Autoblog

The Tokyo Motor Show is less than two weeks away, but according to Automotive News, Audi still hasn't finalized the design for its entry-level MINI-fighter, the A1.

The problem stems from Audi execs that think that the current concept is too radical to go into production. Although Audi's designs have never been extreme styling statements, the idea of pitting sometime that's a serious stretch for consumers looking for an option outside of the MINI might be too much to ask.

Production of the Polo-based A1 is practically assured, likely to begin in the third quarter of 2009 at Audi's Brussels assembly plant. The new entry-level Audi will be powered by a range of turbo'd gasoline or diesel engines, between 1.2- to 2.0-liters, with a naturally aspirated 1.4-liter making it into the base model.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Direct injection has allowed automakers like Audi to compete on horsepower without the need to boost displacement, and the added fuel economy and reduced emissions has helped push the technology as the next big thing on the green scene. Ferrari has seen the benefits of what direct injection can do, and the Italian supercar maker plans on adding the technology to Enzo's babies by 2009. Ferrari is using Audi as its benchmark, due to the fact that the German automaker has used DI successfully in several different engines.

Direct injection will first infiltrate the Ferrari lineup with the updated F430, and a ten-percent bump in power will be the most noticeable byproduct of the engine upgrade. When opening up the engine bay, things will look different as everything from the block up has to be redesigned. New cylinder heads, valve trains, intake, and throttle bodies will need to be updated for DI to make its way into the famous engine bays. Direct injection will also reduce emissions by 40-percent, which will bring the powerful sports car to more acceptable levels of pollution.

Look for the 612 Scaglietti and the 599 GTB Fiorano to receive DI next, and all applications will receive a 5- to 8-percent bump in fuel economy once the engine tech is incorporated. While direct injection will undoubtedly change the personality of Ferrari's sought-after powerplants, we're sure the ten-percent power bump and improved green stature will help everyone become accustomed to the change.

[Source: Autocar.co.uk]

For those unfamiliar with the DTM, it's a European touring car series that sees major carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Opel compete against each other using race cars based on their regular production models. At the series' most recent event in Barcelona, Audi motorsport boss Wolfgang Ullrich instructed all his drivers to park their cars midway though the race.

The reason behind the controversial decision was because of what Audi claims was rough treatment by several Mercedes-Benz drivers. During the race, a number of Audi drivers were bumped off the track by their Mercedes rivals. In one incident, Audi's Martin Tomczyk took the lead before he was bumped off the track by two-time Formula 1 World Champion Mika Hakkinen. After attempting to restart, Tomczyk was forced to retire because of damage to his radiator. All remaining Audi drivers were then ordered to retire because of fears of further damage at the hands of Mercedes' unscrupulous tactics.

The two Mercedes drivers involved were penalized for the incidents after the race with fines as well as a ten-place grid penalty at the championship finale in Hockenheim next month.

[Source: Speed TV]

Click the image above for a duo of high-res shots of Abt's AS6 Avant.

When we envision the most quintessential European conveyance we normally imagine something diesel-powered with a hatch. The Audi A6 Avant springs to mind immediately, but with only 233 HP and 332 lb.-ft. of torque on tap, it could hardly be defined as sporty. Enter Abt.

The German tuner has done something remarkable to Audi's mid-sized people mover, modifying the turbo on the three-liter TDI and reprogramming the stock ECU to create 300 HP and 443 lb.-ft. of torque. That's 100 HP per liter... from a diesel.

While performance remains relatively unremarkable, with a run to 60 taking a somewhat leisurely 6.9 seconds, we can only imagine the wave of torque that lucky owners will get to experience on the way to taking their collie to the dog park.

Included in Abt Sportline's package is a new front spoiler, rear diffuser and side skirts, along with upgrade brakes, an adjustable suspension and Abt's customer AR20 alloy wheels.

It's a sweet piece of kit that we're hoping we'll have access to soon, as Audi plans on bringing more diesel-powered vehicles Stateside in the next few years.

Abt's full press release is posted after the jump.

[Source: Abt Sportsline]

Audi is going to put off the launch of three new SUVs into its arsenal until the end of the decade, primarily for marketing reasons. Really, it's only one new model – the compact Q5 – plus diesel and hybrid versions of its Q7 crossover.

The reason for the delay is primarily to avoid Audi's newest entrants from getting lost in the ether of year-end sales drives, and thus allowing all three vehicles to be marketed as 2010 models, which were originally destined for sale in the third quarter of 2008.

Although we haven't seen the Q5, meant to compete with BMW's X3 and Mercedes' upcoming GLK, it's been well known that the new cute 'ute has been under development for some time, finding a home atop the VW Tiguan platform. The diesel Q7 will be arriving around the same time, and will come to market packing a three-liter turbo-diesel V6, producing 230 HP and 400 lb.-ft. of torque. Since the new engine will be 50-state compliant, it's "just a matter of formality," according to Audi's U.S. head Johan de Nysschen, that the oilburner will find its way into the A4, A6 and A8 models of the future.

