Filed under: Hatchback, Audi, Rumormill, Electric

The original, all-aluminum Audi A2 was a unique beast, which Heinrich Timm, Audi’s head of lightweight design, maintains was ahead of its time. However, the rumored 2012 A2 is likely to utilize a steel unibody platform, and the latest reports indicate that Audi’s mini-lux will have a new reason for being special.

Autocar quotes anonymous sources who say the next A2 could be Audi’s first electric-only vehicle. While the UK rag doesn’t go into detail, Audi has dropped hints that a variant of the A2 could utilize the extended-range EV hardware under the hood of the A1 e-tron concept shown at the Geneva Motor Show. The e-tron utilized a 60 horsepower electric motor paired to a 330-pound lithium ion battery pack. The “extended range” part of the A1 e-tron concept comes courtesy of a small, powerful rotary engine that would work as a generator whenever the battery pack was depleted. Audi quotes the EV range of the A1 e-tron concept at about 33 miles per charge.

Do we think the A2 will be electric-only? Our magic eight-ball says “ask again later,” so we’re thinking the earliest we’ll know anything is this September at the Paris Motor Show.

[Source: Autocar]

Rumormill: Audi A2 could be electric only, or not originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 24 May 2010 18:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Convertible, Performance, Audi, Reviews, Luxury

Taking a great looking performance car and chopping off its roof is risky business – compromises are inevitable. That’s especially true in this modern age of unibody structures. Removing a big chunk of a vehicle’s architecture without adequately reinforcing what’s left can yield a chassis incapable of managing the position of the wheels, let alone result in a vehicle that loses its level of driver engagement and enthusiasm. On the other hand, reinforcements add mass – often lots of it. It’s a treacherous path, as both flaccid body control and weight are the mortal enemy of performance.

You can understand our trepidation, then, upon learning that Audi was planning on introducing its S5 Cabriolet at the 2009 Geneva Motor Show. By our reckoning, the German debutante’s rollout was cause for both consternation and celebration. When the A5 and S5 coupes arrived in 2007, they were hailed as being among the best looking cars ever to wear the brand’s Four Rings. The new Cabriolet models would bring with them the euphoria of open-air motoring, but we had to wonder – would Audi’s rakish new hardtop be turned into a floppy flier just by giving it a roofectomy? Equally as important, would the model’s newly downsized engine drop the performance? There was only one thing to do: Put the range-topping S5 Cabriolet through a week-long test.

Photos by Sam Abuelsamid / Copyright (C)2010 Weblogs, Inc.

Continue reading Review: 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet speaks too softly, but carries a big stick

Review: 2010 Audi S5 Cabriolet speaks too softly, but carries a big stick originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 12 Apr 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Coupe, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Europe, Audi, Rumormill

It’s been a little while since anything with an RS badge came our way from Ingolstadt, but it if you believe the whispers floating around the Web these days, there may be hope for a U.S.-spec Audi RS5 just yet. Automobile is reporting that the company is seriously mulling bringing the S5′s meaner brother to our neck of the woods.

The Kingdom of Quattro pulled the sheets off of the sinister coupe at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and our jaws have been on the floor ever since. Under the hood sits a tweaked 4.2-liter V8 with 450 horsepower at the crank. The mill is bolted to none other than the Audi Quattro all-wheel drive system, complete with a new torque-vectoring rear diff.

Automobile hasn’t gone so far as to name a source for the rumors, which leads us to take this one with a Q7-sized grain of salt. Still, if it were true, we may have our sticky paws on an RS5 by summer 2012, right around the same time the refreshed A5 is scheduled to hit the U.S. Keep your fingers crossed and your hopes down.

[Source: Automobile]

Rumormill: Audi RS5 headed for the States? originally appeared on Autoblog on Thu, 01 Apr 2010 14:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Aftermarket, Convertible, Performance, Geneva Motor Show, Audi

Whenever Audi introduces a new model, chances are that the folks at Abt Sportsline are going to get their hands on one. The German company has been tuning Volkswagens and Audis since the 1970s and has enjoyed success racing the Audi A4 in DTM and more recently the new R8 LMS. Needless to say, Abt knows how to properly modify cars bearing the four rings.

Abt’s latest project is the droptop version of the Audi R8. Visually the car gets a new front grille, front fascia with carbon fiber spoiler, side sills, rear fascia, rear spoiler and lightweight five-spoke wheels. Even more importantly, the 5.2-liter V10 has been massaged to provide 600 horsepower, good for 0-100 km/h in 3.8 seconds and a top speed of 199 mph. Finally, Abt provides a sport suspension system for improved handling. Follow the jump for full details and browse through the high-res gallery below.

