our list below: 2007-2010 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX, 2005-2011 Ford Mustang, 2005-2006 Ford GT, 2007-2011 Ford Ranger, and 2006-2011 Ford Fusion, Mercury Milan, and Lincoln MKZ and Zephyr.

Of those, 608,717 Mustangs and about 400 GTs had already been recalled for their driver鈥檚-side airbags; the other models are newly added. Meanwhile, Toyota has expanded its Takata recall by some 490,000 vehicles outside of the U.S., in places including Japan, China, Europe, Mexico, and South America. The vehicles in question include 2005-2011 Lexus products, as well as Toyota Siennas, 4Runners, Corollas, and Yarises. UPDATE 6/2/2016, 10:00 a.m.: Audi is recalling 217,000 cars as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. This recall affects the 2004-2008 Audi A4 and the 2005-2011 Audi A6. None of these vehicles had previously been included in these recalls. BMW is recalling 91,806 SUVs as part of the expanded Takata passenger-side airbag recalls. This recall affects the 2007-2011 BMW X5, the 2008-2011 BMW X6, and the 2010-2011 BMW X6 ActiveHybrid. General Motors is recalling 1.4 million 2007-2011 trucks and large SUVs for their Takata-supplied passenger-side airbags.