All three vehicles, including the 280 HP V6 hybrid-equipped Q7, are all likely to be revealed in Detroit in 2009.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Winding Road recently talked face to face with Audi of America's executive veep, Johan de Nysschen, who was surprisingly forthcoming with details about the automaker from Ingolstadt's future product plans. For one, Audi does intend to sell a four-door coupe like the Mercedes-Benz CLS, but not until around 2012. de Nysschen indicated a concept previewing the production version would appear at some time, but gave no indication when that would be.

de Nysschen also commented that the Cross Coupe Quattro concept shown in Shanghai earlier this year is not a precursor to the upcoming Q5 crossover, but a different model entirely that's yet to be mentioned publicly.

On to the R8. de Nysschen did confirm the R8 range would be extended with a V10 model, something we figured was likely after the RS6 Avant with its twin-turbo, 580 HP V10 debuted. The veep didn't indicate, however, whether that engine would be the same V10 installed in Audi's uber-wagon, but here's hoping! As for a diesel-powered R8, while it's been officially discussed, de Nysschen claims no decision has been made.

[Source: Winding Road]

4Car sat down with Michael Dick, a member of Audi's board who heads up the product engineering side of things, and came away with new insights on the MINI-fighting A1, the future of Bentley and what products are waiting in the wings.

Starting small, Audi's new A1 will not share the all-aluminum construction of the less-than-popular A2, instead using the steel PQ24 platform that underpins the VW Polo and Skoda Fabia. It will be distinctly Audi in its design, albeit in a small package, and will feature a number of technologies – specifically the MMI setup – that's found in the quad-ring's luxury offerings. Don't expect Quattro in the beginning, nor will a three-door body be offered at first, but Dick confirmed that there would be a concept debuting in Tokyo next month that hints at the A1's styling.

Audi is also developing a new alloy structure for the A8 that will underpin the next generation of Bentleys, and will likely reduce the overall weight of both models by over 300 pounds. Also, the reworked A3 is coming next year, along with a convertible version, while the Q5 will arrive in 2008 complete with either a hybrid drivetrain or a diesel engine – both slated for sales in the U.S.

[Source: 4Car]

The Audi R8 isn't even on sale yet in most parts of the globe, but already we've heard of cars going up in flames in Germany and now we have a story about one that's gone amok in downtown Moscow. From the images, it appears the driver lost of control of the car in the wet weather, skidded across onto the median strip and then crashed into a small tree before spinning to a stop. The car must have been traveling at some speed because the crash managed to rip out the car's headlight out, projecting it several meters away onto a small patch of grass.

Every time we see a crashed exotic, we wonder when more car companies will start offering some kind of advanced driver training course as part of the car's purchase. Then again, there's no way to prevent the stupidity that makes someone want to speed in a built-up urban area in the wet. We hope the driver was at least smart enough to have insurance because it appears this R8 will have one very hefty repair bill.

There are plenty more photos at English Russia. Click the "Read link" or either pic shown here to head over. If you're easily saddened by exoticar wreckage, keep a box of Kleenex handy.

[Source: English Russia]

Will the M5 get a twin-turbo and be joined by an M7? Mr. Lehmann and Co. have caught an M5 and a 7-Series with extra ventage. It's hypothesized that Audi has understated the RS6's pony count, telling the world it's 580 when it's actually 600. And now with both Mercedes and Audi outdoing the M in the horsepower war, the theory is that that's an insult BMW simply cannot allow. Hence the addition of double-barrel blowers to equalize the equation.

As for the possibility of an M7, all there is to see are a large scoop at the front of the hood and two smaller scoops at the rear. With years of AMG S-Classes and Audi S8's behind us, if there is an M7 on the way, all we can say is: it's about time.

[Source: World Can Fans]

Audi's first diesel and hybrid powertrains in the US will be launched in the Q7 next year. The power units will likely trickle down to other vehicles in Audi's range, but they're not yet offering up any details on how prolific this hardware will be. Volkswagen, Audi and Porsche have been working collaboratively to develop the parallel hybrid system, which makes the choice of the Q7 logical, as all three brands share a flavor of the architecture. Hybrid Q7s will be able to power around on the electric motor up to 31 mph, and the system will also shut down the engine during cruise conditions at speeds up to 75 mph. The total weight of the system adds 300 pounds, most of which is in the 288-volt NiMH battery pack.

