Luxury Cars

Audi's new luxury cars engineered on Linux by : Michael Stutz

2007-11-06T08:39:00.000-08:00

For several years, German automobile manufacturer Audi AG, a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, has been steadily migrating its engineering systems over to Linux. The company hopes to finish the job in 2007 and have the bulk of its servers and workstations running 64-bit Linux by the end of the year.
Recently Audi, whose longstanding motto is "Vorsprung durch Technik" ("Progress through technology"), has been upgrading to 64-bit Linux in deploying its automotive CAE (Computer-Aided Engineering) servers, where simulation software is used in the design of casts, frames, and components, as well as for crash-test simulations and other 3-D visualization problems, as part of the greater migration to Linux.

"2003 and 2004 saw an explosion in the use of x86 systems using Linux," says Audi spokesman Florian Kienast. "These systems are now being replaced by x86_64-based systems."

Kienast says that most CAE applications that the company uses perform well on the x86_64 architecture. "The systems have enough memory and I/O bandwidth to cope with the requirements of the applications," he says. "The notable exceptions are MSC Nastran and ABAQUS -- these products are extremely power-hungry. Here, the large cache available on the Itanium 2 has proved to be extremely valuable."

The move to Linux is occurring not only on the server side; the company is using Linux for workstations, too.

"On [both] the server and workstation sides, we are moving steadily towards a 100% 64-bit Linux environment," says Kienast. "The number of CPUs available for CAE purposes will continue to increase as the hardware costs sink."

Audi is not a Linux newbie; this migration is part of a much longer move to Linux that the company has been making over the past several years, beginning with the deployment of Linux clusters for simulations. "Audi deployed the first Linux cluster of servers in April 2001," says Kienast.

These were for EMC (electromagnetic compatibility) simulations, which solve automotive engineering problems concerning the testing of the various electrical and electronic components to ensure that there is no interference or system disturbances. This cluster, says Kienast, was the real start of Linux at Audi. Then in the following year, he says, the first Linux-powered workstations were put into action -- after which Linux became the company's preferred choice for both CAE servers and workstations.

Where in the past the company had used Unix servers, including HP-UX, for this purpose, they were now upgraded to Linux. Among the upgrades included the use of SUSE Linux Enterprise Server from Novell and Linux clusters from Linux Networx running the MAGMASOFT casting simulation software, which was used to design the new aluminum-bodied Audi Space Frame and for other simulation and design work.

The upgrade began on the servers and then moved over to desktop workstations. And it went so well that, according to Kienast, for the past year the company has more Linux workstations than it does Unix workstations.

Linux is also employed for the the Audi WebCenter, which is the company's internal intranet and hosts the company's Web-based applications. Kienast says that the company has been using Linux there for years. Kienast says the company also relies on other open source software for its operations, including Apache Tomcat.

According to Audi's Matthias Enzinger, press contact with Audi MediaServices, the company's IT department chose Linux for three solid reasons: "[It runs on] commodity hardware, which is faster; better pricing; hardware-vendor independence."

"The use of Linux brings several advantages," agrees Kienast. The first advantage he cites is vendor independence, which is a big issue for the company. "The increase in competition amongst the hardware vendors saves costs," he says. "The consequential use of vendor-independent tools for installation and operation helps minimize the burden due to the [large] number of machines."

Secondly, Kienast says that it's advantageous for the company to have fewer operating systems. "Through the reduction in the number of operating systems in use," he says, "the operating costs have also been reduced."

But paradoxically, Kienast gives an interesting number for how much money all this Linux migration actually saves the company in the end: zero. This is because Linux systems were so much cheaper to deploy, he explains, so they greatly increased the number of machines. "The explosion in the number of Linux systems has, through sheer numbers, increased the operating costs so that the budget level has remained almost constant!"

"Operating costs concerning workstations are the same," agrees Enzinger, "but Linux servers are smaller than Unix servers, so we need and have more servers, and so the operating costs would be higher if we wouldn't use cluster administration tools."

The migration hasn't been without its struggles, but according to Enzinger the major problems Audi encountered in its switch to Linux and open source software mostly had to do with getting support for free software on the new hardware.