[Source: ABT Sportline]

Continue reading Abt Sportsline gets its hands on Audi R8 Spyder

Abt Sportsline gets its hands on Audi R8 Spyder originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hybrid, SUV, Plants/Manufacturing, Technology, Crossover, Audi, Electric

Thanks to the Volkswagen Group’s strategy to be the leading player in the alternative-powertrain market within the next decade, Audi has announced a rapid expansion of hybrid and electric vehicles over the next few years. The German automaker wants to improve efficiency of its internal combustion engines (both gasoline and diesel) by 30 percent – and it wants five percent of the brand’s model line to be electric. “In the future, our customers will be able to choose from an increasingly broad range of driveline technologies,” said Audi CEO Rupert Stadler.

Report: More hybrids, EVs coming from Audi originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 15 Mar 2010 19:26:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Hatchback, Audi, Rumormill, Electric

Seeing the Audi A1 and A1 e-tron concept at this year’s Geneva Motor Show provides proof that the quad-ring automaker is putting a much larger focus on its small car offerings. With that in mind, new rumors are cropping up about a possible successor to the A2 – the quirky little hatch that never came to the U.S. and only had minor success in Europe.

“There’s clearly room for another product and another concept between the A3 and A1,” Audi CEO Rupert Stadler told AutoWeek during the Geneva Motor Show. The new A2 would likely be A1-based and use an electric powertrain, possibly sourced from the A1 e-tron concept. European media has reported that the A2 successor is expected to debut by 2014, and no word has been given about a possible U.S.-spec version. However, with Audi keeping the A1 away from American soil, it’s likely that the A2 would be a Europe-only affair, as well.

[Source: AutoWeek]

Report: Audi working on successor to A2? originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Performance, Europe, Hatchback, Audi

The not-for-U.S. (at least not for now) Audi A1 just made its public debut at this year’s Geneva Motor Show, and we’re eager to see how the new hatch stacks up to the likes of the much-loved Mini Cooper. We’re especially fond of this S Line model, which gives the A1 a much more aggressive appearance and tweaks the hatch’s dynamics ever so slightly.

The S Line kit is made up of two separate packages. The exterior package adds a larger roof spoiler, a revised front bumper with side air vents, more chiseled sill tops and a new rear bumper with an integrated diffuser. Beyond the host of exterior changes, the S Line sport package adds a leather-wrapped sport steering wheel, a sport suspension, and a choice of either 17- or 18-inch alloys. In all, the whole S Line treatment looks great and gives us more reason to lust after the A1. Click through our gallery to see dozens of high-res shots of the A1 in its hot hatch-like S Line guise.

[Source: Audi via Carscoop]

Pics Aplenty: 2011 Audi A1 S Line in the color of lust originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 05 Mar 2010 18:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We got our first peek at Abt’s R8 GTR late last year, but like with many cars, it was a whole different experience to see it in person. To say carbon fiber has been used liberally is an understatement, as the entire car is clothed in the lightweight material. The look suits the R8, and Abt has managed to give the car a more aggressive look without going overboard. The interior is lathered in carbon fiber as well, and lightweight Recaro racing seats help reduce weight even further. In total, Abt has managed to take 220 pounds off the R8′s heft.

In addition to changing the look of the car, Abt has given the R8 more power as well. Its 5.2-liter V10 is now rated at 620 horsepower, good for a 0-100 km/h sprint of 3.2 seconds and a top speed of 202 mph. Other performance upgrades include an adjustable sport suspension, ceramic brake system, lightweight 18-inch wheels and Michelin Sport Cup tires.

In the Them’s Big Words department, Audi is calling its A8 Hybrid “the efficiency standard.” And it’s not exactly untrue since the top-of-the-peak, 211-horsepower V6 sedan boosted by a 45-hp electric motor has more power than an A3 TDI and a faster 0-to-60 sprint, yet the gas mileage comparison isn’t unfavorable: the A3 gets 34 miles per gallon combined, the A8 Hybrid does 38 mpg. And you get all that A8 size and panache. And 21-inch rims. Responsibly.

All that is certain to cost you come negotiating time: It remains a concept so Audi hasn’t released a price, but when you’re talking about getting the moon, it’s safe to figure it’ll cost you a few stars.

No, Wankel is not really a verb. At least, not that we know of. But it is the last name of the man who designed the rotary engine, and we think our man Felix would be more than pleased with the latest application of his barrel-shaped internal combustion powerplant. In case you missed it before, that would be as the range-extender buried inside Audi‘s new A1 e-tron electric vehicle, which is currently on display at the Geneva Motor Show.

As we told you before, Audi’s smallest e-tron features a 12-kilowatt-hour lithium ion battery pack that feeds a steady stream of electrons to a front-mounted electric motor with 102 peak horsepower. The aforementioned Wankel rotary engine features one lone rotor, displaces 254cc and sits just aft of the battery pack under the rear seat. Why a Wankel? Audi says the complete package weighs in at just 154 pounds and puts out a nice, steady stream of power at a constant 5,000 RPM.