The modular hybrid system will be easy to integrate with different powertrains once Audi starts propagating the system throughout the rest of their models, and terming it "modular" denotes that the basic pieces will be very adaptable. When Porsche and Volkswagen get their versions of the hybrid gear, we'd expect the engines to differ from the Q7's 3.6 liter 280 horsepower unit. Audi's claiming a 23 percent mileage improvement versus the conventional Q-ship. As for the oil burner, it will be a 3-liter V6 that is 50-state compliant while quietly thumping out 230 horsepower and 400 ft-lb of torque. Diesel torque delivery can be often be described as "electric-motor like," but we wonder if the Hybrid, with its actual electric motors, will laugh at the diesel's effort as it gets the hole shot.

[Source: Auto News - sub req.]

click above image to view a full high-res gallery of the new Audi A4

Audi put together its usual unveil shebang, with cameras, prompters, giant screens, a famous person come to sing praises, and a giant crowd. The audience surrounding the two cars being showcased, the RS6 Avant and the A4, made the venue look more like Wembley than a Frankfurt Motor Show hall. Other than Bryan Adams emerging with a guitar and an acoustic version of "Run to You," we didn't understand any of the press conference, which was entirely in German. Based on the presenter's body language, however, Audi feels very good about what it has and where it's going.

The new A4 takes plenty of lines from the A5. It's still svelte, it simply has a few more creases for you to catch your eye on. Along with a compendium of changes inside and out -- detailed in the exhaustive press release -- there are new engines that provide better power, get better economy, and exhale less pollution. The 1.8-liter is the runt of the petrol lot, and gets 160 bhp. The 2.0-liter diesel makes do with 143 bhp, but comes good with 260 ft-lb. The largest engine available is the 3.2 FSI with 265 bhp and 0-60 in 6.2 seconds.

Click Read for an exhaustive press release, and be sure to check out the hi-res gallery of photos from the reveal.

click above image to view high-res gallery of the Audi RS6

When Satan is going to have some friends over and needs to go shopping, he grabs the keys to the Audi RS6 Avant. Why? Because it's a station wagon -- and it will only come as a wagon to begin with -- that costs more than 101,000 euros, which is nothing short of hellish. It also has 580 HP, though some claim that's a bit of false modesty and the car actually has 600 HP. Then there are the ceramic brakes riding massive rotors, the perfect cure for The Nefarious One's hot foot. Inside, curvaceous buckets taper upward to curved horns for headrests. And finally, while it has a face and a mien that many people could love, it takes a demon -- speed or otherwise -- to truly appreciate.

Inside is stitched leather and carbon fiber and alcantara for days. The car only comes as a tiptronic, but it's been recalibrated for very short shift times. There is absolutely no reason for a supersonic station wagon, especially one that doesn't come with helmets and re-entry suits, but who cares? It's hot enough for Hades, and the guy who runs it.

Click Read for the Audi press release, and be sure to check out the gallery of hi-res photos.

BMW outdid compatriots Mercedes and Audi to sell the most cars in August, taking the cake with the number one spot and probably the Benjamins as well. Compared to Audi's 66,400 cars and Mercedes' (and smart's) 96,200, BMW (with MINI) rolled 99,755 cars off dealer lots.

BMW couldn't have done it without the success of the MINI, and we can debate whether it's fair to include it in a shootout. Minus the little British lifestyle accessory, BMW only moved 85,003 units. Nevertheless, as long as its in there, it bodes well for the blue-and-white propeller, with the X5 and MINI (which is up 24%) still doing very well. All three makers have new and refreshed models on the way shortly, but BMW also has the brand new -- and certain to be popular -- volume-selling 1-Series and MINI Clubman in the works.

And not that they will add too much to the tally, but while we're throwing things in, there's the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe that will probably outsell Maybach all by itself. If it isn't already, the question soon will be: can you get too much BMW?

[Source: Motor Authority]

We see a lot of rumors here at Autoblog, but this one just has to come true. Word around town is that the same engine that powers the 580-hp 5.2L twin-turbo V10 in the recently announced Audi RS6 Avant could also find its way to the back hatch of the Audi R8. We first reported on the possibility of a twin-turbo V10 back in February, and it seems the stat sheet on the RS6 has merely stoked the flames.

With 580 (or more) ponies in tow, the R8 should beat most anything on the road, including its current competition like the Porsche 911 that offers more powerful models in its lineup. Throw in bigger brakes and wheels with a modified suspension, and even the vaunted GT2 should begin to worry.

[Source: Edmunds Inside Line]

According to Motor Authority, Audi has developed a new differential that will find its way into all its Quattro-equipped vehicles next year. The new diff quells Audi's inherent understeer by shuffling torque between the rear wheels, thus improving overall road-holding and lending itself to more sporty (read: rear-wheel drive bias) driving dynamics.

The system, which sends 60-percent of torque to the rear wheels, will sense a loss of traction in less than 100 milliseconds and then send an appropriate amount of power to each individual wheel. Users will have the ability to select between three different preset modes, including "auto," "comfort" and "dynamic," the latter of which provides more competent handling at the expense of ride comfort.

[Source: Motor Authority]