"Commodity hardware is changing rapidly," says Enzinger, who complains that the necessary Linux drivers don't always exist for the hardware they choose to run -- especially for the latest and greatest in graphics hardware.

But Audi continues to progress in its Linux migration -- and while plenty of Linux-based engineering work is already happening at the company, by the end of 2007 most if not all of Audi's engineering servers and workstations will be x86, 64-bit Linux-based systems.

Enzinger affirms that yes, once that migration is complete, it can be truly said that the luxury autos Audi introduces in the marketplace will be completely "engineered on Linux."

Slashdot it! - del.icio.us - Digg This!

2007-11-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

A luxury car is a vehicle that emphasizes comfort, appearance, and amenities than anything else. Often times the car will be of higher quality with better materials and technology. One major distinction of a luxury vehicle is price as virtually all luxury cars have a Mean Selling Price (MSP) in excess of $36,000 however that doesn’t mean that all cars over $36k are luxury cars. In Europe, the luxury car it is often referred to as an “executive car”. Companies like Bentley, Rolls Royce, Maybach, Mercedes, BMW, Lexus, Audi, and Cadillac are commonly viewed as luxury car manufacturers. For more information check out our reviews, photos, prices, and specs on our luxury class cars below.

2007-11-06T08:08:00.000-08:00

Benefits of Buying a Used Luxury Car : By Christine Harrell

2007-09-14T05:25:00.000-07:00

As a result of improved vehicle technology and materials, used car buying has become increasingly popular in the past several years. This is especially the case in the used luxury car market. Luxury cars hold their value in terms of performance and styling even more today than they ever have in the past. Here we'll take a look at some things to consider when buying a luxury car.

Value:
Some people have the perception that buying a used car just means buying someone else's troubles. While this might be true in some cases, it's certainly not the norm of the 40 million used cars purchased every year. The majority of used luxury cars available are lease returns and those who simply enjoy buying a new luxury car every few years.

While used luxury cars retain their value much more than standard vehicles, a several-year-old used luxury vehicle can sell for 30% - 60% less than it did new. Buyers of new cars pay a steep premium just to enjoy first ownership but the moment the car is driven off the lot and becomes a "used car," the value decreases. In two years, the owner of that same vehicle will in essence be driving a used car but still making the payments of a new vehicle.

Buying a used luxury car also allows you to get more options for less money. For the same price as a new stripped down model, you can buy a used luxury vehicle with accessories like built in TV's, surround sound stereo, or a GPS system.

Less Risk:
When a new vehicle enters the market, it hasn't undergone real consumer road testing. Oftentimes, it isn't until many people are using the car daily that an assembly line mechanical problem surfaces or drivers realize an irritation like that the trunk space not adequate for an average family's needs. By researching used luxury vehicles online you can uncover a wealth of performance reviews and real-world commentary from everyday drivers.

In addition to performance reviews, crash statistics for a used luxury vehicle are better understood than that of a new vehicle. Before a new vehicle is released, it has normally only undergone a series of controlled crash tests. It isn't until 1-3 years after a vehicle is released that there is enough information available to discern how a vehicle will perform in a real world crash.

To minimize the risks of buying a used luxury vehicle, obtain a Car Fax report. Car Fax runs a query on the title of the vehicle, compiling any information about reported accidents, thefts, vandalisms, etc. Most dealerships will offer a Car Fax report at no charge.

Warranty:
Because cars have improved so much in recent years, used car warranties can rival that of a new car warranty depending on the warranty company. Used luxury car warranties can cover up to 3 years and 45,000 miles. Depending on the year of the used luxury vehicle purchased, this can extend longer than the original warranty.

Be sure to check the standard warranty of the car dealership selling the car. Some offer a warranty of just a few days, most give a 30 day standard warranty, but some offer a 90 day standard warranty. Consider the length of the standard warranty a testament to the amount of belief the seller has in the quality of the cars being sold on its lot. Those that have a rigorous selection process often have a longer and more inclusive standard warranty.

Buying a used luxury vehicle is a wise choice for many car owners. There are many people who only choose to purchase used luxury cars because it's such a smart decision overall. With the advanced search capabilities of today's internet, finding a used luxury car that matches your lifestyle and personality can be fast and enjoyable.