Buy an Audi Electric SUV, Get a Charging Station Installed
*By Amanda Weston*
Audi just entered the EV ring with the launch of e-tron, the company's first all-electric vehicle.
For Filip Brabec, the VP of product management of Audi of America, the car has the potential to attract pretty much anyone.
"This is a cool car, and we want to sell a cool car, and we believe that it really appeals to a broad audience of customers," he said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar.
Audi unveiled the [e-tron](https://www.audiusa.com/models/audi-e-tron), complete with two electric motors, on Monday.
An optional "Driver Assistance Package" can detect driving conditions and adapt to dangerous situations like construction zones. It also automatically adjusts to the current speed limit and slows down at corners. A parking assist feature steers the car into parallel parking spaces.
Audi also announced the company is partnering with Amazon for its new release, in what will be the e-commerce giant's foray into the auto market.
Amazon Home Services will give drivers a fully-digital experience for in-home charging installations. The collaboration is designed to make setting up home charging easier and more interconnected.
Customers can now reserve an e-tron ahead of delivery in mid-2019. The SUV starts at $74,800. The most expensive model, the first edition, has a price tag of $86,700.
By comparison, Tesla's Model X has a starting price just below $80,000.
But Brabec said the e-tron comes with more bells and whistles.
"In reality, what you have there for $74,800 is essentially a fully-loaded car, and a car that really has all the features that are expected in this segment when it comes to leather seats, ventilated seats, sunroof, navigation system, you name it," Brabec said. "It's all in there."
Brabec said customers who end up choosing an Audi over other models are usually seeking peace of mind.
"This is why \[consumers are\] going to a company that has a very robust history and very robust engineering team," he said.
Audi has over 300 dealers that service the cars and ensure full, safe performance, he added.
Audi plans to release the e-tron by 2020. The company anticipates about 30 percent of its customers in the U.S. will go electric by 2025.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/audi-launches-first-all-electric-vehicle).
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
